INTERNATIONAL BALLET THEATRE
presents
The
20th Anniversary
Performance Season
INTERNATIONAL BALLET THEATRE
presents
The
20th Anniversary
Performance Season
INTERNATIONAL BALLET THEATRE
presents
The
20th Anniversary
Performance Season
INTERNATIONAL BALLET THEATRE
presents
The
20th Anniversary
Performance Season
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PAYTON KNAUSS
Payton was born and raised in Redmond, Washington, and started ballet at the age of two after seeing Swan Lake. When she saw the stunning and strong dancers, she decided that she needed to learn how to be just like them. She convinced her mom to enroll her at IBA, and ever since then, Payton has been dancing. After 15 years at IBA, Payton has performed in numerous productions, including The Nutcracker, Dracula, Giselle, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White. Payton has had various roles from a little oyster and mermaid in Alice in Wonderland to lead roles such as Alice and Snow White. Payton has participated in SAB, The Royal Danish Ballet, and IBA’s summer intensives over the years. Along with her passion for dance, Payton also enjoys reading, knitting, and crocheting in her free time.
NATAN LUBOW
Born in Russia, Natan grew up in Seattle, where at age six, he decided to pursue the study of ballet after seeing IBT's production of The Nutcracker. He has trained with the International Ballet Theatre, Ballet Fantastique, Emerald Ballet Theatre of Bellevue, Spectrum Dance Theater of Seattle, Olympic Ballet, and as well as under the mentorship of Mr. Marco Carrabba.
Natan has attended Summer Intensive Programs at the Portland Festival Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Eugene Ballet, OKC Ballet, and Spectrum Dance Theater, as well as at IBT. Most recently, he finished an apprenticeship with Ballet Fantastique's productions and collaborations in Eugene, Oregon. He is excited to perform with The International Ballet Theatre this season. He has performed with countless ballets with IBT, including Dracula, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, The Jungle Book, and Giselle.
“I wish to tribute the late Mr. John Magnus for refocusing my energy and for teaching me and many others the ideology and physical embodiment of ballet as an art.”
SAMYUKTHA MANI
Samyuktha Mani was born in New York and raised in Seattle. She began ballet at age three and trained at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet. She has performed in both classical and contemporary works and is currently a member of the Professional Division at the International Ballet Academy. Samyuktha has been a Top 12 finisher at YAGP and advanced to the YAGP Finals. She has trained at various summer intensives such as Ellison Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.
FRANCINE RITZMAN
Francine Ritzman was born and raised in Normandy Park, Washington. She joined Evergreen City Ballet in 2017. While there, she participated in Long Beach Ballet and Ellison Ballet’s summer programs. At the beginning of high school, Francine joined IBA’s professional division and is now heading into her 3rd year. Since then, she’s performed in productions of Dracula and The Nutcracker, as well as spring productions like Don Quixote. Her favorite roles have been Lead Flowers in The Nutcracker and a Witch in Dracula. Since joining IBA, Francine has attended summer intensive programs with City Ballet San Francisco and San Francisco Ballet.
INARA TOCCI-PONCE de LEON
Inara Tocci-Ponce de Leon was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but has lived in Washington her entire life. She started ballet at age five with Pacific Northwest Ballet and has always dreamed of dancing professionally. Inara joined International Ballet Academy’s Professional Division in 2024. This is Inara’s third year with the company. Inara has performed in multiple IBA productions, including Don Quixote and Dracula. She has had the opportunity to compete in the TanzOlymp in Berlin, Germany, and ADC/IBC in Dallas, Texas, through IBA. She continues to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer through IBA’s company.
Apprentices
HATTIE AULD
Hattie Auld grew up in Washington. She first fell in love with ballet when she attended IBT’s The Nutcracker as a young girl. At age seven, she began taking ballet classes at The Ballet Theatre School in Edgewood, Washington, where she performed in various productions and competed at YAGP. She joined IBA in 2025 and is now going into her first year in the professional division. This summer she attended San Francisco Ballet’s summer intensive and hopes to continue dancing professionally after graduation.
AUDREY DeMARRE
Audrey DeMarre was born in Washington and has trained with IBA since 2013, where she has performed in many different productions with the company, including Dracula, The Nutcracker, and Snow White. She hopes to pursue dance professionally after graduating with a well-rounded technical and performance education.
CAIGHLEY HEATH
Caighley was born in California and began ballet at the age of three at a local dance studio, where her love for dance began to grow. While living in California, she competed in various dance competitions, including YAGP, where she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Bolshoi Ballet Summer Intensive. After moving to Washington, she continued her training at Pacific Northwest Ballet, where she attended the PNB Summer Intensive and performed in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Sleeping Beauty. In 2025, she joined the International Ballet Academy, where she has performed in The Nutcracker, Dracula, and Alice in Wonderland. This is Caighley’s second year at IBA and her first year in the Professional Division.
LIZA INSHYNA
Liza Inshyna was born and raised in Sumy, Ukraine. She started ballet at 4 years old after taking a trial class at Ballet Studio Prestige. After the war began, she left her home country and lived in Slovakia for a year, where she studied at the Dance Conservatory of Eva Jaczovej. In 2023, her family moved to Washington, where she joined IBA, where she has been dancing ever since. She has attended ABT’s Summer Intensive in 2025 and San Fransicos’s 2026 Summer Intensive. She has gained tremendous experience by performing Dracula, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Snow White, Don Quixote, and The Best of IBT gala.
POLINA KUCHER
Polina Kucher was born and raised in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She started dancing at 5 years old with a private instructor, after seeing The Little Mermaid children’s ballet at Kharkiv Ballet School. At the age of 6, she joined Kharkiv Ballet School, where she studied for 4 years and performed roles like Thumbelina and Snow Girl. After moving to the United States because of the war, she joined IBA at the age of 11 and has been here since. She has performed many roles, including Mowgli in Jungle Book, Clara and Ballerina Doll in The Nutcracker, and Amour in Don Quixote.