top of page
edee89_5f6b7e0b503546559facedd15cac788a~mv2_d_6000_4000_s_4_2_edited.jpg

Founding Artistic Directors

Yanis Pikieris.jpg
Yanis Pikieris

Co-Founding Artistic Director

Yanis Pikieris; Dancer, Director, Choreographer, was the recipient of the silver medal at the first Jackson International Ballet Competition in 1979. In 1981 he was the first dancer from the western hemisphere to win the prestigious gold medal at Moscow’s International Ballet Competition, launching an international career that would take him to over 50 countries around the world as one of his generations’ premiere dancers.

 

He has been a principal dancer with the International Ballet of Caracas, Bavarian National Ballet (Munich), Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Dusseldorf), Miami City Ballet and Ballet du Nord (France). In 1986 Artistic Director Edward Villella invited him to join Miami City Ballet as a founding Principal Dancer where he astounded audiences with his power and passion on stage; and was instrumental in the initial success of the company.

 

As a choreographer he has created works for several companies including the Bavarian National Ballet, Ballet Centrum Berlin, Ballet du Nord, Ballet Metropolitano de Medellin, Juegos del Arte Dance Ensemble, Maximum Dance Company, Ballet de Monterrey, Incolballet, Ballet Clásico y Contemporáneo de Asunción and Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami. In 1996, together with his wife Marielena Mencia, he founded the Mencia-Pikieris School of Dance, which would later be renamed the Miami Youth Ballet. Pikieris also founded and directed Maximum Dance Company in Miami from 1996 to 2005, with David Palmer. During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, he also served as Program Director for Miami City Ballet’s Contemporary Dance Series and Young People’s Programming.

Yanis Eric Pikieris.webp
Yanis Eric Pikieris

Associate Director

Yanis Eric Pikieris is a native of Miami, Florida and began his dance training with his parents, Marielena Mencia and Yanis Pikieris, at Miami Youth Ballet. He also trained at Miami City Ballet School and with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride at Charlotte Ballet Academy.

 

As an apprentice with Charlotte Ballet, Pikieris performed in several company productions, including Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux's ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘Peter Pan,’ Alonzo King’s ‘Chants,’ and George Balanchine's ‘Tarantella.’ Yanis Eric joined Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami in 2016 as an inaugural member of the company where he has since been featured in works by George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Vicente Nebrada, Septime Webre and Ivonice Satie, among others.

As a choreographer, he has created several original works for Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami’s main stage series at The Moss Center; as well as two commissions for their sister company, Ballet Vero Beach; and a world premiere collaboration with Miami-based Illuminarts and Philadelphia-based Variant 6. In 2022, Pikieris choreographed a work for National Water Dance, encouraging ongoing engagement between dance and the environment. Pikieris is now one of Dimensions Dance Theatre's Artists in Residence and is a two-time recipient of the (DMC) Dance Miami Choreographers’ Program award.
 

Marielena Mencia.png
Marielena Mencia

Co-Founding Artistic Director

Marielena Mencia was born in Cuba and spent her childhood in Miami, receiving her early training at Ballet Concerto. In 1976, Ms. Mencia joined the International Ballet of Caracas as a principal dancer.

In 1980, she became a principal ballerina with the Bavarian National Ballet being extremely well received by the European public and widely acclaimed for her interpretations of Juliet in John Cranko's "Romeo and Juliet”, Lise in Sir Frederick Ashton's “La Fille Mal Gardee”, Marie in John Neumeier's "The Nutcracker", as well as "Eugene Onegin", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Giselle", "The Sleeping Beauty" and an extensive contemporary repertoire.  The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet invited Ms. Mencia to dance the role of Katherina in Cranko's "The Taming of the Shrew" on tour throughout England where she won the hearts of audiences and critics alike.

As a frequent partner of her husband, Yanis Pikieris, gold medal winner at the Moscow International Ballet Competition, Ms. Mencia appeared with various companies in Latin America, the United States and Europe.  She was a principal guest of the Australian Ballet dancing the role of Giselle on tour through Australia. Ms. Mencia has also performed with the Ballet Centrum Berlin "Gala of Stars" all over Europe, as a guest artist with the Deutsche Oper Berlin and as principal ballerina of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf. In 1986 Ms. Mencia joined Miami City Ballet as a founding principal dancer. With this company, she performed most of the roles in its extensive Balanchine repertoire. She then joined the Ballet du Nord in France as principal dancer and ballet mistress. Returning to Miami, Ms. Mencia performed with Maximum Dance Company and founded, along with her husband, the Mencia-Pikieris School of Dance. She now also serves as Artistic Director of the Miami Youth Ballet.

bottom of page