Meet our directors: Judith FLEX Helle and Damien Diaz

  Born in Boston, Judith FLEX Helle began dancing, choreographing, and producing professionally in Berlin Germany. Where she danced with the Deutsche Opera Berlin for 6 years, also performing in film, TV and music videos. In addition, she performed worldwide as a trapeze artist in circuses, museums shows, theatre, and more.

Judith founded Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles in Dec 2009 with funding from the Charles Evans Foundation, NYC. 

Since then, Luminario Ballet has performed for over 80,000 people worldwide. 

Judith has produced and choreographed a large body of work for the company including “LedZAerial” a ballet/cirque piece to Led Zeppelin; “The Last Supper” about when Jesus, Judas, and Mary M went to the Coachella Music Festival; Schubert’s “Winterreise”, a neoclassical love triangle; commissioned works for symphonies (LA Philharmonic), “Tosh Thoughts…” funded by the US Department of State which toured India; and a wide variety of ballet/aerial works, for public concerts, corporate, special events, music videos, even virtual reality Xbox. 

Judith brought in to Luminario Ballet choreographer Debbie Brown, Head Choreographer for Cirque Du Soleil; Michael Smuin, artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet for 25 years; Lewitzky Dance Company; Jamal Story (Complexions, Dance Theater of Harlem); Alexandre Magno (Ballet Hispanico); Damien Diaz (Ballet Leipzig, Trocadero); and, Dreya Weber (aerial choreographer for PINK, CHER, Madonna, Michael Jackson) among many others.

She collaborated with 6 choreographers, NASA, and the New Valley Symphony for the eco-ballet “TRAILS”.

Her awards include: The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the United Nations Humanitarian Award, a Commendation from the City of Los Angeles, and was nominated for a World Choreography Award; named to the Top 5 Women Leaders in SoCal Dance by Dance Magazine; and, was the only working artist nominated for the 2023 LA Times B2B Women In Business. 

She is a judge for the World Choreography Awards, judging annually since 2013, and judged for the International Reno Aerial Fest.

  Damien Diaz was born in Montebello, CA. He studied classical ballet at the Académie du Ballet in Miami, FL, the North Carolina School of the Arts, the School of American Ballet in New York City, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and the Houston Ballet Academy in Texas. Damien began his professional career with the Zürich Ballet in Switzerland and, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, danced with the Leipzig Ballet in Germany, where he became a principal dancer. Damien was a guest artist with the Warsaw Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Dallas Ballet, ClairObscur Dance Company, and the Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo. He danced with Luminario Ballet and acted as Rehearsal Director and choreographer from 2010 to 2018. He has received numerous awards for his dancing, coaching, and choreography set on many dance companies and works internationally as a ballet coach. Damien is thrilled with his new post as Co-Director of Luminario Ballet since January 2024. He looks forward to supporting and inspiring the artists and staff of the Luminario Ballet and building lasting relationships with the company’s board, donors, audience, and friends of the ballet. 

Over his years with Luminario Ballet, Damien choreographed several short ballets including "Traffic" from TRAILS, our eco-ballet, "Tango" and "Finale" from our collaboration with the New Valley Symphony. Damien has two new choreographies in our Fall Gala presntation of "LedZAerial Symphony".