Guest Artists

Vitor Luiz is an internationally acclaimed Brazilian ballet dancer, choreographer, and educator, celebrated for his versatility and artistry across classical and contemporary repertoires. Born in Petrópolis, Brazil, Luiz began training at age ten with Catalonian choreographer Victor Navarro and Stella de Mello at Ballet Capell. He later studied at Ballet Dalal Achcar in Rio de Janeiro and received private mentorship from Pedro Kraszczuk. Recognized early for his prodigious talent, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London.

In 2000, Luiz began his professional career with Birmingham Royal Ballet under Sir David Bintley. He returned to Brazil to join the Ballet of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro (BTM), quickly rising to the rank of Primeiro Bailarino (Principal Dancer) and becoming a sought-after guest artist across the

Americas.From 2009–2019, Luiz was a Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet, where he performed more than one hundred ballets and established himself as one of the company’s most versatile artists. His

repertoire includes lead roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Onegin, and works by George Balanchine, Kenneth MacMillan, Alexei Ratmansky, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Yuri Possokhov, and John Neumeier. In 2010, he received the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Best Ensemble Performance in Possokhov’s Classical Symphony. He has also been featured internationally as a guest artist with English National Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and in gala performances worldwide. In 2019, Luiz joined the University of California, Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts as Assistant Professor of Dance, where he teaches ballet technique, repertory, and partnering, while pursuing research that integrates his Brazilian roots with classical and contemporary forms. His choreographic works include premieres for UCI’s Dance Visions (2021–2023), Luna Emotions for Atlanta Ballet II (2022), and collaborations with his partner and wife, Tara Ghassemieh, including Scheherazade for the 30th Annual International Gala. A member of the International Dance Council (CID-UNESCO), Luiz continues to expand his career as a practitioner-scholar, choreographer, and artistic leader dedicated to advancing ballet as a powerful, relevant art form. As Founder and Artistic Director of INTUITV ARTSHIP, Luiz starred in the critically acclaimed The White Feather: A Persian Ballet Tale, featured in The New York Times and toured nationally to sold-out audiences. Most recently, she presented her next critically acclaimed work Tchaikovsky: A Love Letter at the Musco Center for the Arts. With raving success the production plans a multi-city tour in 2026.

Tara Ghassemieh is a trailblazing Persian-American artist, acclaimed as the first Iranian-American principal ballerina. Raised and trained in Southern California, she immersed herself in ballet, contemporary, acting, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre, and developed a new genre “jazz enpointe”.

Tara won numerous honors including 1st Place Senior Classical Division at YAGP (2005), Outstanding Choreography Award (YAGP, 2013), and the Teen Miss Dance of America (2004). For three consecutive years, she held the National Training Scholar award and later earned a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York. As a principal dancer with many companies, she originated roles and performed iconic

ones—including playing Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the lead in Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie, Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, Sleeping Beauty, Firebird and dozens more. She co-choreographed a Scheherazade pas de deux with Vitor Luiz, performed at both the Barclay Theater and Segerstrom Music Hall for the 30th Annual International Gala. Her career also spans high-profile collaborations—she was the lead dancer in Florence and the Machine’s music video “Spectrum” directed by David LaChapelle, and appeared in Oliver Davis’s Narcissus

and Echo film.Ghassemieh’s choreographic talent extends beyond performance—her awardwinning pieces “Le Petite Artiste” (1st Place YAGP & Outstanding Choreography) and “La Vie en Rose” (1st Place Contemporary & Spotlight Awards) have been showcased in prestigious galas, including YAGP's NYC gala and Orlando. She now curates, choreographs, dances and produces her own full length ballets. As Founder, Executive Director, and Artistic Director of INTUITV ARTSHIP, she launched its debut production, The White Feather: A Persian Ballet Tale—a bold, two-act ballet integrating spoken word, projection, and dance to infuse the art form with urgent narrative power. Featured

in The New York Times and met with critical acclaim, the production embarked on a national sold-out tour, cementing her reputation as a groundbreaking storyteller who fuses classical technique with urgent narrative. Most recently, she presented her next critically acclaimed work Tchaikovsky: A Love Letter at the Musco Center for the Arts. With raving success the production plans a multi-city tour in 2026. Tara is a respected master teacher nationwide. She also leads underground ballet classes for youth in Iran, where dance remains criminalized—empowering the next generation with structure and technique in defiance of censorship. Tara is an emerging film producer and director- with her award winning short film Persian Swan. She is now in production for her full

feature documentary filmed rooted in her mission to revive ballet in Iran titled Exile of the Swans.

Derek Drilon began his ballet training in 2009 at Northwest Classical Ballet in Vancouver, WA, under the direction of his mother, Maricar Drilon. During his time at NCB, he danced numerous principal roles in full-length ballets and contemporary works. His international performance credits span countries including China, Canada, France, Mexico, Germany, and the Philippines.

In 2016, Derek joined Boston Ballet under the artistic direction of Mikko Nissinen and associate direction of Peter Stark. While there, he performed works by renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, August Bournonville, John Cranko, Mikko Nissinen, Ivan Liška, Jorma Elo, Christopher Wheeldon, and William Forsythe. In 2018, he joined The Joffrey Ballet, where he currently dances as a Company Artist. Derek was the Grand Prix Winner at the 2016 Youth America Grand Prix semi-final in Chicago, IL. After moving onto the Final Round in New York, he was the only male candidate representing the U.S. to place among the Top Six Senior Men. He was also a senior-finalist in the 2018 XI USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. In 2019, he was invited to join Ballet Philippines as a Guest Principal Dancer for their 50th Anniversary season, performing the role of Albrecht in Giselle. He continues to perform as a Guest Artist for dance companies and schools around the world. This will be his 14th year as a Guest Artist for Long Beach Ballet

 Megan began her ballet training at the Long Beach Ballet Academy at age five. She performed lead roles in productions like The Nutcracker, Aladdin, Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty. She earned First Place in both classical and contemporary divisions at the Youth America Grand Prix in Los Angeles and competed at the YAGP New York Finals for five years. Additionally, she was selected to compete in the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. After high school, Megan joined the SemperOper Ballett in Dresden, Germany, where she performed the sole ballerina role in Capriccio and danced various classical and avant-garde works. Returning to the U.S., she joined California Ballet in San Diego, portraying the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella and M. Willbanks in Nefarious. She also danced with Barak Ballet in Los Angeles under Melissa Barak. In 2023, she joined the Intuitiv Artship for performances of White Feather: A Persian Ballet Tale and the Dance for Freedom Tour. In the summer of 2024 and 2025, she traveled to China with Long Beach Ballet’s USA Ambassadors Tour, performing as Kitri in Don Quixote. Megan and Swanhilda in Coppelia. She is currently a faculty member and coach at Long Beach Ballet Academy.