Midland Festival Ballet

Denise Parungao was born in Manila, Philippines where she began her professional career with Ballet Philippines. She soon rose to the rank of principal dancer where her repertory included lead roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Carmen, and The Nutcracker. Ms. Parungao joined New Jersey Ballet in the spring of 2022 under the direction of Maria Kowroski. Since joining the company, she has danced featured roles in George Balanchine’s Who Cares? and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain and This Bitter Earth, and was part of the original cast in Harrison Ball’s Purcell Suite. 
 
Ms. Parungao has won awards from the CCP National Ballet Competition, Aliw Awards, and Philstage Gawad Buhay. She was also accepted to compete in the USA International Ballet Competition in 2018. She has taken part in the International Ballet Stars Gala in Australia, Life Chance Gala in support of the people in Ukraine in South Caroline, Okamoto Ballet Festival in Japan, Fonteyn Gala in Arizona, and Asbury Park Dance Festival. 
 
In the summer of 2022, she was a rehearsal mistress and teacher at the Westlake School for the Performing Arts in California. As she starts her second fall season with New Jersey Ballet, she has also joined the faculty of NJB School and Art of Dance in Chester, New Jersey. 

Joshuan Vázquez began his dance training in his hometown of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Urban and Latin Dance with Western Ballet Theater, Ballet Escenario and EMBAE. In 2018, joined the Ballet de Camara de Madrid where he has been featured in many principal and soloist roles of both classical and contemporary works. In 2020, he was a top award winner for his Classical Variation, Contemporary Solo, and “Best” Pas de Deux at Dance Open America’s International Competition. In 2022, Mr. Vázquez joined New Jersey Ballet Company and graduated in Classical Dance Pedagogy (Cuban Technique) at the Alicia Alonso Dance Institute, Rey Juan Carlos Ⅱ University (URJC) in Madrid. In addition, he has performed in festivals such as Festival de la Danza 2019 (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain), Festival del Movimiento 2020 & 2021 (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Asbury Park Dance Festival 2023 (Asbury Park, New Jersey). As a dancer with NJB, Mr. Vázquez has danced After the Rain & This Bitter Earth pas de deux by Christopher Wheeldon, Who Cares by George Balanchine and Hallelujah Junction by Peter Martins among others classical ballets as The Nutcracker, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote.

As a guest artist and company dancer, he has danced with Ballet Etudes of Florida, Mauro Ballet Company, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Ballet Arts Dance Company, Charlotte Youth Ballet, Midland Ballet Festival, Tabula Rasa Dance Theater and Ballet Collective.

Within his professional development and training are teachers such as Nana and Mumy Badrena, Iván Monreal Alonso, Lázaro Carreño, Leydi Villalobos, Kelvin Santiago, Wilmaliz Mendret, Elmer Pérez, Armando Seda, Marena Pérez, Victor Gili Mendéz, Galina Alvárez, Deborah Marquéz, Laura Alonso, Martha Bosch, Orlando Salgado, Óscar Torrado, Luba Gulyaeva and Maria Kowroski, among others.

Micah Bullard trained at The Dance Center of Baytown, Texas. He then attended The University of Oklahoma School of Dance where he received his bachelorʼs degree in Ballet Performance, performing Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake and works by Merce Cunningham, Alejandro Cerrudo, Trey McIntyre, Amy Hall Garner, Nilas Martins, and Mary Margaret Holt.

Following graduation, Micah joined Oklahoma City Ballet as an apprentice, where he danced in Michael Pinkʼs Dracula and classical works by Artistic Director Robert Mills.

Micah is currently in his second season with Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has danced works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Helen Pickett, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Stanton Welch, Robert Garland, and Claudia Schreier.

Jason Cox began his ballet training with Ms. Judith Gani in San Antonio where he performed with many schools and theaters within the city.  He began his professional career with Ballet San Antonio in 2013. His most notable roles were as Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker, Bossy Stepsister and Tybalt  in Ben Stevenson's Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Cox has been Drosselmeyer in Midland Festival Ballet’s The Nutcracker since 2014, including the film adaptation, The Nutcracker Reimagined.