Itzel Hernandez

Sponsored by Suzanne Martens

Originally from Havana, Cuba, Itzel Hernandez began training at the Escuela Provincial de Ballet Alejo Carpentier. At age 12, she moved to the United States and earned a full scholarship to the Orlando Ballet School under Peter Stark, where she performed as Clara in Bruce Mark’s The Nutcracker. At the HARID Conservatory, Hernandez trained under Victoria Schneider, Olivier Pardina, and Svetlana Osiyeva, and appeared in Mark Godden’s Fable and Corazón de La Llama. After graduating, she joined Orlando Ballet, where she performed in La Danse by Telmo Moreira, the lead roles in Robert Hill’s Allegretto and Huapango, as well as in Abdur Rahim Jackson’s premiere of Again for the First Time.  

Hernandez has competed in the Youth America Grand Prix, winning Third Place in 2009 and First Place in Senior Contemporary in 2014. She joined Milwaukee Ballet II in 2014, dancing in Michael Pink’s Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Giselle, and Cinderella before being promoted to the Company in 2015.  

Since being promoted, she has danced the title role in Kathryn Posin’s Scheherazade, has been featured in Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena, the Queen of the Night in Mauro de Candia’s Purple Fools, performed the leading role in Nelly von Bommel’s Gelem, Gelem, and danced the role of Fleur de Lis in Michael Pink’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.