Ani Kassian-Howard

Artist Bio

Ani Kassian-Howard trained at Miami City Ballet from 2019-2021. She spent two years training at Boston Ballet where she got the opportunity to perform as Clara in the Nutcracker under the instruction of Mikko Nissinen. Previously, she attended Berrend Dance Centre in Olney, Maryland as her primary ballet training. The summer intensives she has attended include Miami City Ballet (2020 and 2019), Boston Ballet (2018, 2016, and 2015), Carolina Ballet (2017), and Maryland Youth Ballet (2014). Ani has competed in Youth America Grand Prix for three years in which she won top 12 Contemporary, Pre-competitive division (2015), top 24 Classical, Junior division (2016), and top 12 Classical, Junior division (2017). She has attended numerous master classes with the following; Paul Taylor 2, Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet), Kathryn Morgan (Miami City Ballet, previously New York City Ballet), Alicia Graf Mack (Julliard), Diana White (New York City Ballet), Lauren Lovette (New York City Ballet), Edward Ellison (Ellison Ballet), Gonzalo Garcia (New York City Ballet), Megan Fairchild (New York City Ballet), Alvin Ailey and Ailey 2, Michael Vernon (Royal Ballet, Indiana University), Robert Weiss (New York City Ballet, Pensylvania Ballet Artistic Director, Carolina Ballet founding Artistic Director), Zalman Raffael (Carolina Ballet Artistic Director), and Debra Austin (New York City Ballet). Among the teachers Ani has worked with include Tim Fox, Runchiao Du, Erin Du, Patricia Berrand, Aaron Jackson, Dimitri Malekov, Kathleen Mitchell, Margaret Tracey, Peter Stark, Igor Burlak, Alla NIkitina, Miranda Weese, Arantxa Ochoa, Alexander Iziliaev, Kareen Paul Camargo, Maribel Modrono, Herman Payne, Reneris Reyes, Francis Veyette, and Yvonne Williams. Ani also participated in Boston Ballet School’s ChoreograpHER workshop in 2019 in which she choreographed a short ballet on four other students.