Festival du Ballet 2025 | Feb 11-15 at Surrey Arts Centre | Information here
FESTIVAL DU BALLET
MEET THE JUDGES FOR 2025
Aletheia Mendes (M.A., A.I.S.T.D. (dip.)
Ms. Mendes has obtained her Advanced II certificates in both the Imperial ballet and the National work as well as trained in other various styles of dance. She was one of two dancers chosen to perform in a piece by Paul Andre Segal from Paris and has trained in company class with the Limon Company in New York. Ms. Mendes was awarded the Mavador scholarship for excellence in ballet instruction from London, England and has trained many dancers that dance professionally around North America. She has also worked as an examiner for the international progressions and junior grades ballet syllabus.
Ms. Mendes graduated university with a Master of Arts in physical education with a specialization in dance and earned a teaching diploma from the Imperial Society of Teachers Dancing. Ms. Mendes has taught for the University of Alberta, MacEwan University and Vimy Ridge Professional dance program in a variety of dance disciplines. She adjudicated the World Track and Field auditions (2000), was a rehearsal assistant for the FIFA opening ceremonies (2015) and directed the half time performance for the Edmonton Elks Cancer Awareness night (2022). Ms. Mendes has obtained her Acrobatic Arts Judging certificate, her level three Alixa Flexibility certificate, and had has judged across Canada. Recently, Ms. Mendes has been teaching for dance conventions such as Plie Prep and Terpsichore Dance Conventions. Ms. Mendes wishes all the dancers at Festival du Ballet the best of luck!
Alberto Blanco
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Mr. Blanco is a native of Spain, began his ballet training in Gijón, Asturias, at the Centro de Danza Karel. His talents quickly led him to Madrid, where he trained under the renowned direction of Victor Ullate at the Victor Ullate Ballet School. Furthering his education, he joined Boston Ballet School, performing alongside the company in notable productions such as George Balanchine’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Nutcracker.
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In 2010, Blanco joined Orlando Ballet II and was promoted to the main company in 2012. His performance highlights include Robert Hill’s acclaimed productions like Vampire’s Ball, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana, and many others. In 2014, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Ballet Program, directed by Anna-Marie Holmes, where he worked on Bournonville repertoire with Dinna Bjørn and collaborated with celebrated choreographer Jessica Lang. Mr. Blanco’s love for the Bournonville style has led him to spend several summers in Copenhagen, working with renowned professionals such as Vivi Flindt and Thomas Lund, among others, further expanding his expertise in the style.
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Mr. Blanco’s repertoire spans classical and contemporary works, including Bournonville’s La Sylphide and Napoli, Balanchine’s Serenade, Michael Pink’s Dracula, and Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free. In 2016, he became an ABT® Certified Teacher, completing training from Pre-Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. He has taught at Orlando Ballet School, guest-instructed at several Central Florida schools, and served as Faculty and Rehearsal Director at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Preparatory Dance Program under the direction of Susan Brooker for four years.
Currently, Mr. Blanco is a faculty member at the Sarasota Ballet School, dedicated to cultivating the next generation of ballet dancers.
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Pamela Wong Shoebottom
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Ms.Wong Shoebottom is a dance artist with extensive national and international experience in performance, choreography, and pedagogy, specializing in Modern and Contemporary dance. She has performed and choreographed in Hong Kong with Cantopop singer Teresa Carpio, danced with Tilt Sound & Motion and Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in Toronto, and performed with the Joe Goode Performance Group in San Francisco. Pamela also choreographed for Convergence Dance Theatre in Hawaii.
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She holds a BFA in Dance from York University and an MFA in Dance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Pamela has taught on faculty at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of Toronto Dance Theatre), and has been a guest artist at universities, colleges, and professional dance programs across Ontario, Quebec, San Francisco, and Hawaii.
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Pamela served as the Associate Director of the EveryDay Movement Outreach Program with the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre in Toronto and adjudicated Modern Dance at the Performing Arts B.C. Dance Festival in Kamloops. In 2017, she was honored with the Choreographic Gala Award at the American College Dance Association Festival.
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Currently, Pamela continues to evolve as an artist and educator, choreographing and performing with Returning River Dance Collective and leading the dance program at Marin Academy