AboutUs

John Magnus
Artistic Director

John Magnus was born in South Africa where he
received his early dance training at the University of
Cape Town Ballet School. His talent and artistry
drew the attention of the Cape Town City Ballet
Company and he accepted a position with the
company.

In 1980, Mr. Magnus moved to the United States to
serve as ballet master for Nevada Dance Theatre.
After just a few years, he felt compelled to move to
New York City where he was hired as a teacher for
the New Jersey Ballet School and Company. In 1986,
Robert Joffrey asked John to join the faculty of the
Joffrey Ballet School. He was privileged to be the
last teacher hired by Robert Joffrey before Mr.
Joffrey’s death in 1988. While on faculty at the
Joffrey School, he also taught for the Joffrey Ballet
Company and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.

The Joffrey Midwest Workshop was established in
Flint, Michigan in 1996 and Mr. Magnus was named
Artistic Director by Joffrey Ballet School director
Edith D’Addario. The workshop was renamed
Magnus Midwest Dance in July of 2009 to honor his
vision and leadership. In 2005, he was appointed
Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet School and
created a full length Nutcracker performed at the
Skirball Theatre New York and reviewed by The New
York Times as “glorious and sweetly inventive”.

In 2009, Mr. Magnus ended his 23 year relationship
with the Joffrey Ballet School to accept the position
of Artistic Director for the Portland Festival Ballet in
Portland, Oregon. He is the Co-Artistic Director for
the San Gorgonio Ballet in California and President
of the American Readers Theatre, a not-for-profit
organization promoting literacy through the
performing arts. In past years he has served as the
Artistic Director for the Great Lakes Summer
Workshop and the Joffrey Midland Summer
Workshop.

His choreography includes West Virginia Opera
(Faust and Der Fledermaus), Simple Symphony
(Benjamin Britten) and Overture (Schubert) created
for the collaboration between the Joffrey Ballet
School and Arts Umbrella School in Vancouver and
new works for the Joffrey Ballet School Dance
Ensemble performed at the Boch Centre for the
Performing Arts in Massachusetts. Mr. Magnus has
collaborated with American Readers Theatre and
created works for the Big Read based on Steinbeck’
s Grapes of Wrath and the Edgar Allen Poe poem
Annabel Lee and guest teaches throughout the
states and for the Regional Dance America

Julia Olsen-Rodriguez
Artistic Director

Julia Olsen-Rodriguez Founding Artistic Director of
San Gorgonio Ballet received her training from many
of the finest teachers including John Magnus,
Charles Maple, Zelma Bustillo, Dorothy Lister,
Francesca Corkle, Luis Fuentes , Stanley Holden,
Clifford Breland, Maria Vegh, and Mario Nugara.

A seven year full merit scholarship student of the
elite Joffrey Ballet School Trainee Program, Ms
Olsen-Rodriguez was selected by Edith D'Addario
Director of the Joffrey Ballet School as recipient of
The Gaynor Minden Scholarship in 1999, she has
been accepted to such schools as American Ballet
Theatre, The Kirov , The Bolshoi at Vail, Houston
Ballet, The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and The School
at Jacobs Pillow.

Ms. Olsen-Rodriguez is twice recipient of First Place
honors in the category of Pas de Deux and High
Point Overall at the prestigious Youth America
Grand Prix

She has performed with many companies such as
Theatre Bethune, American Ballet Theatre, Inland
Pacific Ballet, Redlands Festival Ballet, Palm Springs
Ballet, California Riverside Ballet, and Bre Dance
Theatre. A member of City of Angels Ballet. Noted for
her superb technique, delicate grace, and elegant
expression, she is also a principal dancer with San
Gorgonio Ballet.

San
Gorgonio
Ballet

Elyssa Guardino
Ballet Mistress

Ms. Guardino Ballet Mistress and Principal Dancer
with San Gorgonio Ballet has danced in the three
major disciplines of classical, modern, and musical
theater. She has performed with Boston Ballet,
Chicago Ballet, and Radio City Ballet as a Soloist.
She was a Principal dancer with the
avant-gardecompany of Rudy Perez and the modern
companies of Joan Lumbari, and Paul Sanasardo.
She is an accomplished dancer, singer, and actress
and has appeared in many national tours and on
Broadway. .After settling in the desert, she
performed as Principal dancer in eight seasons of
The Nutcracker at the McCallum Theater, and two
hundred performances of the popular review
Sinatra My Way. Noted for her grace and, beauty, and
perfection of stage presence and technique, she was
selected by Robert Beck, Founder of Palm Springs
Ballet, to be his Prima Ballerina. Ms. Guardino has
also served as Artistic Director of Palm Springs Ballet.

Ms. Guardino is an accomplished dance teacher,
having many years of experience teaching for major
schools nationally.

Barbara Crafts
Children's Department

Barbara Crafts began dancing in Melbourne,
Australia with teachers from Ballet Rambert. When
she returned to America she trained with Carol
Serenberg of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She
spent two summers in New York City training with
Talia Mara, Arthur Mahony, Serge Romanoff and
Hilda Bustova at Ballet repertoire. One of her
classmates was Maria Vegh. College training was
with William Christiansen at University of Utah. Mr.
Christiansen was forming a company separate from
the university. Fellow students were Michael Smuin,
Kent Stowel, and Finus Jhung. Mr. C. assigned Finus
Jhung to be Barbara’s partner for the years they
trained at Utah. The university company performed
the first full length Coppelia in America, on
nationwide television and won a Ford Grant to form
the separate company. The company was first named
Utah Ballet, then Utah Civic ballet, and finally in 1963
Ballet West , which is it’s name today.

Barbara retired from ballet to continue college in the
field of teaching, and raise a family. She returned to
dance in January of 2001, studying at several area
studios. She performed the role of Step-Mother in
Riverside Ballet Arts performance of Cinderella in
2003. She began training with San Gorgonio Ballet in
2004 enjoying the technical excellence and
choreographic beauty that Miss Julia Olsen-
Rodriguez brings to the stage. At 70 years old
Barbara has not lost her love of dance.

Evan Knapp

Ballet Master / regisseur

Evan Knapp hails from Oregon and began his

training at

The American Dance Theatre in

Oregon. Highlights from

his performing years

include dancing with the Rockettes at

Radio

City Music Hall, North Carolina Dance Theatre,

Charlotte City Ballet, San Diego City Ballet,

Isaacs

McCaleb and Dancers, San Diego Dance

Theatre.

Favorites from the theatre include A

Chorus Line, West

Side Story and 7 Brides for

7 Brothers as a member of

AEA. As an

instructor he has taught for a wide variety of

private and public institutions, including The

Idyllwild Arts

Academy, Coronado School of the

Performing Arts, The

Virginia School of the

Arts and The American Dance

Theater. In

addition he has had the pleasure of teaching

for San Diego State University, Portland State

University,

California Ballet, The Institute for

Arts Education, Oregon

Arts in Education, and

San Diego’s Academy of

Performing Arts. Evan

is known for his expressive, athletic

Jazz style

and contemporary take on classical ballet.