Maya Finman-Palmer is originally from Madison, WI. She graduated from The Ailey School where she trained in the Certificate Program. She attended summer intensives at Ballet Hispánico, Jennifer Archibald’s ArchCore40, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Kanopy Dance Academy, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and The Ailey School. Ms. Finman-Palmer performed as a soloist in Prelude & Fugue, choreographed by Lisa Thurrell, and in Next@Graham. She also danced in Memoria during Ailey’s 2021, 2022 New York City Center season. Ms. Finman-Palmer has performed works by choreographers Patrick Coker, Amy Hall Garner, Martha Graham, Bradley Shelver, and Alvin Ailey. This is her first season with Ailey II.

Ana Claire is the former Artistic Director and School Director for Boulder Ballet. She began her training in Denver with Maxine Williamson and studied with Fernando Schaffenburg, Milenko Banovich, Barbara Demaree, and Larry Boyette. Over her career, she performed with Fort Worth Ballet, Fort Worth Opera, David Taylor Dance Theater, Aladdin Theater, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, Jan Justis Dance Company, 3rd Law Dance/Theater, and was a principal ballerina with Boulder Ballet for many years. Ana studied dance pedagogy at Texas Christian University and has over 30 years of teaching experience. She is a passionate teacher, dedicated to helping students achieve technical excellence while nurturing their individual artistry, and many of her students have gone on to professional careers in dance. Honoring her contributions to ballet in Colorado, Ana was inducted into the University of Denver’s Dance Archive “Legends of Dance” in 2018.