By Carol Norris
Enquirer contributor

Claudia Rudolf Barrett's ballet tech ohio has excitedly announced a $10,000 Greater Cincinnati Foundation Grant to create its first paid position - an executive director. The preprofessional group sees this as an opportunity to grow bigger and better.

One of the biggest things on ballet tech's agenda is August's second annual Gala of International Ballet Stars, this year in collaboration with BalletMet Columbus. A list of pros from around the world has begun to take shape:

• Paloma Herrera and Gennadi Saveliev of American Ballet Theatre.

• Anastasya Meskova of the Bolshoi Ballet with Ilya Kuznetsov of the Kirov.

• Geon van der Wyst and Chan Hon Go of National Ballet of Canada.

• Bridget Breiner of the Stuttgart Ballet (originally from Columbus) with Ivan Cavallari.

• Donald Williams and Kellye Saunders of Dance Theatre of Harlem.

• California's Alonzo King company, LINES Ballet.

• Ohio's BalletMet Columbus principals.

This is a partial list; look for more stars to be announced. 8 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Aronoff Center. Tickets $35-$55 at Ticketmaster.

More on the floor

You might think that with the season over, Cincinnati Ballet dancers are soaking it up on a beach somewhere. Admittedly, some of them have traded their leotards for bikinis, but a number of them are still in the studio.

• Principals Kristi Capps and Dmitri Trubchanov are dancing the "Don Quixote Pas de Deux" at Riverbend with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra July 10-11.

• Rene Micheo and Greg Schoenwolf have been selected by contemporary choreographer Lucinda Childs to perform in Cincinnati Opera's Seven Deadly Sins June 26-28.

• Jay Goodlett and Cheryl Sullivan will appear in Victoria Morgan's choreography for Cincinnati Opera's La Traviata July 10, 12 and 18.

E-mail norris@one.net