{"id":272059,"date":"2026-05-15T10:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/272059\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:01:08","slug":"orlando-ballet-dancer-takes-final-bow-pivots-to-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/272059\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Ballet dancer takes final bow, pivots to photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 For one ballet dancer, the decision to step away from the spotlight was a weighty one.<\/p>\n

After all, for as long as he can remember, dance has been Israel Zavaleta Escobedo\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

But, the Orlando Ballet dancer is finding purpose in his new chapter \u2014 as both a husband and small business owner operating a successful photography studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first I was very scared, but I also trusted myself knowing that I do have another career that I’ve been building, another company that I’ve been building,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I’m just going to put my trust in God and in this company that this will succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His journey into dance began at the age of 7, when Escobedo began dancing in his father\u2019s folkloric dance company in Mexico. But he didn’t stop there: Escobedo trained in all types of dance, from traditional Mexican dancing to hip hop, jazz and contemporary styles.<\/p>\n

But, living in a pueblo two hours outside of Mexico City, ballet, he said, was not offered.<\/p>\n

So, his mother carted him into the city to help him live out his dream. He worked hard, and by the age of 16, Escobedo was scouted to move to the U.S. and join Orlando Ballet.<\/p>\n

That offer to join the school \u2014 and later to snag a coveted company contract \u2014 was born of a series of competitions \u2014 as Escobedo scooped up first and second prices across the world, he garnered attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did the competition, and that’s when a teacher from Orlando Ballet School saw me,” Escobedo said. “He sent me an email saying like, \u2018Hey, I saw you in the competition. We’re very interested if you could come to the school. We’ll give you a scholarship to come the full year, but you have to come the next two weeks.’ So, my family was, \u2018Wow, are we going to do this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he left and embarked on the biggest adventure of his life, Escobedo\u2019s grandmother handed him a bandana with the Mexican flag as a reminder to stay true to his roots and heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was one of the saddest but also happiest moments, because I had never been that far away from my family,” he said. “And I remember seeing my mom and my grandpa and my brother and all my family came to drive me off to the airport. And that was just heartbreaking in a way. But, also I knew that it was going to be a happy and great opportunity.”<\/p>\n

For the last 10 years, Escobedo has grown as a dancer by leaps and bounds. He\u2019s been a familiar face at Orlando Ballet performances, earning lead roles like Mowgli in \u201cThe Jungle Book,\u201d Nick Carraway in \u201cThe Great Gatsby,\u201d and others.<\/p>\n

And this month, as he reprises the role of Nick in \u201cThe Great Gatsby,\u201d he\u2019s pivoting and taking his final bow at the age of 26.<\/p>\n

His life plans changed when Escobedo met fellow ballet dancer, now wedding planner, Kellie Fulton while both danced at Orlando Ballet. The two married in a beachside ceremony and hope to start a family.<\/p>\n

And, while he will still be teaching at the ballet school, likely younger dancers, Escobedo\u2019s focus will now also be principally on growing his photography studio, Zavesco Photography<\/a>, the name a mash-up of his two last names.<\/p>\n

The genesis of this venture was a hobby Escobedo brought with him from Mexico. Yet, he said that he never imagined running his own photography business would counter a closing door with a wide-open window.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably five years ago I bought my first camera \u2014 that, it was a $100 camera. It was used,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then I started taking photos in rehearsals with the school, for competitions in the school, and things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casual photos of fellow dancers led to a proposition for Escobedo to shoot promotional photos of one of the ballet company\u2019s shows of the season.<\/p>\n

Escobedo seized the opportunity and grabbed $15 lights at Home Depot for the shoot.<\/p>\n

But, he and others quickly realized his photography talent was stellar and being a dancer himself proved to be a major benefit to each session.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle by little, I started noticing that I was catching everything on the right time. And I had a different eye for it, because, me being a dancer, I also know when they feel or when they reach their maximum extension, their maximum jump and things like that. I can feel it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat’s something that I start realizing that, wow, I’m just taking all of these shots in just one click.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, Escobedo was taking the majority of photos for the company programs, his work dotting I-4 on billboards stretching high above traffic.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have no idea how many times I’ve been wanting to just stop on I-4 and take a photo of it,” he said with a smile. “I know it’s super dangerous, but the first time that I saw it, I couldn’t believe it.”<\/p>\n

For the dancer, the decision to leave the stage and step behind the camera full-time may have been difficult, but he said that he is at peace because he set his fear aside and trusted in his own talent. Escobedo said his wife made the transition easier by supporting his work and dual identity as an artist \u201c100%\u201d \u2014 much like the support he feels from his family back in Mexico.<\/p>\n

\"Israel<\/p>\n

Israel Zavaleta Escobedo performs with the Orlando Ballet. (Photo: Orlando Ballet)<\/p>\n

His mother and brother traveled to Orlando to see Escobedo dance in his final shows.<\/p>\n

\u201c(My mother) has always been with me since I was very young, doing this career. And I know how difficult it has been for her, as well,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, it’s going to make me so happy to have her here to see me dance the last one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Great Gatsby\u201d at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts was the final full-scale production for Orlando Ballet\u2019s season. The 2026-2027 season will return with \u201cThe Sleeping Beauty\u201d in October 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 For one ballet dancer, the decision to step away from the spotlight was a weighty…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1595,274,2813,28,15464,15465,115,1335,139,141,140,278],"class_list":["post-272059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-app-arts-entertainment","tag-app-top-stories","tag-arts","tag-florida","tag-florida-inspires","tag-julie-gargotta","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}