STEFAN JON WISE
classical ballet and repertoire
A graduate of The Royal Ballet School in London, Stefan began his career with The Royal Ballet, performing at London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. He later joined the English National Ballet in London before moving to Japan as a Soloist with K Ballet in Tokyo. Upon his return to London, he joined Peter Schaufuss Ballet where,following his interpretation of the role of Hamlet, he was quickly promoted to Principal Dancer. It was during this time that Stefan helped revive Sir Fredrick Ashton’s Romeo and Juliet, premiering at the London Coliseum and touring throughout the United Kingdom to critical acclaim.
Stefan worked with Peter Schaufuss Ballet in several capacities, continuing his role as Principal Dancer andadding to it the positions of Assistant Artistic Director of the company’s Touring Ballet, as well as Ballet Master of the company’s affiliated ballet school. He also served as Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp, Belgium, and later guested as Principal Dancer with Theatre aan de Stroom, also in Antwerp, and as part of the International Ballet Gala at the Mozart Opera House in Salzburg, Austria.
He is a strong, passionate and dedicated dancer with a keen artistic eye and excellent ability to convey emotion through expressive movement. Over the years, Stefan has created and danced numerous principal roles in the classical repertoire, including The Prince in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, and Romeo and Paris in Romeo and Juliet, and several roles in George Balanchine and William Forsythe ballets. With exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills, he has extensive experience in choreography and production management, most recently choreographing and performing as Principal Guest Dancer in La Monnaie Opera’s La Gioconda in Brussels, Belgium, and overseeing rehearsals, production and touring for the Edinburgh Festival Ballet Company in Scotland.
Based in Brussels, Belgium, Stefan provides classical ballet instruction to students at area schools and the European Commission, as well as private instruction for professional students preparing for company and conservatoire auditions and ballet competitions. He has taught classical ballet at various ballet schools around the world, including those in Belgium, England, China, Scotland, and the United States, where he also made time to complete a 200-hour certification as a yoga instructor. A clear, compassionate, and direct communicator, Stefan is a natural teacher, successfully translating his deep knowledge in all types of settings, on stage and in the classroom, to professionals and non-professionals alike.
BENEDICTO CIEZA
classical ballet and repertoire
Benedicto Cieza is a choreographer and classical dance teacher of Spanish origin. He began professional dance studies in Madrid in 1982 under the direction of Luis Ruffo, and shortly after, he became a dancer in the Ballet Clásico y Contemporáneo de Madrid. At the same time, he continued his training as a student of Gilbert Meyer, a dance teacher at the Paris Opera. The following year, he met the prima ballerina, Menia Martinez, during her arrival at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Charleroi, the home of the Royal Ballet of Wallonia, with whom he collaborated for more than 30 years.
In 1993, he became a full member of the dance company of the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie. Three years later, he founded his own company (Cie Cieza) and began choreographing his first works. He choreographed and performed in Dimension Tango, Ritos, and Boléro. In 2000, he partnered with Latin dance choreographer Fernando Ortega, and together they opened the multidisciplinary dance school Alcazar in Brussels. Later, Temptations came to life. This performance, based on the Christic myth, was met with great success from the Belgian audience. In 2003, he partnered with his first mentor, Luis Ruffo, for the first edition of the 'Gala Européen de la Danse' in Madrid. For five years, this experience was repeated annually in Brussels, where European dancers from various backgrounds were invited to present excerpts from their recent works.
In 2013, Benedicto co-founded the 'Conservatoire de la Danse de Bruxelles' with Menia Martinez and Jean-Pol Dimmers, in the former premises of the Maurice Béjart’s Ballet du XXième siècle, where he worked for 10 years as a teacher and assistant to the artistic director. In January 2023, he created his own structure: Studio B. ASBL.
In 1993, he became a full member of the dance company of the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie. Three years later, he founded his own company (Cie Cieza) and began choreographing his first works. He choreographed and performed in Dimension Tango, Ritos, and Boléro. In 2000, he partnered with Latin dance choreographer Fernando Ortega, and together they opened the multidisciplinary dance school Alcazar in Brussels. Later, Temptations came to life. This performance, based on the Christic myth, was met with great success from the Belgian audience. In 2003, he partnered with his first mentor, Luis Ruffo, for the first edition of the 'Gala Européen de la Danse' in Madrid. For five years, this experience was repeated annually in Brussels, where European dancers from various backgrounds were invited to present excerpts from their recent works.
In 2013, Benedicto co-founded the 'Conservatoire de la Danse de Bruxelles' with Menia Martinez and Jean-Pol Dimmers, in the former premises of the Maurice Béjart’s Ballet du XXième siècle, where he worked for 10 years as a teacher and assistant to the artistic director. In January 2023, he created his own structure: Studio B. ASBL.
CHRISTIAN FARA
Contemporary dance
After having perfected his classical training in 2004 with Giuseppina Perantoni and Valeria Satta, a contemporary one with Daniela Zuccolotto and Laura Lepori and a modern jazz one with Clelia Bazzoni, Christian Fara continues his training with Gianni Rosaci, former artistic director of the Opera in Rome, and Arturo Cannistrà, former artistic director of Aterballetto. He also travelled in England and Germany in the Contemporary Professional Course of the Balletto di Toscana with Cristina Bozzolini, Simonetta Giannasi, Barbara Baer, Farida Faggi , Lucia Geppi and Silvia Chirico (classical), with Deanna Losi and Fabrizio Monteverde (contemporary) and Arianna Benedetti, Giulia Molinari, Daniele Cervino, and Ivan Mattioli (modern and hip hop). In the same period he follows during three years the training course ‘Kaos Professione Danza’ with Katiuscia Bozza, Eugenio Scigliano, Elena Scotti, Armando Santin, Victor Litvinov (classical) and with Roberto Sartori, Eugenio Buratti, Simona Haag, Enrico Morelli, Elisa Davoli (contemporary).
The professional experiences include the role of solo dancer of the ‘Janas’ Company (2004-2005), the interpretation of ‘The Scream’ by Giuseppina Perantoni (2005-2006) and he enters the Company ‘KAOS Balletto di Firenze’ as a permanent solo dancer. In 2006-2007 he dances ‘Brigata Sassari’ by Arturo Cannistrà at the Teatro Verdi, Cagliari, ‘The Cramping Rhymes’ by Arianna Benedetti, Ballet of Tuscany, Florence, ‘The Nutcracker’ directed by Gianni Rosaci and Giuseppina Perantoni, ‘Quarto stato’ by Giuseppina Perantoni, Teatro Verdi Theater, Cagliari.
Professionalism as a choreographer definitely takes off in 2010, when he signs his first choreography for the company KAOS Balletto di Firenze: ‘Se Solo Fossi Qui’ and ‘Koob’. In 2011 he created the choreography ‘Amore + Psiche’ and in 2012 he created ‘Appleal’. In 2014 he radically changed the approach to the stage with the choreography ‘Storia di un Diverso Any’, where, together with the masters Robeto Sartori and Michele Pogliani (director of Codarts Rotterdam), he staged the show of the ‘Ereti’. He also collaborates with Michele Pogliani in the production of ‘Once Upon A Time’, where he presents his choreography inspired by ‘Alice In Wonderland’. He also had the choreographic direction for the show ‘Chiara Luce’ in the Vatican.
During the years he won numerous first prizes in internationally Dance Competitions and also received several awards for critics for Best Choreography and Best Choreographic talent. He also holds numerous stage and workshops throughout Italy and Europe. Currently he is an invited teacher for numerous stage and workshops throughout Italy and Europe and is also engaged in numerous professional training projects.
Professionalism as a choreographer definitely takes off in 2010, when he signs his first choreography for the company KAOS Balletto di Firenze: ‘Se Solo Fossi Qui’ and ‘Koob’. In 2011 he created the choreography ‘Amore + Psiche’ and in 2012 he created ‘Appleal’. In 2014 he radically changed the approach to the stage with the choreography ‘Storia di un Diverso Any’, where, together with the masters Robeto Sartori and Michele Pogliani (director of Codarts Rotterdam), he staged the show of the ‘Ereti’. He also collaborates with Michele Pogliani in the production of ‘Once Upon A Time’, where he presents his choreography inspired by ‘Alice In Wonderland’. He also had the choreographic direction for the show ‘Chiara Luce’ in the Vatican.
During the years he won numerous first prizes in internationally Dance Competitions and also received several awards for critics for Best Choreography and Best Choreographic talent. He also holds numerous stage and workshops throughout Italy and Europe. Currently he is an invited teacher for numerous stage and workshops throughout Italy and Europe and is also engaged in numerous professional training projects.
Contemporary dance