Currently Ms. Heston & Mr. Smirnov teach at the following locations in the Twin Cities:
Fall/Winter 2010-2011
North Ballet Academy, Rogers, MN
Northland School of Dance, Champlin, MN
Summer 2011
Academy of Russian Ballet, Eden Praire, MN
Dancin' on Broadway, Maple Grove, MN
Fall/Winter 2011-2012
Information coming soon
PRIVATE COACHING AVAILABLE
For Athletes
The best gymnastic routines and figure skating programs combine athleticism, technical skill and artistry. Utilizing our extensive experience in the field of classical ballet we will put the 'art' in your 'artistic' program. Working in concert with coaches and one on one with athletes we will make your routine exciting, unique and fun to perform.
For Dancers
We specialize in coaching variations and pas de deuxs from the classical repertory as well as in restaging full length classical ballets and creating original choreographic works to meet the needs of your school or company. We believe in making ballet accessible, entertaining and meaningful for dancers and audience members alike.
Looking for guest dancers or master class teachers? We love to travel, meet new people and share our love of ballet with students and audiences all over the United States. If your dates do not work with our schedule we will happily use our extensive list of professional contacts to refer you to a highly qualified colleague.
Stephanie Heston
is originally from Topeka, Kansas and enjoyed a career as a professional ballerina for nearly 15 years. She made her professional debut with the Eglevsky Ballet of New York in 1995 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1998. Ms. Heston then joined Ballet Internationale of Indianapolis where she had the honor of working with world renowned ballerinas, Irina Kolpokova and Tatiana Pali. She has also worked with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah and Dance Alive National Ballet in Florida.
Ms. Heston has performed principal and soloist roles in numerous classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and Les Sylphides, as well as in works by renowned contemporary choreographers. She has been a principal guest artist with several companies and has toured extensively throughout the United States as well as internationally.
As a teacher at the Academy of Ballet Internationale, Ms. Heston was privileged to learn from and work under the directorship of Vladelin Semenov, former Principal Teacher for the Kirov Ballet. Throughout the years she has taught classical ballet to all levels and all ages at various schools around the country and enjoys choreographing original works for students. She has staged ballets such as Paquita and Sleeping Beauty and has coached numerous dancers in variations and pas de deuxs from the classical repertory. As Artistic Director of North Ballet Academy and Youth Company in Rogers, MN she developed a comprehensive 10 year ballet syllabus loosely based on the Vaganova Method and created a full length original production of The Nutcracker that was well received by critics and audiences alike. Additionally, Ms. Heston spent five years serving in the administration of Studio Maestro, a pre-professional ballet academy in New York City.
Alexander Smirnov
is originally from Russia and graduated from the famed Vaganova Academy in Perm, Russia in 1995. Upon graduation he was invited to perform with the Saint Petersburg Academic Theater and Saint Petersburg Ballet Theater where he rose through the ranks and eventually became a Principal Dancer. In 2000, Alex joined the Ballet Oficial de la Provincia de Cordoba, Argentina, also as a Principal Dancer and four years later, he moved to the United States to join Ballet Internationale of Indianapolis. In 2006, Alex joined Dance Alive National Ballet in Florida where he worked as Principal Dancer for three seasons before moving to Minnesota in 2009. In the Twin Cities area, Alex has danced with Minnesota Dance Theater, Ballet Minnesota and is currently
a Principal Dancer with Continental Ballet.
He has toured and performed extensively throughout Japan, England, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Germany, Estonia, Holland and Belgium. He has danced principal roles in many classical ballets including Carmen, Chopiniana, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Firebird, Giselle, Le Corsaire, Midsummers Night Dream, Nutcracker, Paquita, Petroushka, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.
In addition to his international career as a performing artist, Alex is also a highly sought after master class teacher. He has been a guest instructor at several summer intensives around the country and enjoys passing his extensive knowledge on to students as well as professional dancers. Besides leading excellent classes in ballet technique, he also specializes in Mens Class, Pas de Deux and Character Class.
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