Meet Rick & Alejandra
Alejandra Iannone
Creative Director
Alejandra dreamed up Sparkle Theatricals when she was in elementary school - she’s so happy that she gets to live out that childhood dream as the organization’s creative co-director. Alejandra is an honors graduate of the Ailey School and Fordham University, where she earned a B.F.A. in Dance, and also holds an M.A. in Philosophy from Temple University.
She has performed domestically and internationally at venues like the Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Jacob’s Pillow, the Ailey Citigroup Theater, and the Versace Mansion. Her choreography has been presented in New York City and Minneapolis and she is an American Ballet Theatre Affiliate Teacher. Her writing has been published on DIYdancer and the International Journal of Technoethics.
Alejandra is a dual citizen of Argentina and the U.S.
Rick Ausland
Technical Director
Rick serves as co-director of Sparkle Theatricals, bringing to the position more than 10 years of previous experience as co-founder of Minneapolis-based dance and music company Buckets and Tap Shoes (MN Fringe Favorite 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014; Minneapolis City Pages “Best Dance Performance 2005”). He was a guest on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, was nominated for a 2013 SAGE Award for “Outstanding Performer," and has performed in over 30 of the 50 states and internationally.
Rick has also choreographed and taught dance throughout Minnesota (Lundstrum Center for Performing Arts, Children’s Theatre, Main Street School for Performing Arts, Perpich Center for Arts Education, and the St. Paul Conservatory) and abroad (Austria, Ecuador, Finland, Malta, and Russia). He is a graduate of Larkin Dance Studio in Maplewood, Minnesota and holds a diploma from the Perpich Center for Arts Education (Media Arts Major).
Are you interested in collaborating with us?
Sparkle Theatricals is practiced at out of the box - from concept to execution. So we can get a better sense of how you'd like to play a role in our company's future endeavors, please send a one-page description of your proposed project, style, and process to info@sparkletheatricals.org. We will review and respond to your proposal within one week of receipt. We look forward to hearing from you.