Fabrice Herrault
Began classical training with Daniel Franck at Académie Chaptal in Paris before enrolling in L'Ecole de Danse de l'Opéra de Paris, under Claude Bessy. Graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris under Serge Golovine and Attilio Labis. Has danced with Le Jeune Ballet de France, Hamburg Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Les Ballets de Marseille (under the direction of Roland Petit), Twyla Tharp and Dancers, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Has appeared on film and television in La Dame aux Camelias with the Hamburg Ballet, and with Twyla Tharp and Dancers in In the Upper Room on PBS's Dance in America series. Has taught at Barnard College, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive, Miami City Ballet Summer Intensive, and the New York International Ballet Competition. Current ballet faculty, Steps on Broadway, N.Y.C and The Julliard School.  This is the 3rd year Mr. Herrault is offering his Ballet Intensive here at The Ailey Extension.

Karin Averty
Joined the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1973 and became a member of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1979. She was quickly recognized internationally when she received the Varna Grand Prix (in the youth category) in 1980 at the International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria. During the Paris Opera Ballet Competition, she was promoted Premiere Danseuse in 1983. In 1984, the AROP Paris Opera Ballet Association awarded her the Prix du Public. From 1984 to 2005 she interpreted principal roles of the classical repertory (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Bayadère, Don Quixote, Coppelia, la Fille mal Gardée, Romeo and Juliette, Etudes…) and new works from guest choreographers invited to the Paris Opera Ballet (William Forsythe, Odile Duboc, John Neumeier…) but also choreographies from Lifar, Balanchine, Robbins, Tudor, MacMillan, Graham, Taylor, Tharp, Kudelka …).

In 1987 she was invited to be a Principal Dancer with the San Francisco Ballet during a leave of absence from the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1988 she became Guest Principal Artist with the San Francisco Ballet and the following year was part of the San Francisco Ballet’s French tour at the Champs-Elysees Theater. In 2003 she obtained her Diplôme d’Etat in Ballet (official French teaching diploma). Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of France, honored her with the National Merit Order as a Chevalier in 2004. As a final good-bye to the Paris Opera Ballet, and for the first time in her career, she interpreted the role of Juliet in Nureyev’s choreography Romeo and Juliet at the Bastille Opera on July 9, 2005.

Currently, she is pursuing her career as a Guest Artist, lately, she performed in Japan Les Biches, Nijinska’s choreography. Karin has started a new career as well as a freelance Ballet Teacher and a coach for Ballet Companies and Schools throughout the world.

Paloma Herrera
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she began her training at the age of seven with Olga Ferri and graduated with the highest qualification at the Institute of Art at the Colon Opera Theatre. At age 14, Paloma was awarded the finalist diploma at the XIV Varna International Ballet Competition, Bulgaria, in l990. In January 1991, having just turn 15, she moved to New York and continued her studies at the School of American Ballet, where she was given the lead role in Balanchine´s Raymonda Variation for its annual workshop. After six months, she joined the American Ballet Theatre. She was promoted to Soloist two years later. In l995, age 19, she became the youngest Principal Dancer in the American Ballet Theatre history.

Her roles with the American Ballet Theatre include: Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Coppelia, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Snow Maiden, Raymonda, Sylvia, The Merry Widow, among many others, and contemporary ballets: Apollo, The Prodigal Son, Stepping Stones, American We, Fancy Free, Without Words, etc. Famous choreographers created leading roles for her as Twyla Tharp, Nacho Duato, James Kudelka, Alexei Ratmansky among others and worked with Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe.

She appeared as Guest Artist with the most important International Companies: New York City Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Colon Theatre, Kremlin Palace Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba and has just danced at the Teatro Alla Scala of Milan, the opening of the new production of Coppelia, and the most prestigious Gala: Le Gala des Etoiles; Gala of Dance and Music, in London; The World Ballet Festival, in Japan; Gala at the Finnish National Opera; Festival de La Habana, The Bournonville Gala with the Royal Danish Ballet. Alessandra´s Ferri Farewell Galas in Tokyo; “An Evening with Paloma Herrera” at the Esplanade Theater, in Singapore, among many others.

Paloma´s photograph was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine as one of 30 Artists whom The New York Times critics chose- “as among those most likely to change the culture for the next 30 years" (the only one in Dance).

Sofiane Sylve
Born in Nice, France, where she studied at the Académie de Dance. At the age of 14 she joined the Stadttheater in Karlsruhe, Germany.

In 1993, she joined the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, expanding her repertory with works from George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Hans van Manen, Rudi van Dantzig, Wayne Eagling, Glen Tetley, William Forsythe, and David Dawson. In the winter of 2002-2003 Sofiane Sylve appeared as a guest artist with New York City Ballet, performing in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Kammermusik No. 2, Serenade, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Symphony in Three Movements, and Western Symphony.

In fall 2003 Sofiane Sylve joined New York City Ballet as a principal dancer. She performed featured roles in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon. She created roles in works by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Jorma Elo, Susan Stroman, and Alexei Ratmansky. Sofiane Sylve continues to perform regularly in Europe, notably with Dutch National Ballet and English National Ballet.