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.

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 the past 20 years, Alexei Moskalenko has been working with the world largest Ballet Competition for students - Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), as Judge, Master teacher, NY Rehearsals Director, Tour Director, US Operations Director and Assistant Artistic Director.  Alexi evaluates, judges, guides and teaches more than10,000 students, who compete at YAGP, across 26 US cities and 13 countries, yearly.

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Prior to moving to the United States in 1992, Alexei danced and toured around the world with Bolshoi Ballet Grigorovich, Prokofiev's Moscow Ballet and Moscow Children Musical Theater.  Following a 10 year career as a principal dancer with numerous ballet companies, Alexei devoted himself to teaching and directing students in US and around the world, including American School of Russian Ballet (Owner/Artistic Director), Markell School of Dance, and Indiana Ballet Conservatory's Pre-Professional Program (Director).  He has served as adjudicator, choreographer, and master teacher world-wide, across the US, Spain, France, Portugal, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, Brazil, Romania, China, Japan, Korea, Kirgizstan, and Argentina. 

Alexei's students have received numerous awards in the world's most prestigious ballet competitions, including Moscow IBC (gold medal), Varna and Jackson IBC (silver medals), YAGP (numerous), to name a few.  Many have joined professional ballet companies, prestigious ballet schools, summer programs, and dance universities.

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Mr. Moskalenko graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow with a  Vaganova Method teaching degree.  Teachers: Maxim Martirosian, Alexander Bondarenko and Alexander Prokofiev.

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.

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 Simoes grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he attended the Creative and Performing Arts High School as well as training with Olga Kresin and Lev Assualyak. He placed gold at the Tanzfestival Berlin Tanzolymp for his contemporary solo and as a duet finalist in the YAGP NYC competition. Following this success, Maxwell studied at the Rudra Béjart École in Switzerland, student of Azari Plissetski, leading to performing with the Béjart Ballet in pieces by Maurice Béjart, including Bolero, Le Sacre du Printemps, and Petruschka. Relocating back to the United States after a few years, he performed at The Metropolitan Opera, The San Francisco Opera, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and Smuin Ballet. Maxwell currently is dancing with Jacob Jonas The Company in Los Angeles. Along with doing freelance projects, he has the added opportunity to create and teach internationally, though recently he has performed for fashion brands such as Hermès, Prada, and Greg Lauren. 

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.