The Company
Established in 2019, Ballet Roots is Pleasanton's very own premier ballet company. Our mission is to provide the local community with professional-quality performances exhibiting both classical and contemporary ballet. While strongly rooted in a ballet foundation, our repertoire includes a variety of dance styles, showcasing our multi-talented dancers and appealing to a wide audience of all ages. We are honored to have the opportunity to share our joy of dance with the Pleasanton community!
Our Dancers
Christine Carpio
Born and raised in Pittsburg, Christine found her love for dance at an early age. She started dancing at Delta Ballet Academy under the instruction of Helga Ishikata and was later coached by Sharon Sobel-Idul, Ricky Navarro, and Sarah Van Wert. During her time as student, Christine competed in several regional and national competitions winning various awards and high accolades. She has also performed with Black Diamond Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theater, and Moving Arts Dance. After high school, Christine decided to take a break from dance and go to college at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies with a minor in Applied Psychology. She then went on to pursue a career in the entertainment industry as a publicist but due to the global pandemic she decided to come back to her hometown to not only be close to her family but reignite the passion she has for dancing. With Christine’s reintroduction back to the stage, she is excited to join Ballet Roots for another season.
Hope Clark
Hope Clark has had a love for dance since her Tippy Twos class for the City of Antioch. She first knew she wanted to be a ballet dancer after seeing The Little Match Girl through Black Diamond Ballet. Hope began training at Delta Ballet Academy when she was six years old under Sharon Sobel Idul, Sara Hernandez Van Wert, Ricky Navarro, and Terrin Kelly. She has performed in productions like The Little Match Girl and The Nutcracker as well as competed in dance competitions. From ages fourteen to eighteen Hope danced under the direction of Lauren Main de Lucia for the Deer Valley Dance Program where she learned various dance styles, choreographed with other dancers, and performed for the school. At age eighteen she took a break from dance to earn her Associates in Math and Science, and is thrilled to be dancing for Ballet Roots and share her passion again.
Makenzie Annalee
Makenzie's debut to the stage took place as a Gingerbread Cookie in The Nutcracker when she was just three years old. From 2007 to 2016, she trained in classical ballet under the guidance of Edward Stegge, Erin Leedom, and Rebecca Berke. She then worked as a professional dancer and magician's assistant to Illusionist Jack Alexander, where she performed in magic shows all over the Bay Area. Makenzie received a BFA in performing Arts from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy where she studied musical theater and dance. Her favorite previous roles include Iris in Fame, Dance of the Little Swans in Swan Lake, and Spanish Chocolate in The Nutcracker. Outside of Ballet Roots, you can find Makenzie teaching and sharing her love of ballet to budding new dancers!
Talia Fallis
Artistic Director
Talia began dancing at the age of 2 and has been dancing ever since. While trained in a variety of different styles of performance dance, her true passion has always been classical ballet. She trained locally under teachers such as David Fonnegra, Terrin Kelly, Derek Sakakura, Ikolo Griffin, and Lindsey Salvadalena. In addition to directing and performing with Ballet Roots, Talia has performed with various ballet companies around the greater Bay Area. She is thrilled to be bringing professional ballet right here to Pleasanton! In addition to performing, Talia teaches ballet to dancers of all ages, and in 2013, she and her sister opened their own school here in Pleasanton, Vineyard Ballet Academy, where she continues to teach today.
Tenaya Fallis
Tenaya can't remember a time when dance, especially ballet, was not a part of her life. She started out as a ladybug in a year-end production when she was only three years old, and has since danced in productions as varied as The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Messiah, The Jungle Book, and of course, The Nutcracker. After graduating high school, she spent a few years dancing professionally while also teaching ballet before she and her sister opened Vineyard Ballet Academy where she continues to teach. She has also dabbled in various other styles of dance including tap, jazz, lyrical, Scottish country dance, Irish ceili, and most recently social ballroom dance. She hopes to bring a wide variety of influences to Ballet Roots while staying true to her favorite, ballet.