Meet the Dance With Us Audition Directors
Meet the Audition Directors
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet’s Vaganova-trained Soloists and Audition Directors are integral to the success of the “Dance with Us” student dancers who perform beside the pros! These accomplished soloists audition and rehearse over 5,000 local ballet students annually in cities on the tour, helping to prepare them for their debut alongside NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet's company of 40 professional international artists.
Anna Trofimova
Ballerina Anna Trofimova was born in 1994 and at just 8 years old she was invited to study at the Vadim Pisarev School of Choreographic Mastery. During her four years there, she took part in the International Ballet Festivals “Grand Pas” and “World Stars Ballet” where she was able to be on the stage with the famous ballet dancers including Ilze Liepa, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Vladimir Vasiliev, Farukh Ruzimatov, Daniil Simkin, Svetlana Zakharova, Diana Vyshneva, and Vladimir Malakhov!
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Bogdana Kopiy
Bogdana Кopiy has performed with NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet for five tours. When Bogdana was 5 years old, her mother brought her one pointe shoe and she immediately tried to stand on it leaning against the table. This is how the story of Ballerina Bogdana began to evolve into the daily life of a professional ballerina.
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Yuriy Kuzo
Yuriy took his first steps in dance when he was 6 years old and fell in love with the magic of dancing. He auditioned, and was accepted, at the school of Rushnychok Dance Ensemble studying performing art, choreography, vocal and acting skills, and the history of theatre. After graduating from Rushnychok, he was invited to Lviv State College of Culture and Art where he studied dance and choreography
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Alisa Bolotnikova
Alisa Bolotnikova premiered as a Soloist with NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet in 2016 and is an Audition Director in the “Dance with Us” program working with over 3,000 American ballet students annually. When not on tour, Alisa teaches ballet, choreography, gymnastics, and rhythmic gymnastics. Alisa also teaches students at the Kharkov Ballet College, some of which have been accepted in the Kharkov Opera and Ballet Theatre
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Mykhailo Shcherbakov
Mykhailo Shcherbakov was born in Pugachov, Russia but moved to Kyiv at just ten-years-old to start studying in Kyiv Choreographic College. While in school, he participated in many ballet competitions, including Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition and the International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers in Moscow.
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Olga Pasternak
Olga Pasternak debuted as Masha in NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet's 2018 Dove of Peace Tour and joined us in 2019 as Audition Director for NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet's Dance with Us program. She also performs as soloist of the Kyiv Municipal Academic Theatre for Children and Youth.
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Mariia Yevdokymova
Mariia Yevdokymova premieres this year as a NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Soloist and Audition Director. She started dancing at Classical Dance Ensemble at just seven years old and studied there until she was 14. In 2012, she attended Odessa College of Arts and Culture named after K.F. Dankevich.
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