Ballet - Course - Intensive

LEANNE BENJAMIN

Former Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet & Former Principal Dancer of the Royal Ballet 

Leanne Benjamin OBE AM is a highly acclaimed and award- winning dancer, who was a principal ballerina with Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Deutsche Oper Berlin and ultimately a principal for 21 years with the Royal Ballet. Born in Queensland, Australia, she started her professional ballet career at the age of 18 and retired from the stage at the age of 49, after a world-class career. Leanne received the Critic’s Circle Dance Awards for Best Female Dancer (2004, 2009) and the De Valois Award for Outstanding achievement in Dance (2013).

In 2005 Leanne received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her services to dance and in 2015she was appointed an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) in 2015.In 2019, Leanne was the recipient of the inaugural Agent-General Queensland Day Award, and in 2023 received the Australian of the Year Award.

Leanne is the Patron of the Tait Memorial Trust and is the Artistic Director for UK Young Classical Dancer. She was the Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Royal Ballet Companies (2019-2024) and in 2024, served as the Artistic Director of the Queensland Ballet.

Leanne devotes herself as a coach for major ballet productions for companies including the Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, and Australian Ballet. She is also much in demand as an international judge and motivational guest speaker. In October 2021, Leanne released her autobiography, Built for Ballet.

ANNA URBAN

Former Principal Dancer & Ballet Teacher at School of Hamburg Ballet

was born in1970 Tomsk, Russia. 1981‐1989 Graduate from Leningrad Academic Choreographic School Vaganova directed by Konstantin Sergeyev (Class‐Ninel’ Kurgapkina).1989 ‐ Admitted to the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre as a soloist, directed by Oleg Vinogradov.

In 1992 she joined the HAMBURG BALLET as a soloist and was promoted to principal in 1994 ‐ 2014. John Neumeier created numerous roles and soli for her including: Penelope in „Odyssee“, Ophelia in „Hamlet“, Romola Nijinsky in „Nijinsky“ and Irina Nikolajewna Arkadina in „The Seagull”. Swedish choreograph Mats Ek created: „Opinion loosely grazing“, „Sleeping beauty“ Golden fairy. She also danced a wide‐ranging repertory.

ALLISON BROWN

Teacher & Coach for William Forsythe ballets

Allison Brown, Canadian, born in Morocco, has been internationally active in dance for more than 35 years. She is a teacher, dancer, rehearsal director, and choreographer based in Frankfurt, Germany. She studied ballet at the School of American Ballet (1982-1986), where she subsequently was invited to join the New York City Ballet (1986 – 1991). During her time at NYCB she danced a variety of choreographies  by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Laura Dean and Eliot Feld, among others. Allison followed her interest in modern and contemporary dance by joining Twyla Tharp and Dancers(1991-1993), Amanda Miller’s Pretty Ugly Dance Company(1994-1996) and Saburo Teshigawara’s Karas Company(1994-1996). 

After 8 years of repeated auditions, during which she practiced perseverance and consistency, William Forsythe welcomed Allison to Ballett Frankfurt (1996-2004).

Allison has been teaching and leading workshops internationally since 2000. Following Mr. Forsythe’s invitation, she has staged his works such as Duo, Artifcat Suite and Workwithinwork  on various occasions for dance companies worldwide.

She has been choreographing since 1998 with commissions for Pretty Ugly/Ballett (Freiburg), the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt), the Transitions Dance Company Laban (London) and Gärtnerplatztheater (Munich),  as well as works for the HfMDK (Frankfurt) and the CCD at HfMT( Cologne).

From 2011 to 2019 she was on faculty at the academy for music and performing arts  in Frankfurt( HfMDK). She was appointed professor of ballet for contemporary dancers at the center of contemporary dance (CCD) at the HfMT in Cologne (2019 – 2023). Currently, Allison is rehearsal director of the Hessisches Staatsballett in Wiesbaden.

EVA LÓPEZ CREVILLÉN

Director of the Conservatorio Superior de Danza María de Ávila

Professor of Analysis and Practice of Classical Dance Repertoire. PhD from Rey Juan Carlos University. Choreographic Assistant to Nacho Duato in various international companies, such as the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, the Mikhailovsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, the Stanislavski Ballet in Moscow, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Lyon Opera Ballet, Universal Ballet in Seoul, Dance Theatre of Harlem, among others. Member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Santa María de la Arrixaca in Murcia. Adviser to the Superior Council of Artistic Education as a figure of recognized prestige in the field of artistic education.

She studied Classical Dance at the Royal Superior School of Dramatic Art and Dance in Madrid, graduating with honors. She has danced for two decades as a soloist and principal dancer in the main roles of traditional classical repertoire, neoclassical, and contemporary dance, working under the direction of María de Ávila, Ray Barra, Maya Plisetskaya, and Nacho Duato, which has allowed her to become familiar with choreographic works by Duato himself, Ray Barra, Petipa, Vicente Nebrada, George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Olga Roriz, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, and Ohad Naharin.

Roland Petit selected her to perform the most renowned works of his repertoire and chose her to dance the role of Albertine in the ballet "Proust ou Les Intermitences du Coeur", alongside Massimo Murru, within the framework of the 64th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, earning significant critical and public acclaim.

Principal Dancer in the RTVE cultural program "Rodrigo, Steps and Traces in the Dark". Choreographer and Principal Dancer in the RTVE cultural program "El Divino Fracaso, a monograph on the writer Rafael Cansinos Assens".

Her artistic career spans the globe, participating in prestigious International Music and Dance Festivals, including: Havana International Festival; Castell de Perelada; Cap Roig; Segovia International Festival; Miami International Festival; 64th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

As a representative of Spain, she has been invited to perform in numerous international galas, including: The Royal International Gala on the occasion of the inauguration of Glasgow as European Capital of Culture in 1990; World Stars at the Opera, International Ballet Gala in Budapest 1999.

Winner of the Fourth National Dance Competition of Spain. 1987. Nominee for the Max Performing Arts Awards in the VI edition. 2003. Prominent Woman in the Region of Murcia at the First National Congress on Women and Culture, February 2002. Honorary Award for Educational Commitment "Professor Julio Pérez" 2022.

Guest lecturer at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg (being the first Spanish to teach contemporary repertoire, by Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato, at that school), at the State Ballet School in Berlin, at Europa Danse, at the International Academy of Dance in Biarritz, at the 6th International Dance Stage of the City of Verona, at the international course ART OF (Switzerland), and at REVOLVE DANCE (Romania). Professor of classical dance and contemporary dance workshops for the National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. Professor of classical dance and coach in the program broadcast on RTVE, Prodigios.

She prepares students for national and international dance competitions where they win top prizes, highlighting the Excellence Award (gold medal) from the Prix de Lausanne (2001).

Judge in national dance competitions (La Coruña, Castellón, Alicante, Zaragoza) and international (XVII International Classical Dance Competition in Grasse, France. 2004).

ANA PRESTA

Guest Ballet Teacher 

Ana Presta is an accomplished ballet master and former soloist with extensive international experience both on stage and as a teacher. She was a soloist at Semperoper Ballet Dresden (2006–2016) under the direction of Aaron Watkin, and previously danced with renowned companies such as Lyon Opera Ballet, Ballet Victor Ullate, and Teatro alla Scala. 

Ana has worked closely with leading choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, and John Neumeier. As a ballet master, she has held positions at Theater Chemnitz, Schauspiel Köln, and Theater Ulm, and has been a guest teacher with institutions such as Ballet de Genève, Semperoper Dresden, and Göteborg Ballet. A graduate of Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, she also holds a French State Diploma in ballet pedagogy.

DANIEL MULLIGAN

Ballet Dancer & Ballet Teacher

Daniel Mulligan, was born in London, Great Britain and studied at the Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation in 2007, he joined the Junior Ballet of Zürich for two years before moving into the main company. 

He danced a number of soloist roles over the years in pieces by choreographers such as Edward Clug, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Marco Goecke, Johan Inger, Jiří Kylián, Sol Leon/Paul Lightfoot, Hans van Manen, Cathy Marston, Marcos Morau, Douglas Lee, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, Heinz Spoerli, Meryl Tankard and Christian Spuck. He has taught as a guest in Staatsballett Berlin, Ballett Zürich, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Bern Ballett and Ballet du Rhin. 

He is an assistant to Christian Spuck and staged his piece “Winterreise” for Staatsballett Berlin. In 2022, he studied with the Royal Academy of Dance, obtaining the Professional Dancers’ Postgraduate Teaching Certificate with Distinction. Daniel was a performer in the Marina Abramović Retrospective at the Kunsthaus Zürich.

JEANNETTE CHANDRIKA FÜZESI

Ballet Teacher, Yoga Nidra and Yoga PMA Instructor

Jeannette was born in Zurich. She felt already drawing to dance and yoga from an early age. She started her dance education at the ballet school of the Opera House Zurich and completed at the State Ballet Academy in Budapest. Patricia Neary, Zsuzsa Kuhn and Lazslo Sterbinsky was Jeannettes most important teachers. The first ballet company, where Jeannette danced was the Opera House Zurich. After she has worked in various state theaters, such as in Cologne, Giessen, Darmstadt, Würzburg and at the Theater Ulm.

Since childhood, Jeannette has big passion and love to yoga, which she has been teaching for 20 years.

SEAN KULASHE-BATES

Ballet Dancer with Ballett Zurich and Guest Teacher

Sean was born in the UK and trained at The Royal Ballet School, both Lower and Upper. As a student, he performed in numerous productions with The Royal Ballet. After overcoming a long-term back injury at the end of his training, he joined Northern Ballet in 2012 under the directorship of David Nixon.

At Northern Ballet, Sean’s repertoire included works by MacMillan, Maillot, and Lubovitch, and he created roles for choreographers such as Dickson Mbi, Morgann Runacre-Temple, and Mthuthuzeli November. Rising through the ranks, he danced leading roles in many productions and toured extensively throughout the UK and China. His creation of roles in Cathy Marston’s now internationally acclaimed Jane Eyre and Victoria led to an invitation from Marston to join Ballet Zürich under her new directorship.

Since moving to Zürich, Sean has performed in a wide range of diverse programmes, dancing works by Robbins, Pite, Morau, Goecke, and Marston.

Sean is also passionate about teaching. He has taught company class and staged Mlindi Kulashe’s Men Dances at Cape Town City Ballet, and has taught at various summer schools in the UK. He continues to coach in his spare time and has recently been teaching class for the Zürich Junior Ballet.

OLEG KLYMYUK

Ballet Teacher & Director of ART of

was born in Lutsk, Ukraine.
He completed his training at the State Ballet Academy of Kiev (Ukraine).
From 2003, he joined the Semperoper Ballett Dresden where he became first soloist in 2012.
During his career, Oleg had had the opportunity to work with renowned international choreographers, setters and ballet masters such as William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, John Neumeier, Mats Ek, Alexei Ratmansky, David Dawson, Uwe Scholz and many others.
He has danced in a varied repertoire ranging from classical masterpieces to cutting edge contemporary pieces. In 2012, he obtained the bachelor's degree for ballet teacher discipline, and in 2013, he graduated with a master diploma for modern choreography and the qualification of choreographer of modern dance of the Ukrainian State University of Humanities.
In 2013, he helped to stage William Forsythe’s “In the Middle Somewhat Elevated” at the Paris Opera Ballet. In 2015, Oleg had assisted William Forsythe in staging his piece at the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington.
In 2012, he founded and became the director of ART of.