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Faculty

Igor Dobrovolskiy

Artistic Director

Artistic Director of Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, Igor is a prolific choreographer – having created eleven full-length ballets and 48 short works in just over 12 years. His creative work catapulted the Company he co-founded in 2001, Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, onto the international stage. His works created for the company tour regularly throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada. Igor holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in pedagogy of ballet, dance and, choreography from the Kiev National University of the Arts. His extensive professional career has taken him across Europe and South America.

Yuliia Shevchenko

PRINCIPAL

Ballet/ Dance DIVISION

Yuliia Shevchenko was born in Kiev, Ukraine. She began her dance training at the age of five and continued her ballet studies at the Kiev State Ballet Academy. After graduation, she joined the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet for Children and Youth in Kiev.



Yullia worked throughout Europe as a professional ballet dancer. Her extensive contemporary, classical and character dance repertoire included: The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Harlequinade, Romeo and Juliet, Sacred Spring, Pushkin, Casanova, Carmina Burana, Carmen, Four Seasons, Giselle, and Rasputin, in which she had leading and solo roles. 



In 2002, after giving birth to her daughter Nikita, she joined the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada

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Following her extensive professional ballet career, Yuliia has dedicated her time to teaching and youth development. She has been a ballet teacher and choreographer at ballet schools and instructor and artistic consultant for rhythmic gymnastics groups in Europe and Canada. As well, she has offered ballet master classes, workshops and summer schools in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick.

 

Yuriko Diyanova

Primary Ballet

A professional dancer of Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada since 2003, Yuriko Diyanova left a career as a classical soloist in Japan, to join Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada. A prizewinner at several ballet competitions, she has an extensive classical repertoire which includes principal and soloist roles. She has extensive teaching experience in ballet having taught professional classes Japan. A favorite with audiences wherever she dances, Yuriko earned critical notice for her performance as Merlin’s mother in the Company’s third original ballet of the same name. Other roles with the Company include: Marcelina in Figaro, “The Girlfriend” in Les Portes Tournantes, and Mozart’s first love in Amadeus. She dances as one of “The Ladies” in Don Juan, performs as a “Messenger” in King Lear and as Marcellina in Fidelio.

Eldiyar Daniyarov

Intermediate/Senior Ballet

Eldiyar joined Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada in 2012. Prior to coming to Canada he was dancing as a soloist with the prestigious Eifman Ballet of St Petersburg. He trained and graduated from the esteemed Kazakh National Academy of Arts and went on as a principal dancer with the National Academic Ballet of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Center of Contemporary Dance and the Crown of Russian Ballet Moscow. Eldiyar also has a degree in Teaching and Choreography from the National Academy of Art in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Stéphanie Audet

Born in Montreal, Stéphanie began her training at l'École supérieure de Ballet du Québec. During her training, Stéphanie had the chance to perform the Balanchine repertory, as well as Swan Lake. She has also been involved in many contemporary new works. She joined the company for the 2013-2014 season and performed roles in Ghosts of Violence, The Velvet Gala and Piaf.

Olga Petiteau

Trained at the Académie américaine de danse de Paris (AADP) in France. In 2007, Olga was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix competition in New York. Subsequently, she joined Ballet Cymru in 2009, where she performed on national and international tours. She has also been involved in the creation and inception of many neoclassical and contemporary pieces. Olga joined Vienna Festival Ballet for one season in 2012. She also joined Les Ballets classiques de Paris in 2012 for their international tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Faculty

Allen Kaeja

 

Allen Kaeja is an internationally recognized, award winning choreographer and filmmaker. Invited in 1981 by the Ontario Olympic Wrestling Federation, to compete for “the team,” he chose dance as his career instead. He’s created over 120 stage works, written two books and directed/choreographed for 26 films. Allen is Co-Artistic Director of Kaeja d’Dance with his wife Karen and co-founder of the CanAsian Dance Festival and fFIDA. He teaches master workshops in Kaeja Elevations worldwide and his works have been presented in festivals around the globe. Over the years, Allen has received dozens of national and international commissions, including Norway, Sweden, UK, India, USA, and Mexico. His Norwegian commission, Jericho, has been touring Scandinavia for three years. Allen was the International Guest Choreographer and judge for Mexico’s Canal22: OperaPrima and just completed being local mentor and performer for HipHop’s Open Art Surgery with internationally renowned JonziD.

 

 

Kaeja d’Dance will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2015 with: two mainstage concerts – March is with their Company and November a duet concert with only Karen/Allen; Porch View Dances among other events.

 

 

Allen and Karen received Canada's inaugural national 2012 Canadian Dance Assembly 'I Love Dance' Community Award, were finalists for the 2013 inaugural  TD Diversity Award (with Manifesto/Unity), CDA I Love Dance Innovation Award and the finalist for NOW magazine’s 2011 Best Local Choreographers. They were also honoured with the Globe & Mail’s “most moving choreography of 2012, exploring the very essence of what makes us human”. www.kaeja.org

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