BBT Honors 2023 Graduating Seniors
This year, Boca Ballet Theatre celebrates six senior dancers who are graduating this spring: Madison & Mallory Barrass, Helena Helmke, Lexa McDermott, Gabriela Quiros, and Olivia Shoffner. Learn more about this year’s senior dancers, and join us in celebrating their many accomplishments!
Congratulations, Seniors!
Madison Barrass began her training at BBT at age four. Since then, she has performed in a multitude of repertory and full-length performances. Some of her favorite roles include Little Red Riding Hood from The Sleeping Beauty and the demi-soloist in Bubblin Over. Madison has always treasured her time in between rehearsals and in the theatre before shows. Upon graduating from high school, Madison will receive her Associate of Arts degree from Doral College and her AICE Diploma with Distinction as recognized by Cambridge Assessment International Education. She was awarded the National Society of Arts and Letters’ scholarship for Classical Ballet this year. Madison cannot wait to study history with a minor in environmental policy at the University of Florida this summer!
Mallory Barrass started dancing with BBT at the age of four and has danced a variety of roles, her favorite of which was the Mouse King from The Nutcracker. As she graduates this spring, she’s reminiscing about all the wonderful time she’s spent with her friends at BBT. Mallory is a recipient of The National Society of Arts and Letters' ballet scholarship. She will be attending the University of Central Florida this fall and is excited to see where her future takes her!
Helena Helmke was four years old when she started taking ballet classes at BBT. Her favorite roles include the Arabian lead in The Nutcracker and the Lieutenant in Con Amore. Her two favorite memories are of performing in 2022’s The Nutcracker with her friends, who savored every moment of dancing together one last time, and dancing as a villager in Romeo and Juliet. She is graduating Cum Laude from Saint Andrew's School and will be attending Florida State University in the fall to major in environmental policies and pre-law. She hopes to be an environmental lawyer one day!
Lexa McDermott began her dance training at Minnesota Dance Theatre and joined BBT during the summer of 2018. Her favorite role at BBT has been dancing as a white key in 2022’s performance of Piano Man. During her time with BBT, Lexa has enjoyed building lasting relationships with the dancers, teachers, and especially her fellow seniors. She is a National Merit Finalist from American Heritage School, and she will be attending North Carolina State University as both a Park Scholar (a full-ride merit-based scholarship) and a Thomas Jefferson Scholar (a multidisciplinary degree program), majoring in Animal Science (Veterinary Bioscience) and English. Lexa is proud to call herself a Boca Ballet Theatre alumna and looks forward to keeping in touch with her peers!
Gabriela Quiros began dancing ballet and jazz in Puerto Rico at the age of three. When she was twelve years old, she relocated to Boca Raton, where she continued her dance training at BBT. Her favorite role was dancing as a black key in Piano Man, the rehearsals of which were a blast! Gabriela is graduating as the Boca Raton High School Valedictorian! She will be attending the University of Florida, where she will be roommates with Madison Barrass. She is so grateful to have made lifelong friends at BBT!
Olivia Shoffner’s passion for dance began at the age of two. She trained at the Orlando Ballet School and Orlando Metropolitan Ballet Academy, but it was not until she was eight years old that she fell in love with the discipline of ballet. Since moving to Boca Raton at the age of sixteen, Olivia has attended BBT, where she has honed her character and technique. She has had the opportunity to perform in two ballets: 2021’s Swan Lake and 2023’s Giselle. Her favorite role was dancing the “Pas de Trois” from Act I of Giselle. In addition to dancing, Olivia has also dedicated her time to BBT’s “First Step” outreach program. The students in the program hold a special place in her heart, and she has grown tremendously as a person through her work with them. Olivia is also a second-year sophomore in college and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
This very tight-knit group of seniors love each other so much, and we hope you’ll join us in congratulating them on their exceptional accomplishments! We wish them all the best in the next exciting chapter of their lives!