Ballet Brazos Lead Dancer
CJ Zapalac
Charles (CJ) Zapalac Jr. has been dancing since the age of 2 with Cheryl Montalbano at MCM Dance Studio in Bryan. CJ’s favorite dance genre is Ballet, but he also studies Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical/Contemporary dance styles. He has been a member of the Company C Competition Dance Team at MCM for 10 years.
This year, CJ auditioned for and was accepted to the following 2022 Summer Intensive programs: BalletMet, Charlotte Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Houston Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Sacramento Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater and Vitacca Vocational School for Dance. He was also accepted into the BalletMet Company Rep Week and the BalletMet Trainee class as well as the Colorado Ballet Pre-Professional Division for the 2022-2023 school year. CJ spent his summer training at the Nashville Ballet Summer Intensive Program for two weeks and then the BalletMet Summer Intensive Program for five weeks followed by their Company Rep Week. He greatly enjoyed spending his summer traveling to new places and dancing with new friends.
CJ started performing with Ballet Brazos at the age of 7 as a Party Boy in their 2013 production of The Nutcracker. Through the years, he has danced the roles of Fritz, Soldier Doll, Lead Soldier, Party Boy, Russian, Lead Chinese, Lead Spanish, and Waltz Cavalier. He has also performed with Ballet Brazos and the BVSO in their combined productions of Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals where he danced the roles of Peter, Hunter, Donkey and Dinosaur. CJ is excited and honored to take the stage this year dancing the roles of Nutcracker Doll, Lead Spanish and Waltz Cavalier.
CJ is a Junior at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station where he plays the violin in the JV Orchestra. He is a Life Scout in Boy Scout Troop 1861 and is also an altar server and active member of his youth group at St Joseph Catholic Church in Bryan.
CJ would like to send a special thank you to Cheryl Montalbano for her many years of support and encouragement. Because of you, CJ’s love of dance has grown and flourished. You are so appreciated! He would also like to thank his parents, Julie and Charles, and Melba Krejci for always being in the audience, cheering him on.
Photo: Jenny Oliphint