AROVA Company Members 

Rachel Boring recently completed her Bachelor of Arts in Dance at the University of Alabama. This is her first season with AROVA Contemporary Ballet.

Emily Cain began studying classical ballet at the age of three under Jean Gedeon's tutelage at Pittsburgh Youth Ballet. She advanced her studies in ballet, jazz and modern with Judy Williams Henry and her company of dancers. In 2007, Emily was accepted into the Conservatory of Performing Arts program at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she studied under many great teachers and choreographers, including Nicolas Petrov and Jason McDole. Emily is honored and excited to begin her first season with AROVA.

Stefanie Caputo is originally from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. She began her training under Pasha and Kristina Kambalov at First State Ballet Theatre in Wilmington, DE. She attended summer programs with Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and Richmond Ballet. In 2002, she was one of the top 12 finalists in the senior division of the Youth America Grand Prix world finals in N.Y.C. She began her professional career with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as a trainee. She continued her career with Ballet Theater of Maryland and was most recently an apprentice with the Alabama Ballet during the 2007- 2009 seasons. She is currently a student at UAB studying elementary education.

Caroline Fortson began her classical ballet training with Charlotte City Ballet Company under Melissa Hale Coyle and Lisa Leone. She is now an interior design major / art minor at Samford University where she recently received the award for Samford's Best Dancer in 2009-2010. She would like to thank her Savior Jesus Christ for the joy of dancing.

Jamie Kilgore Foust (Founding Company Member/Ballet Mistress) began her ballet training under the guidance of Margaret Galloway. Later she continued to train at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) under Dame Sonia Arova, Thor Sutowski and Therese Laeger. As a student, Jamie had the opportunity to work professionally with the Alabama Ballet in productions of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Romeo and Juliet. She also performed with the Alabama Dance Theatre as a soloist in La Bayadere, Cinderella, and Crystal Edge. She graduated from ASFA with the Prix D'Excellence de Danse Award in 1998 and immediately joined the San Diego Ballet. There she was best known for her role as lead Arabian in The Nutcracker and as a soloist in many of Javier Velasco's contemporary works. Jamie is an adjunct faculty member of the ASFA Dance Department (ASFA) and oversees ASFA's Preparatory Dance Program.

Jamorris Rivers (Principle) is currently a student at UAB with an emphasis in biology. Previously he has performed with Alabama Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Southern Danceworks. A licensed massage therapist, Jamorris specializes in Classical Thai Bodywork as well as Clinical massage.

Stephanie Thompson began her training in Jacksonville, Florida under Mark Spivak. She then continued her training with Beth Marks where she studied ballet, jazz, and modern. She joined Jacksonville Ballet Theatre at the age of 15 where she studied under Dulce Anaya. She attended notable summer intensive programs including American Ballet Theatre (Irvine), Briansky Saratoga Ballet, and Charleston Ballet Theatre where she trained with the company. She was simultaneously a member of JBT and the Bolles School Repertory Theatre. While with Bolles she had the opportunity to study jazz, modern, hip-hop, and tap. She was featured in works by many guest artists including Matthew Rushing and Donlin Foreman. She moved to Birmingham, Alabama and joined Birmingham Ballet Repertory Company where she has performed roles including Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, Arabian coffee and Marzipan lead in The Nutcracker, and the lead in Alfonso Figueroa's "Hues". She has truly enjoyed teaching students of all ages in the Birmingham area since she joined BBRC. She continues to believe that quality of instruction is equally as important as finding the true joy dance can bring to one's life. 

Kaitlin Winborn began her ballet training on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where she was under the tutelage of John Carlyle and former American Ballet Theatre principal Karena Brock-Carlyle for over 15 years. In high school she also trained in jazz with Kathleen Watkins, former dance captain for the Broadway show "Fosse." After spending a year at the Orlando Ballet School, she continued her dance education at The University of Alabama, where she majored in dance and spent one year on the "Crimson Caberet" dance team. Currently, Kaitlin teaches Zumba and is a personal trainer. Kaitlin has lived in Birmingham for one year with her husband Wes and their miniature dachshund, Millie.

AROVA Apprentices

Hilary Parker began her early ballet training with Birmingham Ballet where she performed as a soloist under the direction of Cindy Free. Hilary was an active member of Shades Valley Theatre Academy's Dance Ensemble, and is currently attending the University of Alabama as a dance major.