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The Pre-Professional Vaganova ballet program is for students
interested in pursuing a career in dance. Our Ballet
Mistress, Milena Leben, is a world renowned Prima Ballerina and
choreographer. Her goal is to help each student develop
their technical abilities, while encouraging artistic
expression. In addition to improving as a dancer, the
Pre-Professional program will provide performance opportunities
and exposure to all the classical variations.
Prerequisite:
Enrollment in Level 4 or higher in the regular Graded Program
ballet.
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Milena
Leben, Ballet Mistress, comes to us from
Columbia
,
South
Carolina
,
where she was the choreographer for the Columbia Classical
Ballet. Ms. Leben trained at the
Ballet
Academy
in
Yugoslavia
,
under Russian instructors Nina Kirsonova and Marina Olenina. At
the age of 12 she was awarded a scholarship to the
Sadlers
Ballet
Academy
(now called the Royal Ballet) in
London
.
At age 13, she studied in
Paris
with Paris Opera Ballet Master Raymond Franchetti. She danced
with principals from Paris Opera Tessa Boumont's company and was
accepted into the corps of Zagreb Opera Ballet at age 16, and
was promoted to soloist after just one year.
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years later she became the Prima Ballerina with the Croatian
National Theatre. Ms. Leben has danced principal roles in almost
all the classical ballets including
Swan
Lake
,
The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Cinderella, and
Don Quixote, among others. She has also danced Balanchine works
with Una Kay, principal from American Ballet Theatre. She
partnered with Marius Liepa and Peter Brouer of the Stuttgart-Munchen
Ballet and many others. Ms. Leben has toured
Europe
,
Japan
,
United
States
,
Middle
East
,
and
India
.
She was awarded
Yugoslavia
's
Best Dancer of the Year 3 times, and her work as a choreographer
has earned her a first prize award in the International Arts
Festival in
Venice
and
Prague
and was televised throughout
Europe
.
Her choreography for The Nutcracker was voted Best Performance
of the Year 2000 in
South
Carolina
,
and she was awarded Best Choreographer in 2001. Her students
have been awarded 1st and 2nd place in the New York Ballet
competitions and received full scholarships to ABT and the
Kirov
Academy
.
Her choreography credits include: Giselle, The Nutcracker,
Camelot, Madame Butterfly, La Fille Mal Garde, The King and I,
Pied Piper, Bolero, Carmina Burana, and Evita. Ms. Milena
was also Ballet Mistress for Royal Academy of Fine Arts for 6
years. She now serves as Ballet Mistress for KDT, teaching all
of the graded division Ballet classes including Pointe and
Ballet Theatre |
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