Our Team

Sônia Melo

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Sônia Melo received extensive classical ballet training. Although the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus formed a central part of her education, her training encompassed a broad range of techniques and approaches. She was among the candidates who took part in the first RAD Solo Seal examination held in Brazil, earning the prestigious Solo Seal qualification. She danced with the Rio de Janeiro Ballet Company alongside renowned artists such as Desmond Doyle, Fernando Bujones and Wilfride Piollet, and later joined Ballet Contraste, where she worked with Carla Perotti, Yelle Bittencourt and Alexander Minz of American Ballet Theatre. Further engagements took her to the São Paulo City Ballet and, in 1982, to the Grand Théâtre de Genève under the direction of Oscar Araiz. In 1980, she received the “Dancer of the Year” Critics’ Award from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte – APCA). Throughout her career, she broadened her artistic range through modern dance, studying with Clive Thompson of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Yoshi Morimoto, Noemi Lapzeson and Paola Lensi; jazz dance with Lennie Dale and Matt Mattox; and conditioning and aerobics with Karen Voight, David A. J. Green, Rog Glick, Marvin Thornton, Madonna Grimes and Jeff Vandiver. From 1983 to 1995, she was a member of the Stadttheater Bern, where she worked with Riccardo Duse, Reda Sheta, McKim, Bruce Steivel, François Klaus and Martin Schläpfer. During this period, she also created choreography for young performers in productions including *Oliver Twist*, *Zobeide* and Alban Berg’s opera *Lulu*. In 1996, together with Alfonso Bausilio, she founded the AS Ballett Schule in Boll, near Bern.). She is a member of Swiss Dance Teachers (SDT).

Alfonso Bausilio

Born in Naples, Italy, Alfonso Bausilio trained at the Lyceum in Naples with Mara Fusco. He made his stage debut in 1979 at Teatro La Fenice (Venice) alongside Carla Fracci under Beppe Menegatti; engagements followed at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna and the Arena di Verona under Roberto Fascilla, again in collaboration with Menegatti. He then joined the Teatro Comunale in Florence under Eugene Polyakov, sharing the stage with Rudolf Nureyev and Patrick Dupond. From 1983 to 1985 he was a soloist with the Ballet Royal de Wallonie (Charleroi), directed by Jorge Lefebre and Menia Martinez, performing alongside Étoile Paolo Bortoluzzi. He subsequently danced as a soloist at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and, from 1985 to 1987, with the Israel Ballet (Tel Aviv) under Berta Yampolski and Hillel Markman. He also pursued cross-training in aerobics/conditioning with Karen Voight, David Aj Green, Rog Glick, Marvin Thornton, Madonna Grimes, and Jeff Vandiver. From 1987 to 1996 he was engaged at the Stadttheater Bern, working with Riccardo Duse, Reda Sheta, McKim, Bruce Steivel, François Klaus, and Martin Schläpfer, and creating a choreographic adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. In 1996 he co-founded AS Ballett Schule in Boll (Bern) with his wife, Sônia Melo. A member of SDT (Swiss Dance Teachers), he completed the American Ballet Theatre’s ABT National Training Curriculum (Intensive) in 2012.

Yannick Bittencourt

Born in Bern, Yannick took his first dance steps at the AS Ballett Schule with his parents, before continuing his training at the Paris Opera Ballet School and the Royal Ballet School in London. This school is therefore a return to his roots for someone who has shone on the world's greatest stages for 15 years as a soloist at the Paris Opera and as a soloist at the Zurich Ballet in 2018.

His repertoire includes memorable roles: Benvolio and Paris in Romeo and Juliet, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and Espada in Don Quixote. A noble dancer with a unique style, he has also distinguished himself in contemporary creations with today's greatest choreographers: Wayne McGregor, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Crystal Pite.

Holder of a State Diploma in Dance Teaching and an Executive Master's Degree in Management from EM Lyon, he has taught company classes at the Paris Opera Ballet and participated as a jury member and teacher in the Youth American Grand Prix Paris. He combines pedagogical excellence with a modern strategic vision.

Grégory Dominiak

With 23 extraordinary years in the Corps de Ballet of the Paris Opera, Gregory brings with him an unparalleled experience in classical and contemporary repertoire. Trained at the École de Danse de l'Opéra de Paris and enriched by his stay at the Rock School in Philadelphia, he has interpreted the great ballets of the classical repertoire and distinguished himself in works by the greatest contemporary names in dance: Maurice Béjart, Roland Petit, John Neumeier, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, and Mats Ek.

He ended his brilliant career as a dancer on December 31, 2023, in Jiří Kylián's iconic work “Petite Mort,” after performing on the world's most prestigious stages during numerous international tours.

Janisha Duss

Janisha Duss discovered her passion for dance at an early age at the AS Ballettschule in Bern, where she developed a strong foundation in classical ballet. Over the years, she expanded her repertoire to include jazz, lyrical jazz, musical theatre jazz, contemporary, modern, commercial and heels, further developing her skills at a range of national and international dance institutions. She studied at HF University Zürich Tanzwerk, the Musical Factory Lucerne, as well as at other training institutions in Denmark and Los Angeles. She is currently broadening her expertise through a Pilates Reformer training programme at the Swiss Academy of Fitness & Sports. As a dancer, she has taken part in various stage and video projects, including Energy Star Night Basel, and has competed in national and international dance competitions in Switzerland and France. Her main areas of focus are lyrical jazz, jazz and contemporary dance. Alongside technique and expression, she places particular emphasis on musicality, stage presence and artistic development.