Fresh Faces September 2025

As New York City Ballet prepares to launch the 2025-26 Season, we are celebrating five new additions to the company: Apprentices Becket Jones, Hugo Mestres, Maya Milić, Alexander Perone, and Kylie Takeno Williams have been promoted to the corps de ballet over the past few months. We are thrilled to get to know them better as performers; in the meantime, we’ve asked them a little bit about themselves on and offstage. 

BECKET JONES

What do you like most about living in NYC?

What I love about living in NYC is the incredible energy and diversity the city has to offer. There’s always something new to explore, whether it’s an event, a great restaurant, or just wandering through different neighborhoods. It’s inspiring to be around so many unique people and ideas, and I feel like the city keeps me motivated and curious. Plus, having access to some of the best restaurants, world-renowned museums, theaters, and parks, is pretty unbeatable and makes it a special place to live.

What have been some of your favorite moments as an apprentice with the company?

A moment that stands out to me is definitely my first performance as an apprentice. I did the first two movements of Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces. It was really special because Glass Pieces was the first ballet I ever saw NYCB perform, so for it to be my first ballet with the company felt very full-circle. I remember looking up into the audience during the second movement, while the corps is slowly moving across the back of the stage, and I could not believe that I had been sitting watching, from the Fourth Ring, the same ballet that I was now performing onstage!

What are you most proud of, outside of dancing? 

Outside of dancing, I am most proud of the relationship I have with my family, especially with my two sisters. We've always been close, but as we have gotten older, and now that we all live in different places, our bond has grown even stronger. They really are my best friends. No matter what’s happening in life, or how busy our schedules are, I know they are always there, and finding time to FaceTime each other, even if it’s brief, is really important to us. It’s something I never take for granted. 

HUGO MESTRES

What have been some of your favorite moments as an apprentice with the Company?

One of the biggest highlights for me was dancing in Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces. It was one of the first ballets I saw NYCB perform when I moved to NYC, and it felt like a lightbulb moment. I thought it was incredible. As an apprentice last fall, the first thing I did onstage was the walking section at the beginning. I remember staying in the wings afterward to watch the rest of the ballet and being blown away all over again. Watching the third movement from the wings was unforgettable, and the way the corps moves together in that part is unlike anything else I have seen. Even in rehearsals, I was mesmerized by the energy and camaraderie of the piece. In the spring, I got to dance the third movement, which felt like a big accomplishment. I had admired this ballet for years, and finally getting to feel that energy myself was unforgettable. The last time we performed it was for Andy Veyette’s retirement performance, and being part of that really made me feel like I was part of the company.

Another special memory was being thrown into George Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto. I have adored this ballet ever since I first saw it. I was thrown in on the last day of Saratoga, which also happened to be my last day as an apprentice. Even with only one rehearsal, the excitement outweighed the nerves once the music started. I was surprised by how good it felt to perform. I think it was because I’m such a fan of the ballet and had watched the old tapes so many times that, once the curtain went up, it was easy for me to just enjoy the dance. Dancing with the corps, especially in that incredible finale, is something I’ll never forget, and was the perfect way to end my apprenticeship year.

Do you have any special memories from SAB or your training in general?

One of my fondest memories from training was my last summer course in Seattle with Pacific Northwest Ballet. I grew up dancing there and hadn’t been back to the school since moving to NYC, so returning as an NYCB apprentice felt full-circle. Taking class with my childhood teacher, Mr. Yin, was the best part. As a younger dancer I found him a bit intimidating and did not fully understand his approach, but as an older dancer I felt like each class was a goldmine. His teaching is very different from what we get in NYC, not Balanchine at all. Finishing my SAB training and then going back home to learn from him was really fulfilling, and I realized how valuable it is to have both Balanchine and classical training. What I took from his classes, along with what I learned at SAB, has become the foundation I rely on every day in the company.

Who inspires you most, or is a particularly important model or mentor?

From my very first day as an apprentice, I have felt inspired by the dancers around me. Whenever I run into a problem, whether it is technical or mental, I only have to look up and see how my colleagues approach their work. It is not just about how they execute steps, but about how they carry themselves in rehearsal and backstage. I really admire everyone’s discipline and generosity. Seeing how my favorite dancers behave behind the scenes has been eye-opening, and I have found that I learn as much from their mindset as I do from their movement.

MAYA MILIĆ

Are there any ballets you are looking forward to performing? 

This fall, I look forward to dancing in the corps of George Balanchine’s Episodes, in the final section set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Ricercata in 6 Voices from The Musical Offering, orchestrated by Anton von Webern. While the role is not technically demanding, it requires meticulous precision in timing and positions, and the choreography feels like a sort of movement transcription of Bach’s counterpoint, which I find interesting from a musical perspective. I always enjoy dancing to music that I can also play [on the piano], as is the case with Episodes as well as Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering and Other Dances, both set to works by Frédéric Chopin. I already play several of the pieces featured in these ballets and am working on learning the rest. It is deeply rewarding to know a ballet and its music so intimately, and I feel that the combination offers a unique understanding of the work as a whole. Some of my dream roles include Diamonds (set to Tschaikovsky’s incredible Third Symphony), Duo Concertante (set to Stravinsky's music by the same name, another piece I would also like to play one day) and classics like Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet—though the list extends far beyond these. Like most dancers, I carry a long list of ballets I hope to perform, and I can only hope that in time I will have the opportunity to dance some of them. 

Who inspires you most, or is a particularly important model or mentor? 

An important role model for me has been [former NYCB Company Member] Silas Farley. At SAB, we both spent many hours observing classes and taking notes on corrections and combinations, a practice I found very influential on my training. I was also lucky to study with him directly—both in classes at SAB and later at the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program, where he taught and choreographed a new ballet for us. I have always respected his curiosity for the art form as a whole and his extensive knowledge of every aspect of ballet. A few of my other inspirations include [Former NYCB Principal Dancer and current SAB Faculty Member] Kay Mazzo, Sylvie Guillem, and Krystian Zimerman, all of whom I respect for their dedication to their respective art forms.

What are you most proud of, outside of dancing? 

Outside of dancing, I am grateful for my time as a precollege student at the Manhattan School of Music. During the pandemic, in what I call our “forced vacation” from SAB, I spent a lot of time practicing piano and auditioned for MSM Precollege. For two years, I studied piano with Maria Asteriadou—who happens to be married to Kurt Nikkanen, concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra—and took classes in music theory, ear training, piano literature, and classical improvisation. Balancing SAB classes, MSM Precollege, and my online high school was often stressful, but I am fortunate to have graduated with honors from Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege in 2023.

ALEXANDER PERONE

Are there any ballets you are looking forward to performing? 

I am especially excited about dancing as a part of the corps de ballet in Balanchine’s Square Dance. The choreography is famous for its speed and requires a large amount of stamina to perform. The principal male variation in this ballet is actually the first piece of Balanchine repertory I learned. I was taught by Arch Higgins at SAB, who explained the technical intricacies and extreme quietness of the choreography. The variation felt less grand or virtuosic but rather like a human expressing something of themselves through the ballet technique. While I was at SAB, Square Dance felt like an introduction to the Balanchine technique, making it so exciting to perform it with New York City Ballet. 

Do you have any special memories from SAB or your training in general? 

In my capstone year at SAB, some students got to dance Justin Peck's In Creases for the SAB Ball in 2024. I remember the months spent working on this ballet as one of the best times I spent at SAB. [Former NYCB Company Member] Andrew Scordato staged the ballet for us, and his expertise brought the choreography to life. The evening rehearsals we spent on this ballet after our regular classes became an outlet for us to experience life as professionals. Learning the repertory and grasping the nuances of the choreography was great practice for us as students. The bond I created with the other dancers cast in this ballet was unmatched. For a good few months, each evening we would come together and work on In Creases, and I can’t remember a time that was more fun than this.

What is your favorite book, movie, or TV show?

My favorite book is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Even though this book is a well-known classic, it feels super personal. Reading it when I was 18, this book spoke to me about childhood, adult life, and taking ownership of both of those subjects. My favorite TV series is Ben Stiller's Severance. This show is cinematically stunning and mirrors real-world themes of technology, grief, and power. It is intriguing to see these themes on screen in the age of technology. 

KYLIE TAKENO WILLIAMS

What do you like about living in NYC? 

Being born and raised in New York, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. This city, though my view may be biased, has a way of shaping you; it cultures you, matures you, and equips you with a skillset many never develop. I love that New York is a true metropolis, a beacon for the arts, and a home for those who dare to try, to push limits, to challenge society’s boundaries. Within the chaos, there is a strange freedom; you never have to act within reason, because this city is allergic to ennui.

What have been some of your favorite moments as an apprentice with the company? 

As an apprentice, one of my favorite moments was dancing the Russian Girl role in Balanchine’s Serenade alongside my peers. It was a truly all-encompassing experience, especially since it came during my very first season, when everything still felt so new and I was just beginning my journey. It was incredibly meaningful to perform as part of SAB’s 90th anniversary while also celebrating NYCB’s 75th, and to be trusted with such an opportunity. And, of course, the music itself never fails to move me as it brings me to tears every time.

What makes NYCB special to you? 

As my mother likes to say, I’ve been going to the Koch Theater since I was in the womb. New York City Ballet has been part of my life from the very beginning, and I’ve always been captivated by everything it has to offer. With each passing moment, my love for the company only deepens, and having the chance to dance on that stage is nothing short of a dream come true.