About Us
MIGUEL BLANCO
Miguel Blanco was born in Havana, Cuba. He graduated with a degree in dance and pedagogy before going on to become a Principal Dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso. In 2009, Miguel joined the Joffrey Ballet where he danced as a lead dancer for 13 seasons until his retirement in 2022. He currently teaches and coaches the company dancers as well as the trainees, studio company, and convservatory of the Joffrey Ballet.
Miguel has performed on stages around the world including Paris, London, Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, China, and Egypt. He has danced many principal roles including Swan Lake (Prince Siegfried), Don Quixote (Basilio, Espada), Giselle (Albrecht), and Coppélia (Franz). With the Joffrey, Miguel originated the role of The Great Impresario in Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker. He performed a variety of works while at Joffrey including lead roles in Lar Lubovitch’s Othello (Othello), Frederick Ashton's Cinderella (Prince), Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow (Danilo), Krzysztof Pastor's Romeo & Juliet (Romeo), Christopher Wheeldon's Swan Lake (Prince Sigfried), and Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker (Cavalier). Miguel has also performed works by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, JiÅ™í Kylián, Yuri Possokhov, Edwaard Liang, Stanton Welch, Alexander Ekman, Antony Tudor, and Nicolas Blanc.
APRIL DALY
A native of Rockford, Illinois, April Daly studied with the Rockford Dance Company and later attended the New School University/Joffrey Ballet BFA program in New York. April danced for two seasons with The Washington Ballet and later joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2003. Since her retirement from the Joffrey in 2022, April has been teaching and coaching ballet in Chicago and surrounding areas.
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With the Joffrey Ballet, April performed a variety of works, including lead roles in Christopher Wheeldon's Swan Lake (Odette/Odile), Yuri Possokhov's Don Quixote (Kitri, Mercedes, Queen of the Dryads), Lar Lubovitch's Othello (Desdemona), Krzysztof Pastor's Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Stanton Welch's La Bayadere (Gamzatti), Frederic Franklin's Giselle (Myrtha, Moyna), Ashton's Cinderella (Fairy Godmother, Autumn Fairy), Ronald Hynd's Merry Widow (Valencienne), and Joffrey's The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum). Other significant performances include Jerome Robbins' In the Night (2nd Pas) and The Concert (The Ballerina, The Wife), Balanchine's Stravinsky Violin Concerto (Aria I), Stars and Stripes Pas (Liberty Bell), Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Apollo (Calliope) and Allegro Brilliante, Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain, Continuum and Carousel A Dance (Julie), Wayne McGregor's Infra, Forsythe's In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Lubovitch's ...smile with my heart, Kylian's Forgotten Land (Red Pas, Black Pas), Ashton's Les Patineurs (Red Girl), Edwaard Liang's Age of Innocence, and Stanton Welch's Son of Chamber Symphony. In September 2009, April was Dance Magazine's "On the Rise".