Stephanie Maiorano dances with the spectacular life sized statues of mammoths at the newest exhibit at San Diego Zoo... Elephant Odyssey.

Located in Balboa Park, it is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species.

Elephant Odyssey features a unique open-sided management facility, where the public can view the keepers daily care for the elephants.

Dressed as the Flamingo from SDBs Carnival of the Animals, Stephanie poses in front of the newly redesigned Flamingo Lagoon.

Caribbean flamingos have been at the entrance of the zoo for over 50 years, a remaining constant in the exciting redesign of the zoo.

Photography by Graham Blair.
For information on the World Famous San Diego Zoo, visit the website of the San Diego Zoo.

Favorite Quote:

 Wherever there is magic, wonder, and an audience, there is a theater.   

Birthplace

• San Diego, CA

Joined the San Diego Ballet

• 2007

Since joining San Diego Ballet, Stephanie has danced the title role of Firebird;  performed soloist roles in Javier Velasco’s Echale Salsita, Suite Italienne, Mambomania, Colors, Romeo and Juliet, An Old Sweet Song, Flamingo pas in Carnival of the Animals, Somewhere in Time pas in Rhapsody in Blue, Arthur Murray’s Dance Secrets and Nutcracker.

She began her training in San Diego with Ahita Ardalan and Sylvia Palmer Zetler at Black Mountain Dance Centre.    Stephanie performed principal roles while a member of Southern California Ballet before being accepted to Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy.  During her years in Houston, as a company member of Houston Ballet II, she danced numerous roles under the direction of Stanton Welch and Claudio Munoz, including some of her favorites:  Fingerprints, Bruiser, Cline Time from Tales of Texas, Blue, Long Winding Road, Nutcracker and Chairman Dances.  Stephanie also guest performs for LaDiego Dance Theater and teaches  adult classes at San Diego School of Ballet.