Donate in honor of Celeste Lopez-Keranen!

2nd Season with Ballet Arkansas

Celeste is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan and trained at the Grand Rapids Ballet School under Patricia Barker and Attila Mosolygo. She has attended summer programs such as Jacob's Pillow, BalletX, San Francisco Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre New York, among others. She danced in Jacob's Pillow's 90th Anniversary Gala in 2022. At the age of sixteen she was invited to dance under Patricia Barker as a trainee with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. She later went on to dance as an apprentice with the company for two seasons. Celeste danced with Louisville Ballet's Studio Company under Robert Curran, where she performed in his "Swan Lake", Jerome Robbins' "In G Major" and Balanchine's "Emeralds". Since joining Ballet Arkansas in 2022, she has had the pleasure of performing Mina in Michael Fothergill's "Dracula", and a principal role in Gerald Arpino's "Reflections", among others. She's had the honor of working with choreographers such as Jennifer Archibald, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Yuka Oba-Muschiana, Yury Yanowsky, Penny Saunders, Adam Hougland, Andrea Shermoly, and Val Caniparoli, among others. Celeste enjoys being on faculty with Ballet Arkansas' Enrolled Classes and Community Cast, as well as being involved in community outreach. She has also enjoyed volunteering in Grand Rapids' educational outreach programs. She is extremely excited for the 23/24 season and can't wait to bring more dance to Arkansas' audiences.

Sponsored by Drs. Ashay & Ann Patel