The Company

Sandra L. Portal-Andreu

Sandra L. Portal-Andreu is a Hialeah native of Cuban/Colombian decent, who began dancing with Madelyn Alfonso and later, trained under the direction of Vladimir Issaev. She received an A.A. from New World School of the Arts/MDCC, B.F.A. in Dance from Florida State University, and an M.S. in Movement Sciences from Barry University. She is a certified trainer in GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS®.

Additionally, Sandra has trained with Fernando Bujones, Suzanne Farrell, Michael Foley and Gerri Houlihan. Her work will be featured in the film, “Dancer” by Dara Friedman during Art Basel. Additional performance credits include: Arts Ballet Theater of So. Florida, Momentum Dance Company, Florida Grand Opera’s “AIDA”, Miami City Ballet’s “Lounge 2200”, and Camposition. Mrs. Portal-Andreu is faculty at the New World School of the Arts. Additionally, she has taught at Barry University, Miami City Ballet School & Summer Intensive, Vladimir Issaev’s Classical Ballet Russian Seminar and FSUdanceSARASOTA. Choreography credits include: City Theatre’s Summer Shorts with Jai Rodriguez, Lisa Loeb and City Theatre’s “Camp Kappawanna”, Gabriel Pulido’s “Deep Surface: A Homage to the Sea”, The Naked Stage Theater Company, Barry University and UM’s Young Musician’s Camp.

She has also performed for Carlos Ponce, Iron and Wine, the SuperBowl, Sabado Gigante and has appeared in local and regional commercials. Sandra is thrilled to be dancing for Josee Garant Dance and credits her son, Julian, for inspiring her to keep going and deeply thanks her husband, family and friends for their love and support.

Elizabeth Arencibia

Elizabeth Arencibia, born and raised in Miami, Florida, began her classical ballet training at the age of three. For over fifteen years, she received ballet instruction from Elizabeth Acuna Nuevo and Lissette Salgado Lucas, directors of Artistic Dance Center.

Elizabeth has performed lead roles in The Nutcracker and many variations from classical works such as Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, Napoli, Swan Lake, Paquita, and Dying Swan. In addition, her performance repertoire also includes many contemporary and original works as a company member with Artistic Dance Center.

Elizabeth has earned many accolades in national competitions such as the Youth America Grand Prix and American Dance Competition, where she received the Overall Senior Award and the Fernando Bujones Award. She has expanded her ballet training by attending reputable summer ballet intensives, such as New York’s American Ballet Theater and Orlando Ballet on merit scholarship.

In 2011, Elizabeth attended the American Dance Festival where she performed with the company and trained with master choreographers such as Gerri Houlihan and Brenda Daniels.

She currently resides in Miami, Florida and attends New World School of the Arts College pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance.

Leon A. Cobb

Leon A. Cobb was born on July, 4 1992 in Broward County Florida. He began his dance training at the age of 17 at Boynton Beach Community High School, under the Direction of Elizabeth Gonzales, who received her dance training at Southern Dance Theatre and Palm Beach Ballet Center. He also received training at Southern Dance Theater, under the Direction of Penny Greenly and Julie Bravta, who studied in New York City at the School of American Ballet, and became a member of ABT’s Ballet Repertory Company after receiving a personal invitation by Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Leon has also received dance training from Tracy Mozingo, a graduate of UNCSA, Anne Polajenko, Lori Morales, Stacy Marzullo, Tosha Robinson, and Sandra Goodnough. He has had the opportunity to further his dance training at Alvin Ailey’s summer intensive, Dance Dimension summer intensive, and a myriad of master classes at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

Leon also has experience in the theatre. He played Ryan Evans in the musical adaptation of “High School Musical,” and Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” He has been honored with superior ratings in performance at the District Thespian Competition and he placed in the Florida Stage’s Monologue Festival. He has also won many Dance and Drama Achievement Awards throughout his junior and senior year of high school.

He now resides in Miami Beach, Florida where he is attending New World School of the Arts to further his dance training.

Andrea Jonusas

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Andrea Jonusas began her ballet training at the age of 3, in Miami, Florida, with ballet instructor Vivian Tobio. At the age of 5, she was chosen to be part of a selected workshop for young talented dancers. While in the workshop, she had the opportunity to compete and travel to different places such as, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Boston, Washington D.C, and Virginia.

Andrea has also had the great honor of meeting Sascha Radetsky, soloist, American Ballet Theater School of Classical Ballet, who starred as Charlle in the movie Center Stage, and being taught by best known American ballerina and world renowned ballet teacher, Gelsey Kirkland.

Being a company member at Artistic Dance Center, Andrea has performed in many classical works such as, Napoli, Le Corsair Pas de Deux, Don Quixote, and Paquita. She has also had the opportunity to perform lead roles in The Nutcracker such as, Clara, Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, Arabian, and Spirit. She has also performed contemporary works such as “Take 5”, Choreographed by Margo Sappington, and “Aspire”, Choreographed by Lissette Salgado Lucas.

In 2009, she participated in the Youth American Grand Prix competition where she placed top 12 in Senior Classical and Contemporary division. Andrea recently auditioned for the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, and was chosen to be a part of the corps of ballet in the classical work, Don Quixote.

Crystal Karaginis Peattie

Crystal began her formal ballet training with The Florida Ballet School in Palm Harbor, FL and attended intensives at the Ailey School, Atlanta Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and The Graham School.

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from New World School of the Arts where she had the chance to perform works by Merce Cunningham, John McFall, Robert Battle, and Gerard Ebitz to name a few.

She has performed with local companies such as Freddick Bratcher & Co, The Playground Theatre, Erika Diaz’s E.Magine Dance Ensemble where she performed works by iMEE’s Spencer Hering, and Miami Contemporary Dance Company where she has been a company member since 2010. She’s worked with local choreographers Luis Cuevas and Rosie Herrera for her choreography in Rudi Goblen’s ‘Farewelling’. She is currently on the faculty at The Miami Conservatory, home of The Thomas Armour Youth Ballet.

This is Crystal’s first season with Josee Garant Dance.

Wesley Sean van der Vaart

Wesley Sean van der Vaart was born in The Netherlands and started dancing at the age of 16. While he was in High School he followed a pre-education program at the renowned Lucia Marthas Dance Academy of performing arts in Amsterdam.

In 2009 Wesley graduated from the same school majoring as a performing musical artist. During his education Wesley experienced performing in both national theatre shows as well as in big television productions.

In the past few years, Wesley has worked as an ensemble dancer/actor on several stage productions, most notably on the Dutch musical production of Mary Poppins as well as on the most recent production of The Sound of Music. However performing in musical productions represents only a small part of Wesley’s life with modern dance performances on television and fashion shows, such as Idols, So you wanna be a Popstar, TMF awards and the Elite model Contest

Choreographed by a soloist of the National Ballet Wesley performed a modern dance in The Hague for charity. Wesley also performed at the Dutch Musical Awards and as a background dancer for several Dutch artists. Next to his performing experience Wesley also choreographed shows for dance academies in The Netherlands, such as CKC and NME in The Hague.

The highlight of this career is without a doubt performing a solo during Lionel Richie’s Symphonica in Rosso concerts in Rotterdam in front of an audience of tens of thousands.

The art of modern dance holds enormous appeal to Wesley and it is as a performer in this area where his ambitions are the greatest. That’s why Wesley decided to move to the United States where he got the chance do perform for Josee Garants Dance Company.

Sean Dibble—Company Accompanist

Sean Dibble is a percussionist/multi instrumentalist/composer based in South Florida. He graduated from F.I.U. in 1994 with a B.A. degree in anthropology/sociology. Sean has worked as an accompanist for the dance department at the New World School of the Arts from 2000 to the present.

Over the years, Sean has performed and or recorded with a wide variety of artists including: Julio Iglesias "Noche de Cuatro Lunas", Afro Brazilian singer Angela Patua, World Fusion band Outdance, Haitian Roots band Ayebombe, as well as many others.

Guest Collaborative Artists

Amernet String Quartet

Mia Leonin, Poet

Jacek Kolasinski, New-Media Artist

Harold Meltzer, Composer