Ari Matteliano

With a background largely in ballet, among many other common forms of dance and circus arts, Ari Matteliano has been performing since the age of 5. And in that time, they have been in several full-length ballets through the Royal Academy of Ballet and Dance’s student company, The Greater Buffalo Youth Ballet. Since then, Ari has gone on to do their own performance work, using their knowledge and passion of acrobatic/contortion skills, burlesque, fire props, drag, ballet, and sideshow acts.

Ari as performed in several full length ballets, including Cinderella, The Firebird, Coppelia, and Sleeping Beauty.  Ari also took part in outreach performances through the GBYB that included collaborations with the BPO. They were selected by audition to perform in a full-length version of The Nutcracker at Shea’s Theatre in Buffalo with Ballet Met Columbus; and was also invited by audition to the American Ballet Theater Summer Dance Intensive in Detroit (2011).  Ari has performed at festivals and events including the Elmwood Arts Festival, the East Aurora Fisher-Price Toyfest, and the Lewiston Arts Festival.

More recently they have performed in festivals and events such as the Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival ‘15, the Buffalo Infringement Festival ‘16, ‘17, & ‘18. Garden Party ‘17, Peepshow Scary-oke ‘17, Exist: A Pride Event and Block Party ‘18, Music Is Art ‘18, Leonard Oakes Steampunk Festival ‘18, Nerd Alert ‘18, ‘She Walked Here’ 2018, FreakFest ‘18 in Rockford IL, etc.They have been in recurring group shows at Hot Mama's Canteen, Club Marcella, Free Agent, Mohawk Place, Sewing Souls Studios and Nietzsche's (2017-Present), as well as house, gallery, and fundraiser shows (2015-Present). Ari has also performed with and alongside groups and members of: The Trash Can Cans, Pyromancy, The Stripteasers, Carnival Apocalypse and more.

Profile phorograph by Andrea Wenglowskyj.