Janessa Touchet, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, returns to Cincinnati Ballet as a Principal Dancer for the 2008-09 season.

Her training includes the Giacobbe Academy of Dance, Hartford Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. From 1989 to 2000, Janessa danced with the Delta Festival Ballet under the direction of Joseph Giacobbe. After performing there as a principal in such ballets as Snow White, Aladdin, Hansel and Gretel, and Red Shoes, Ms. Touchet returned as a guest artist to perform the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Kitri in Don Quixote, and Juliet in Romeo & Juliet.

In 2000, she won First Place in the New Orleans Overture to the Cultural Season and in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Ms. Touchet was also a semi-finalist in 2002 and a finalist in 2006 at the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi.

During her career at Cincinnati Ballet, she has enjoyed dancing the roles of Marie in The Nutcracker, Rubies pas de deux in Jewels, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Odile/Odette in Swan Lake, and in Jorma Elo's Plan to B. During the summer of 2005, Ms. Touchet was chosen by Victoria Morgan to perform as a soloist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis in Glorianna and also performed A Midsummer Nights Dream by Victoria Morgan at the International Ballet Festival of Miami. In the summer of 2007, she danced the title role of Cinderella for Ballet Hawaii.

She credits her family for inspiring, encouraging and supporting her career. Ms Touchet is delighted to share her passion for dance with Cincinnati Ballet.

Dancer Fellowship Sponsors: Cordelia & Dan Milikin

The Dancer Fellowship is a fundraising campaign that allows individuals the opportunity to sponsor a company dancer. To learn more, click here.