Mikhail Kaniskin was born in Moscow and trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School and the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart. He danced as a principal dancer with Stuttgart Ballet until 2007 and with Staatsballett Berlin until 2020. His repertoire has included leading roles in works by John Cranko, Reid Anderson, John Neumeier, George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato , Marco Goecke, Mauro Bigonzetti and many others. He has appeared as a guest principal dancer in the United States, China, Japan, Italy, and Korea, as well as the with the Mariinsky Ballet, Rome State Opera Ballet, and Compañia Nacional de Danza (CND), Mexico and many others.

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In 2019, he was appointed Artistic Advisor and international promoter of Compañia Nacional de Danza Mexico, and became the Artistic Director of the Sir Anton Dolin Foundation. He serves as co-founder of the Elisa Carrillo Cabrera Foundation A.C., has been Artistic Director of the annual International Dance Festival DANZATLAN since 2018, and serves as Artistic Director of the International Ballet Star Gala “Elisa and Friends.” He is a member of the Advisory Board of YAGP Europe, and presented the Youth Grand Prix Germany (YAGP) in Berlin 2021 at Admiral Palace Berlin as an exclusive representative.

He is an award winning teacher and coach currently based in Berlin.

Natalia Bashkatova, Assistant Artistic Director, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP). Master teacher,  judge and former professional dancer.

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Natalia Bashkatova trained at Bolshoi Ballet Academy, joined the Bolshoi Ballet after graduating and became a Principal dancer, performing many title classical roles. She was named Best Ballerina during the 1992 Spoleto International Arts Festival in Italy. 

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After moving to the United States, Ms. Bashkatova became a Principal Ballerina at the Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, and enjoyed a long and fruitful career there.

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Ms. Bashkatova received her teaching degree from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, and brings her classical and crossover experience into teaching her classes.

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Natalia is a longtime judge and master teacher and currently serves as Assistant Artistic Director with the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP).

Tony Award-nominated Dancer/Actress; former dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, YAGP Judge

Karine Plantadit is a classically-trained dancer and performer. Born in France and raised in Cameroon, she moved to Cannes, France, at age 14 to study dance at the Rosella Hightower School. She subsequently moved to New York City to train with Alvin Ailey, joining the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company and becoming one its most celebrated dancers. Ms. Plantadit has appeared in Broadway shows including The Lion King, Saturday Night Fever, Movin’ Out, and Come Fly Away, for which she received a 2015 TONY Award nomination. She is in high demand as a master teacher in the United States and abroad, and a veteran YAGP adjudicator and teacher.

For 26 years, Alexei Moskalenko has been working with the world’s largest Ballet Competition for students, Youth America Grand Prix, as a Judge, Master teacher, NY Rehearsals Director, Tour Director, US Operations Director and Associate Artistic Director. Each year, Mr. Moskalenko judges, gives master classes, guides and evaluates over 8,000 students from around the world who compete in 15 countries and 32 US cities.

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Mr. Moskalenko is a graduate of The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow, Russia and furthered his training at the same school (for Vaganova Method teaching degree.) His teachers were Maxim Martirosian and Alexander Bondarenko. He also studied and worked with one of the greatest teachers of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Alexander Prokofiev.

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Before moving to the United States, Mr. Moskalenko danced and toured around the world with Bolshoi Ballet Grigorovich and also danced with Alexander Prokofiev’s Moscow Ballet. In the US, after dancing for 10 years as principal dancer, he devoted himself to teaching, coaching, and mentoring students.

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Mr. Moskalenko has judged, coached, choreographed, and taught master classes across the US, and in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Romania, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia and Argentina. He served as Director of Indiana Ballet Conservatory’s Pre-Professional Program and was Founder/Artistic Director of American School of Russian Ballet.

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Mr. Moskalenko’s students have participated and won numerous awards in the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions such as Moscow IBC (gold medal), Varna and Jackson IBC (silver medals), YAGP (numerous placements) and many other Ballet competitions. Many of his students have joined professional ballet companies, prestigious ballet schools and summer programs, and dance programs at reputable universities.

Misha Tchoupakov, Professor of Ballet, UNCSA School of Dance. Rehearsal Director, Judge, Master Teacher, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) 

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Misha Tchoupakov has performed with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, as well as with the Colorado Ballet, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, San Francisco Opera Ballet in the U.S., and the Vienna State Opera Ballet in Austria. 

He has taught at Colorado Ballet, Houston Ballet, Oregon Dance Theatre, State Street Ballet, and Ballet Arlington in the U.S.; at Tokyo City Ballet in Japan; at Guangzhou Ballet in China; at Galili Dance in the Netherlands; at Cluj Opera Ballet and the Sibiu Ballet Theatre in Romania; at Cia Brasileira de Ballet and Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; at Ballet Nacional Sodre in Uruguay; and Tivoli Ballet Theater in Denmark. He has also been part of the faculty at the Royal Ballet School, the Elmhurst School for Dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the English National Ballet School in the UK. He served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ballet at the University of Utah. 

Mr. Tchoupakov has been a jury member for many prestigious dance competitions around the world, including the World Dance Cup; the PBK Ballet Competition in Kyoto, Japan; the Sibiu Dance Competition in Sibiu, Romania; FEDIFEST in Santos City, Brazil; the Grand Jeté International Dance Awards in Lagoa, Portugal; La Stella di Domani in Catania, Italy; Salieri Danza in Verona, Italy; and the Playa del Carmen Dance Competition in Cancun, Mexico, to name just a few. For 25 seasons, he has worked with the YAGP Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition in New York as a Rehearsal Director, Judge, and Master Teacher.

Since 2013, Mr. Tchoupakov has held the position of Professor of Ballet on the faculty of

the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

He also holds an M.F.A. in Dance Pedagogy and Choreography from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography.

April Wexelman is a respected instructor, coach, & choreographer. She currently works for Youth America Grand Prix as the Social Media Director, & as a Semi-Final Coordinator and Teacher. She is also a judge and teacher on Convention for Dance Masters of America.

Ms. Wexelman has taught at The Rock Center for Dance, Master Ballet Academy, Westlake School for the Performing Arts, UNLV, Las Vegas School for the Performing Arts, Jacksonville University, Douglas Anderson School for the Performing Arts, LaVilla School for the Performing Arts and Nevada Ballet.

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Her students have vaulted into professional careers all over the world. Many of her students fill the ranks of major ballet companies including: Houston Ballet, Ballet Met, Hubbard Street, The Royal Danish Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Students under her tutelage have had wonderful success at YAGP including: Hope Award, Youth Grand Prix Award, Grand Prix Award, Best Studio Award, Choreography Awards, and 1st place ensembles, 1st place duets, and Top 12, Top 3, across multiple categories at multiple YAGP Finals.

Ms. Wexelman's performance credits include lead roles in Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Stars and Stripes, and The Nutcracker. She danced with Malibu Ballet, Conejo Civic Ballet, Phyzix Dance, and F13RCE Dance Theatre as well as commercial work with Dick Clark Productions.

EDUCATION

Master of Fine Arts, Jacksonville University / Dance and Choreography

Bachelor of Arts, Pepperdine University

Certified in Mat Pilates, Pilates for Ballet Dancers

California Arts Scholar

Houston Ballet Academy

Kirov Academy in Washington DC

Professor Michael Vernon started dancing at the Nesta Brooking School of Ballet in London before studying at the Royal Ballet School in London with such legendary teachers as Dame Ninette de Valois and Leonide Massine. He performed with the Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera Ballet, and the London Festival Ballet before moving to New York in 1976 to join the Eglevsky Ballet as ballet master and resident choreographer. He retained those positions under the directorship of the famed Edward Villella, and himself became artistic director of the Long Island-based company in 1989. He remained in that position until 1996.

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Vernon choreographed numerous ballets for the Eglevsky Ballet, in addition to ballets for many professional companies in the United States and worldwide, such as BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Mikhail Baryshnikov commissioned him to choreograph the highly successful pas de deux In a Country Garden for American Ballet Theatre (ABT). His solo S'Wonderful was danced by ABT principal Cynthia Harvey in the presence of President and Mrs. Reagan and shown nationwide on CBS television. He also served as assistant choreographer on Ken Russell's movie Valentino, starring Rudolph Nureyev and Leslie Caron.

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Vernon has taught at Steps on Broadway (New York City) since 1980, working with dancers from New York City Ballet, ABT, and many other high-profile companies. He is an integral part of the Manhattan Dance Project, which brings New York-style master classes to all regions of the United States. He has been involved with the Ballet Program of the Chautauqua Institute since 1996 and is Artistic Director for the Ballet School of Stamford (Conn). In addition, he is permanent guest teacher at the Manhattan Youth Ballet and has had a long association with Ballet Hawaii. He taught for the Alvin Ailey American Dance theatre and its school for 18 years.

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Vernon has been company teacher for American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has guest taught in companies all over the world, including the West Australian Ballet, the National Ballet of China, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Berlin Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Norwegian Ballet. He has been a guest teacher for The Juilliard School and The Joffrey School, and recently joined the panel of judges for the Youth America Grand Prix regional semi-finals.

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Since being appointed Chair of the Ballet Department at the Jacobs School of Music, Vernon has choreographed Cathedral (2006), Endless Night (2009), Jeux (2010) and the ever popular seasonal ballet The Nutcracker. He has staged and provided additional choreography for the full-length classics Swan Lake (with American ballerina Cynthia Gregory) and The Sleeping Beauty. He re-choreographed Spectre de la Rose (the ballet that made Nijinsky famous) for New York City Ballet Principal Daniel Ulbricht.

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He has choreographed for many IU Opera Theater productions, including Faust, Cendrillon, Rigoletto, and most recently supplied the movement for the world premiere of Vincent.

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EDUCATION
Certificate, Nesta Brooking School of Ballet 
Diploma, Royal Ballet School 
(Teachers, Dame Ninette de Valois and Leonide Massine)

Aram Manukyan began his ballet training at Armenian Choreography Academy where he studied the Vaganova method under Rafael Avnikian and Maxim Martirosian. He finished his training with a full scholarship at the Russian University of Theatre Arts.

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Mr. Manukyan returned to Armenia and danced with Armenian National Ballet before taking a soloist position with Ukrainian State Opera Ballet Theatre. Mr. Manukyan would later dance principal and soloist roles with companies in Annapolis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Sarasota.

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Mr. Manukyan then became Artistic Director of the BGLV/Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. From there, Murray Kilgour invited him to Alberta as a ballet and character dance teacher. It was at Alberta Ballet School where he took up the Cecchetti method under Nancy Kilgour and pas de deux with Murray Kilgour.

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With the launch of the Alberta Ballet II, a pre-professional program for youth dancers, in July 2014, Mr. Manukyan was appointed the program's Director. A jury member for many International Ballet Competitions, Mr. Manukyan is now Artistic Coordinator and Director of the Alberta Ballet Trainee Program at Alberta Ballet School.

Marina Saladino, Distinguished ballet teacher, choreographer, judge and former professional dancer.

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Marina began training as a rhythmic gymnast at age six and became a member of the National Latvian Rhythmic Gymnastics Team, competing for 11 years throughout the former USSR and Europe. At 16, she started coaching young gymnasts, inspiring her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Pedagogy in Physical Education and Biology from the Riga College of Pedagogy and Educational Management.

Marina received ballet training from renowned teachers Ilze Skuinya, Svetlana Anikevich, and Honored Artist of Latvian National Opera Ballet Theatre, Aleksander Rumyantsev. She also obtained certification in the Progressing Ballet Technique (2017) and completed the Vaganova Methodology Teachers’ Training Course in St. Petersburg, Russia (2019), becoming a certified teacher of Levels 1-7.

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Marina’s career as a professional dancer took her all over the world. She performed with Cirque Pacifica and Cirque Nouveau (Jean Ann Ryan’s productions), with internationally known Latvian magicians Gennady and Elena Palchevsky, also at the Andrew Lloyd Weber’s productions Magic of The Night and Song and Dance, and in musicals Kismet, Brigadoon, and Milk and Honey at the Wold Performing Arts Center in Boca Raton, FL to name just a few.

Marina held the position of Artistic Director at Saladino Productions, choreographing and directing credits, including the tribute show to Gene Kelly Singing and Dancing in the Rain. She also owned and directed the Saladino Dance School for 7 years, providing intensive training in ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. Marina has conducted master classes at prestigious schools across the US and Europe,

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In 2019, Marina received the prestigious YAGP Outstanding Teacher award (Tampa, FL).

​Barry Kerollis,  award-winning choreographer, master teacher, and coach based in New York City.

After a 14 year career performing leading roles at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, and as a Principal Guest Artist, Barry transitioned full-time to directing, choreography, and teaching. Over the past decade, he has defined himself as a choreographer and educator who bridges the gap between classical ballet and contemporary dance.

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Currently, Barry works as a juror, choreographer, and master teacher with Youth America Grand Prix. Beyond this, he has coached countless dancers and choreographed numerous works that have won awards at international ballet competitions. 

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As a master teacher, Barry has taught and choreographed for prestigious programs including The Rock School, Oklahoma City Ballet School, Ellison Ballet, Bayer Ballet, Draper Center for Dance Education, NYU, and DuCon. Dancers under Barry’s tutelage have gone on to enjoy diverse international careers at renowned ballet companies, on Broadway, in national tours, and throughout the commercial dance scene.

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Outside of the studio, Barry authors the Teacher Tools column for DanceTeacher+ and is a regular contributor with Dance Magazine and Pointe. Additional credits include faculty positions at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway, Founder and Artistic Director of Movement Headquarters, Interim Artistic Director of Alaska Dance Theatre, Finalist at Palm Desert Choreography Festival, and Rehearsal Director at Brooklyn Ballet.

Shahar Binyamini, international choreographer, dancer and director. 

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His artistic journey unfolds as a dynamic fusion of dance, science, and design, surpassing traditional boundaries. His tenure with the Batsheva Dance Company (2006-2013) showcased his interpretative prowess with choreographers Ohad Naharin and Sharon Eyal. Venturing onto the global choreographic scene in 2016, Shahar presented "FLAT" for Frontier DanceLand in Singapore, marking the onset of an international chapter in his creative journey.

His impact extends globally, leaving an indelible mark on prestigious dance companies like the *Paris Opera Ballet*, *Gothenburg Dance Company, Ballet BC, Opera Ballet Flanders, Bordeaux National Ballet, Gauthier Dance Company, Norrdans, Ballet du Rhin, and Sao Paulo Dance Company*. His creations have graced iconic stages worldwide, including Lincoln Center in New York, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, and Teatro Colon in Argentina.

Shahar's artistic reach transcends traditional dance platforms, exemplified in his collaboration with acclaimed artist *SZA*. Serving as the choreographer for the video of her chart-topping song "SNOOZE," he showcases his versatility, and ability to bridge genres.

In 2013, Shahar, alongside Prof. Atan Gross from the *Weizmann Institute for Science*, founded TNUDA—a pioneering research group at the confluence of dance, science, and choreography. Headquartered at the Weizmann Institute, TNUDA explores the profound connections between scientific principles and movement. TNUDA's success led to the development of a research course for Weizmann institution students from 2014 to 2016, under the joint leadership of Shahar Binyamini, Shani Garfinkel, and Prof. Atan Gross.

Venturing into academia, Shahar made a lasting impact as a guest professor at *UCLA*, leaving his mark with "LUNG," a creation for the opera and dance department.

Acknowledging his outstanding contributions, Shahar Binyamini received the Israeli Minister of Culture *Award for Promising Choreographer* in 2021. This prestigious recognition solidifies his status as a visionary artist, showcasing an impressive range and a multidimensional impact on the realms of dance and research.

Whether on prestigious stages or collaborating with artists from diverse backgrounds, Shahar Binyamini continues to carve a distinctive path in the global performing arts landscape.

Sebastián Vinet was born in Santiago de Chile and started his ballet training at Escuela de Ballet del Teatro Municipal de Santiago under full scholarship. He completed his training at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy under the direction of ballet master Claudio Muñoz.

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PERFORMANCE CAREER

• Houston Ballet

• San Francisco Ballet

• Grammy Awards

• International ballet galas

• Modeling Career with major brands including Armani, Burberry, Newman, Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue Magazine

• Danced Principal roles in pieces of world known choreographers such as Marcia Haydée, Kenneth Macmillan, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, Stanton Welch, Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson, Demis Volpi, Val Caniparoli, John Cranko, to name a few.

AWARDS

• Prix de Lausanne, Prize Winner & Apprenticeship (2009)

• "Premio Jovenes Líderes del diario El Mercurio” Award to the Chilean artists, presented by the ambassador of Chile in the USA (2009)

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JURIST, CHOREOGRAPHER, DIRECTOR

• Jurist: Prix de Lausanne, YAGP, Danza Activa in Panama, Icon Dance Awards

• Artistic Director, first international ballet gala at Teatro Oriente, Chile (2017)

• Founder, Bailarines del Manana, awarding over $100,000 USD in scholarships in Chile and Peru

• Director, 20th anniversary gala of Vogue, Mexico City

MASTER TEACHER

Sebastián has conducted masterclasses at major ballet schools and companies around the world like: ABT, Les Ballet de Monte Carlo, Ballet Nacional Sodre, Ballet de Santiago, San Francisco Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza, and Princess Grace Academy, to name a few.

Maxwell is an internationally recognized movement artist whose work seamlessly spans contemporary dance, commercial media, live performance, and high fashion. With dual Italian–American citizenship and classical training rooted in Philadelphia, he has earned top honors including a gold medal at Berlin’s Tanzolymp and finalist status at YAGP NYC.

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A graduate of Rudra Béjart École in Switzerland, Maxwell performed major works by Maurice Béjart with Béjart Ballet Lausanne before moving performing with The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Smuin Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and London’s Sadler’s Wells Gala.

Maxwell has worked closely with music artists— dancing and movement directing Kesha, performing live alongside Lana Del Rey on tour and music videos for Sia , Laufey.

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On screen, he appears as Vladimir in Palm Royale (Apple+), Laura Dern’s ballet dancer love interest, and works as a dance body double and creative collaborator on Amazon Prime’s Etoile (choreographed by Marguerite Derricks). He is also featured in Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Grotesquerie (FX).

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Maxwell continues to collaborate with major fashion houses like Hermès, Prada, and Greg Lauren, while creating and teaching internationally.

Gary Maurice Lewis, born and raised in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, has forged a singular career in Dance and Theatre in the United States and abroad since 1982.  Lewis received his training  at the Ballet Theater of School of The Virgin Islands, Dance Theater of Harlem, Washington School of Ballet - The Young Dancers Company (TWSB), and received a full scholarship to Alvin Ailey American Dance School.

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In 1989 Mr. Lewis made his professional debut as a company member of the Capitol Ballet of Washington, D.C. under the direction of late Doris Jones.  Lewis has since tourned across the United States, Europe and Africa as a company member with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Colorado Ballet, and Ron Brown EVIDENCE at the Joyce Theater, NYC. His repertoire includes pieces by ballets by Donald McKayle, Talley Beatty, Donald Byrd, Eleo Pomare, Kevin Jeff and Katherine Dunham, Dianne Mcintyre and Gary Abbott, Alvin Ailey, including “The River."

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Mr. Lewis made his Broadway debut in the original cast of “The Lion King," as a Swing Dancer and Assistant Dance Captain, at the New Amsterdam Theater. In 2001, joined the cast of “The Lion King National Gazelle Tour” for two years performing to audiences throughout the United States.

Other featured performances include the 1998 Tony Awards with The Lion King; the 2008 Middle Eastern Film Festival Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Abu Dhabi, choreographed and directed by Otis Sallid; and performances of FAUST and CARMINA BARANA with the Colorado Symphony in Denver Colorado.

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Mr. Lewis has Judged and taught Master Classes  for the YAGP (Youth American Grand Prix ) for the past 6 years . 

Adonis Daukaev, graduate Ballet Master and Choreographer of the world-renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia and an impressive 26-year  professional dance career in Russia, Poland, Germany, Austria, and Canada.

Mr. Daukaev started his dance career as Principal Dancer at the Lviv National Opera, Ukraine in 1985 and went on to an astounding career as Principal Dancer and Choreographer at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, Germany. He was a ballet teacher at Lviv National Opera, Gdansk Opera Baltycka, Salzburg Ballet, Augsburg Ballet, and Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern. In addition to his credentials, Mr. Daukaev graduated as Ballet Master and Choreographer at the notable Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. With a professional dance background spanning over 26 years, Mr. Daukaev has worked with renowned dancers, K.Sergueyev, I. Gensler, R.Gerbeck, B.Blankov, all of whom embody strong traditional Russian ballet artistry, in both classical and modern repertoires. As well, Mr. Daukaev has choreographed a number of original works and has worked with internationally-renowned artists such as Germinal Casado, Patricia Neary and Nikita Dolgushine.

In collaboration with Petipa Heritage Foundation, Bayer Ballet hosted Q&A Conversation with Ted Brandsen

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Mr. Brandsen has been the Director of Dutch National Ballet since 2003.

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His leadership ushered in a new heyday for the company, which now ranks among the leading ballet companies in the world. Brandsen’s initiatives include rejuvenating the full-length repertoire, introducing new world-class choreographers, distributing performances more widely throughout the Netherlands and increasing the company’s appearances at major international venues.

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In collaboration with Petipa Heritage Foundation, Bayer Ballet hosted Q&A Conversation with Lucia Lacarra:

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Born in Zumaia, Gipuzkoa, Ms. Lacarra arrived at the Víctor Ullate School at the age of 14 and at the age of 15 she began her professional career at the Víctor Ullate Ballet. She is a Principal Dancer in major companies: National Ballet of Marseille, San Francisco Ballet, Munich Opera and Dortmund Ballet. She has won numerous Awards: The Nijinsky Prize, The Benois de la Danse, Dance Open, National Dance Prize, and has been named Dancer of the Decade at the Moscow Kremlin and Bavarian State Chamber Dancer. ______________________________________________________

Born in St. Petersburg, Yuri Fateev graduated from the Vaganova Choreography School in 1982. He joined the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet Company, performing until 1996, and then becoming a coach with the Mariinsky Ballet Company. He has been a guest coach with the Royal Ballet in London and Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre, given master-classes for the ballet company of the Opéra de Paris and taught for the Swedish Royal Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet (USA) and the Danish Royal Ballet, where he also staged a production of highlights from the ballet Le Corsaire. He was involved in the Kings of Dance project in Russia and the USA as well as Stiefel and Stars in the USA, where he staged highlights from classical ballets.

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Since 2008, Mr. Fateev has been Acting Director of the Mariinsky Ballet Company.