Interview: TWIN SISTERS BRING A GLOBAL SENSIBILITY TO THEIR ROLES IN ‘GISELLE’ at Connor Palace

Like many twins, Cleveland Ballet’s Alexandra and Sophia Veronese-Milin are like two peas in a pod. They live together, hang out together, and have studied in many of the same places throughout their dance careers.

As fraternal twins, Alexandra (the elder sister by two minutes) and Sophia also differ in personality and dance skills. Alexandra is the shy one and the more athletic dancer, preferring jumps and leaps, while Sophia is the socialite and favors ballet’s softness and grace. Both, however, are versatile artists whose dancing can embody athleticism, grace, and more when needed.

Born in Salt Lake City to a globetrotting Italian mother and a French father, the worldly pair have embraced their parents’ global sensibilities throughout their young lives, traveling widely for dance training, including at the San Francisco Ballet School, Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the Paris National Opera Ballet School, and most recently, London’s English National Ballet.

On occasion, their paths diverged. Alexandra joined Oklahoma City Ballet for a season and competed in ballet competitions, including Youth America Grand Prix, World Ballet Competition, and the Varna International Ballet Competition. Sophia competed some and spent two seasons with Ballet Frontier of Texas.

They reunited once again at Cleveland Ballet, arriving separately: Alexandra in 2023 and Sophia in 2025.

I sat down with the pair recently to discuss their careers, aspirations, and roles in this weekend’s production of Giselle at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace theater.

What got you both interested in dance?
Alexandra: Our mom put our older sister and us in dance when we were four years old. At six, we started at the San Francisco Ballet School, where we stayed for many years. I always liked dance’s discipline and structure.
Sophia: Our older sister stopped taking dance at fifteen.

What was it like to attend the Bolshoi Ballet Academy?
Alexandra: In Russia, they are pretty strict. You first take a 3-week summer intensive, and then the teacher decides whether to keep coaching you. If they invite you to continue, you take either a 6-month or full-year trial class with other international students. Then, a few select students are invited to train with the school’s Russian students to earn a diploma.

How many languages do you each speak?
Sophia: We speak three languages natively, and we are also fluent in Spanish, and Alexandra is fluent in Russian.

Do you have any sibling rivalry over roles?
Sophia: There is no competition between us. We see ourselves as two different people. She (Alexandra) has her strengths, and I have mine.
Alexandra: I think there is always that internal question of why they got cast over me. It’s not a sibling thing; it’s any dancer. I don’t see that as a negative, but as a chance to learn from every opportunity I am given, or not given. With us, we are each other’s biggest advocates and critics.

Do you each have a favorite dancer you try to emulate?
Alexandra: I like watching Ulyana Lopatkina [Former Mariinsky Theatre prima ballerina] and Evgenia Obraztsova [Bolshoi prima ballerina]. They are technically very strong, and I connect with them.
Sophia: My current favorite is Marianela Núñez [Royal Ballet principal dancer]. She has brilliant technique and can dance any role of any age. That is what I hope to have in my career.

What is at the top of each of your dream role lists?
Alexandra: I like tragic ballets. One role I would really like to perform is Tatiana in the ballet Onegin. I really like big productions with storylines from old literature.
Sophia: Juliet [from Romeo & Juliet] or Manon [from the ballet of the same name], roles that incorporate dancing and acting and push classical boundaries.

You both somehow also found time to earn science degrees at UCLA?
Sophia: We took classes remotely over several years. When we were in Russia, we took classes from 4-6 a.m. because of the time difference, then went to dance training. Our mom was a mathematician, and I followed in her footsteps, getting my degree in Applied Mathematics and Applied Science. I also have an associate’s degree in Mathematics from Harvard’s Extension University.
Alexandra: I have a degree in Environmental Science and Geography. The environment really interests me.

How did you two end up at Cleveland Ballet?
Alexandra: Shortly after the COVID pandemic, I auditioned, and the former artistic director asked me to join the company as a trainee. This is my fourth season, and I feel comfortable here and have grown as a dancer.
Sophia: I was still in England when Alexandra joined Cleveland Ballet. I auditioned a year ago and became a trainee dancer, and this is my first year as a company member.

How are you liking the company and living in Cleveland?
Alexandra: We found our spot here, and Cleveland has a large Italian community. Having that little part of our culture and heritage has made us feel comfortable here.

What are your post-ballet career plans?
Sophia: I am getting my Master’s Degree in Data Health Science, and in addition to my dance career, I have remote jobs in the tech industry in San Francisco.
Alexandra: I am currently studying to be a veterinary technician. I like the connection between humans and animals, and I find it easier to connect with animals.

What roles will each of you be dancing in Giselle?
Alexandra: In cast one, I am performing as one of Giselle’s friends and one of the wilis (Fri., Oct. 23 & Sat., Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.), and in cast two (Fri., Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. & Sat., Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.) I am performing the “Peasant Pas de Deux” with Bruno Palheta for the first time and as a wilis.
Sophia: In cast one (Fri., Oct. 23 & Sat., Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.), I play a villager in the first act and a wilis in the second act. In cast two (Fri., Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. & Sat., Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.) I play one of Giselle’s friends and a wilis.