Sasha de Sola and Tiit Helimets to Appear in Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER, 12/7-8

SASHA DE SOLA, soloist of the San Francisco Ballet, and TIIT HELIMETS, principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on December 7 and 8, 2013 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Born in Winter Park, Florida, SASHA DE SOLA trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. on full merit scholarship.

At the age of 16, Ms. De Sola joined San Francisco Ballet where she quickly rose through the ranks and is currently a Soloist with the company.

Ms. De Sola has danced several principal roles with San Francisco Ballet including George Balanchine's Divertimento No. 15, Tarantella andSymphony in Three Movements; Alexei Ratmansky's From Foreign Lands; Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc; Jerome Robbins's In the Night, among others.

She has originated featured roles in Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella; Helgi Tomasson's Trio and Yuri Possokhov's Rite of Spring. Her repertory also includes Queen of the Driads in Helgi Tomasson's Don Quixote; featured roles in Rudolf Nureyev's Raymonda Act III; Helgi Tomasson's Giselle; and William Forsythe's Artifact Suite.

Ms. De Sola has appeared as a guest artist in several galas around the world and was also awarded the Best Junior Couple prize at USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi (2006); the Silver Medal at World Ballet Competition (2008); and the Bronze Medal at Varna International Ballet Competition (2006); among other honors.

TIIT HELIMETS was born in Viljandi, Estonia and received his ballet training at the Tallinn Ballet School.

In 1996 Mr. Helimets joined the Estonian National Ballet as a soloist, and was appointed a principal dancer, within six months, that same year. Mr. Helimets' repertoire included Prince Desire and Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, Albrecht in Giselle, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo inRomeo and Juliet, and Daphnis in Daphnis and Chloe.

In 1999 Mr. Helimets joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet and was promoted to principal dancer in 2002. Notable for being an elegant classical dancer and superb partner, Mr. Helimets has expanded his repertoire to include such classical roles as Albrecht in David Bintley's production ofGiselle, the Prince in Peter Wright's production of The Nutcracker, the Prince and the Bluebird in Wright's production of The Sleeping Beauty,Franz in Wright's production of Coppelia, Siegfried in Wright's production of Swan Lake as well as showing a more dramatic side as Romeo in David Bintley's Shakespeare Suite, and a keen comic bent as Fred Beenstock in Bintley's Hobson's Choice. He has also danced the role of Lancelot in Bintley's Arthur, William Boldwood in Bintley's Far From The Madding Crowd, The Young Man in Frederick Ashton's The Two Pigeons, Colas in Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardee, Franz in Peter Wright's production of Coppelia, the Beast in Bintley's Beauty and the Beast,and Apollo in Bintley's The Orpheus Suite.

Mr. Helimets has also danced roles in ballets by contemporary choreographers including the title role in George Balanchine's Apollo, principal roles in George Balanchine's Western Symphony, Ashton's Voices of Spring, Dante Sonata, Enigma Variations, The Walk to the Paradise Garden, Scenes de Ballet, Bintley's Carmina Burana, Flowers of the Forest, Concert Fantasy, Les Petits Riens, and Sons of Horus, Twyla Tharp's In The Upper Room, Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopations, John Cranko's Brouillards, Michael Kopinski's Saturn from The Planets, Hans van Manen's Five Tangos, and Stanton Welch's Powder. He also created Summer in Bintley's The Seasons, and a principal role in Nahid Siddiqui's Krishna.

In 2005 Mr. Helimets joined the San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer. Mr. Helimets has expanded his repertoire to include Prince Siegfried in Helgi Tomasson's production of Swan Lake, the King of the Snow and Grand Pas de Deux in Tomasson's production of The Nutcracker, the Prince in Tomasson's production of The Sleeping Beauty, Basilio in the Helgi Tomasson/Yuri Possokhov production of Don Quixote, the Prince in Yuri Possokhov's Firebird, the Tortoise in Tomasson's Chi-Lin, the Lilac/Prince in Julia Adam's A Rose By Any Other Name, the Prince in John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid,Vershinin in Kenneth MacMillan's Winter Dreams, Jean de Brienne in Rudolf Nureyev's production of Raymonda Act III, Prince Gremin in John Cranko's Onegin, the Summer Section of Christopher Wheeldon's Quarternary,principal roles in Balanchine's Allegro Brillante, Symphony in C (Second Movement), the Diamonds Act of Jewels, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Serenade, The Four Temperaments, Scotch Symphony, and Divertimento No. 15, David Bintley's The Dance House, William Forsythe's In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Wayne McGregor's Eden/Eden, Chroma, and Borderlands, Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc, Stanton Welch'sFalling and Naked, Julia Adam's Night, Tomasson's On Common Ground, 7 For Eight, Prism, and On A Theme of Paganini, Matjash Mrozewski's Concordia, Possokhov's Magrittomania, Jerome Robbins' In The Night, Alexei Ratmansky's Russian Seasons, Frederick Ashton's Symphonic Variations, and created roles in Tomasson's The Fifth Season and Trio, Val Caniparoli's Ibsen's House and Double Stop,Christopher Wheeldon's Ghosts, Edwaard Liang's Symphonic Dances, and the role of The King in Julia Adam's A Rose By Any Other Name.

In 1999 Mr. Helimets received an award from the Arts Council of Estonia for his performances in The Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet.

In 2008 Mr. Helimets appeared as a guest artist with the National Ballet of Canada dancing one of the principal roles in George Balanchine'sSymphony in C, and in 2010 Mr. Helimets appeared as a guest artist with Ballet San Jose dancing the role of Albrecht in Giselle. In 2012 Mr. Helimets appeared as a guest artist with the Hamburg Ballet dancing the role of the Prince in John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid.

He also performed in the International Ballet Star Gala in Taipei, and danced the title role in Balanchine's Apollo as a guest artist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

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