About Maykel Solas

Born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Maykel Solas trained at the Escuela Provincial de Arte, and graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana. He studied under renowned Cuban ballet teachers Alicia Alonso, Loipa Araujo, Josefina Mendez, Orlando Salgado, Martha Garcia and Jose Luis Zamorano.  

At seventeen, after winning a silver medal in the Ballet Competition of Havana, Maykel joined the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. In 2001, he moved to South America and won another silver medal in the 12th International Ballet Competition of Trujillo in Peru.  Maykel became a Principal Dancer with the Ballet Nacional del Peru and Ballet Municipal de Lima, where he performed leading roles in numerous classical and neoclassical ballets.  In 2005, Maykel joined Silicon Valley Ballet (formerly Ballet San Jose), where he danced for over a decade enjoying an illustrious career as a Principal Dancer.  

His favorite roles include Albrecht in Giselle, Siegfried in Swan Lake, as well as leads in La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, Romeo and Juliet, Carmina Burana and Dennis Nahat’s The Nutcracker. Throughout his career Maykel performed as a principal guest artist with companies in Cleveland, OH, Reno, NV as well as traveled abroad to perform in China, Spain and Japan. 

As a part of Maykels professional training in Cuba he also received a graduate certification in Ballet Instruction. Throughout his career he dedicated time off stage to work with students of all ages by teaching ballet technique at a number of schools in the Silicon Valley.  In 2016 Maykel shifted focus from performing to teaching full time, providing ballet instruction at Western Ballet, Hao Expressions and the Academy of Classical Ballet in the Bay Area.  

In 2017 Maykel relocated to Reno, Nevada along with his wife and 3 children. Since that time he’s taught at Ayako’s Dance studio in Carson City as well as at the Conservatory of Movement in Reno. Maykel enjoys working with students of all ages to develop their technical and performance skills.