WHY CHOOSE BNWA.... ?	RussianBallet.net Pittsburgh, PA and Los Angeles, CA Mansur thanks the dancers of BNWA and Cherry Blossom Musical Arts for hosting his Vaganova master classes at the BNWA studios.
Here's what a Master Ballet Teacher has to say:
“Michele’s students are trained and educated in a precise professional fashion.  Perhaps most importantly they have the proper artistic work ethic and very high levels of discipline and concentration.   They are keen to pick up new material…They possess excellent technique and sense of music and style.“ “Michele deserves the utmost credit for the quality of her teaching which is shown in the advanced physical and intellectual level of her dancer.”
Mansur Kamaletdinov Former Principal Dancer, Teacher, Ballet Master, Choreographer and Acting Artistic Director of The Bolshoi Ballet

Letter to New Parents
As a new parent, choosing a dance school can be very confusing. We will give some fundamental guidelines on what to look for in dance schools to help you make an informed decision.

15 Reasons why BNWA is right for you
Here is a list of very helpful reasons to assist you in making the decision of what studio is right for you or your dancer.

National Training Program Acceptances
Our students get accepted into the country’s most prestigious summer programs including ABT, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Burklyn Ballet Theatre and Briansky Ballet Center.

The Vaganova Method
Vaganova has come define the Russian method of training dancers in ballet technique, while at the same time developing individual artistry through creative combinations of movement, musicality, and emphasis on upper body placement.

Mansur Kamaletdinov - Master Ballet Teacher

Mansur studied directly with Aggripina Vaganova as well as other illustrious and legendary teachers and choreographers. One of Mansur’s teachers was Alexander Shirayev, assistant to Marius Petipa, and the codifier of Character Dance. Mansur came to the United States in 1977 and began work as a teacher at the Joffrey Ballet Company and School. He has taught, coached and choreographed at the American Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, New York City Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Company, Richmond Ballet, The Julliard School, Hartford Ballet, Briansky Saratoga Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet, Houston Ballet and many others. He has been Professor of Dance at Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA, Founder and Director of the Mansur Ballet School in Pittsburgh, PA and Williamsburg, VA, and Founder and Director of the Pennsylvania Russian Ballet.

Oleg Briansky - Master Ballet Teacher

As both premier danseur and choreographer, Mr. Briansky has performed with such renowned companies as the Ballet des Champs-Elysees, the Ballet de Paris, London Festival Ballet (English National Ballet) the New York Metropolitan Opera Ballet, the Munich Opera Ballet, the Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires and the Chicago Opera Ballet. During his career he has also partnered many leading ballerinas Margot Fonteyn, Maria Tallchief and Violette Verdy to name a few. Internationally respected, Mr. Briansky has served on the jury of the Prix de Lausanne and ballet competitions in Nyon, Switzerland, Osaka, Japan, and Jackson, Mississippi.

James Wallace - Artistic Director, David Taylor Dance Theatre

Mr. Wallace is currently the artistic director of David Taylor Dance Theatre in Denver, Co. James Wallace graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in dance performance and choreography from Arizona State University. He has danced professionally for the San Diego Opera, Kim Robards Dance, David Taylor Dance Theatre, City Ballet of San Diego, and Company C Contemporary Ballet of San Francisco. He has danced in works by Twyla Tharp, Lynn Taylor-Corbet, Tom Ruud, Charles Moulton, Patrick Corbin, Paul Taylor, and George Balanchine.

Olga Balbocean - Soloist, Moscow Ballet

Olga Balbocean is a professional ballerina from Chisinau, in the former Soviet republic of Moldova. At age 9, she was already dancing professionally. She graduated with a degree in ballet dance from the Choreographical College of the Republic of Moldova in 2001. After that, she danced with the National Opera and Ballet Theater of Moldova and with Ballet Russe in the United Kingdom. She has performed in concert tours in Holland, Germany, Romania, Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Greece. Her special honors include the National ballet concours "Oleg Danovski" in Romania 1999, the First International festival on classical dance - Sergei Diagilev diploma in Moldova 1998, and the International ballet concours in Austria 2002.

Boris Baskakov - Soloist, Moscow Ballet

Born in Russia in 1975, Boris Baskakov is a graduate of Russia's renowned National Academy of Theatrical Arts - GITIS Moscow, which was founded in 1878 by theater pioneers Konstantin Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko. GITIS' ballet department was founded in 1946 under A. Gorsky, R. Zakharov and Leonid Lavaovsky of the Bolshoi Ballet with equal state funding to the Bolshoi. Formed as a training ground for choreographers and directors, it continues its mission to preserve the heritage of Russian classical ballet.

Natalia Polyakova - Soloist, Moscow Ballet

Natalia Polyakova was born January 5th, 1983 in Moscow Russia. From 1992 to 1999 she studied at the Ballet Academy of Dance in Moscow. She graduated in 1999 and became a soloist at Moscow City Ballet. In 2002, she became a solo dancer at the Moscow State Children Musical Theater named after N.Sats. Since 2000, she studied at the Moscow State University of Culture and Arts. Ms. Polyakova has worked with Moscow Ballet for the past three years as a dance teacher coordinator and soloist.