Creative Director & Teacher
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Maya initially began her ballet training at the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet; where she studied under the RAD method, and successfully passed all of her examinations up untill Advanced 2, with Distinctions. At the age of 16, she was exclusively invited to attend the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow as a full-time student, immediately after attending their summer programme. Maya completed all of her final dance and Russian language exams in Moscow with high or full marks, and finished her training in 2017.
In 2017, Maya left Moscow for London, where she first met and began to train privately with Natalia Kremen. In 2018, Maya was selected to compete at the European Grand Prix, where she became a finalist.
Before the pandemic, Maya danced as a guest artist around London, and danced in theatres such as Sadler's Wells, in many leading roles such as Alice from Alice in Wonderland, the Lilac Fairy from the Sleeping Beauty, Bambi (where she created the role Bambi choreographed by former Mariinsky soloist, Anton Lukovkin) the Sugarplum Fairy from the Nutcracker, alongside making her debut as the lead actress and ballerina in the short-film "Last Dance" (Nominated Best U25 at Underwire Festival 2019). She also debuted in the principal role of Gamzatti, after being invited to perform in the full-length production of La Bayadere at the Shatin Hall in Hong Kong.
Maya began teaching alongside Natalia Kremen at the Natalia Kremen Ballet School in 2018, where she has taught and guided students who have successfully continued their ballet training at the likes of the Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, and Dutch National Ballet Academy. In October 2019, Maya co-founded Online Ballet Academy alongside Natalia Kremen. OBA became a platform to share her story and first hand experience of how she was able transform her body and technique through her own journey as a dancer, through specially curated online ballet programmes, designed to improve specific areas of technique within a 14 day period. Since launching, OBA has since enrolled over 1800 students from around the world in its programmes, while hosting a select group of private online students taught by Maya.
Head of Administration
Claire started working with NKBS in September 2018. She previously worked as a teaching assistant, however, due to her daughter, Alicia's commitment to full-time vocational training at NKBS, plus living in Hertfordshire with a x4 hour daily round-trip train commute, needed to make the changes in order to fully support her. This is how her journey to NKBS admin began.
Claire has personally danced locally from a young age, and has always had a true love for the beautiful art form and now, of course, holds a very good understanding through her own daughter's process (now final year student at the Dutch National Ballet Academy) for the demands required by the young training dancers and their families.
After becoming a mother, she decided to combine her knowledge and experiences in dance, by becoming a babywearing dance teacher, and through babywearing dance classes she has been able to help mums and babies to able to bond together through the love and joy of movement.
Regular & Vocational Ballet Teacher
Tatyana Oleynik was born in Chisinau, Moldova. She trained at the National School of Dance Art and in 1986 graduated as a Professional Ballet Dancer.
At the period of 1986 – 2000 Tatyana Oleynik was working as a ballet dancer and soloist in the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Moldova.
She participated as a soloist in such performances as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Bayadere, Gioconda, Giselle, Sylphide, Spartacus, Romeo and Juliet and many others.
In1999 Tatyana Oleynik graduated from The State University of Arts of Moldova, awarded BA (HONS) of Arts in these kinds of disciplines as History and Theory of Dance Art,
Stage Management, Methodology of Dance.
In 2000 Tatyana Oleynik moved to Bulgaria and founded the Odette School of Dance, Sofia.
At the same time, she was working as a Guest Ballet Tutotor, specialized in teaching the Vaganova method of classical ballet in the National School of Dance Art, Bulgaria and as a Ballet Tutor, giving master classes of ballet and classical repertoire for beginner, intermediate and advanced level for different age groups and individuals in Dance School of Russian Lyceum Sofia.
From 2021 Tatyana Oleynik has been working as a ballet teacher in the UK.
Teacher
Olga was born in Moscow where she started her ballet training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy at the age of nine. She continued her dance education at the Perm State Choreography College, and later graduated as a professional ballet dancer in 2001 from Nesterova University Choreography College in Moscow.
Upon graduation, Olga was invited to join the Moscow Classical Ballet Company, where she danced in many classical ballets such as Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Spartacus, Romeo and Juliette, Cinderella.
In 2009 Olga received a Master Degree in “Ballet Pedagogy” in the class of Anatoly Borzov, and continued her career as a classical ballet teacher.
Olga has gained extensive teaching experience through teaching at professional dance schools around the world such as Moscow, London and Tokyo.
Teacher
Júlia was born in Barcelona, Spain, where she first fell in love with ballet just before turning 3, at Studio Isadora, a local school. After graduating from the Professional Dance Conservatoire in Barcelona, she moved to Antwerp, Belgium, to train at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders. Between her time across these schools, she was trained under the Cuban, Russian, French, Bournonville and English methods.
Júlia’s first professional experience on stage was with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, she also danced with the Royal Ballet of Flanders around Belgium. It was in 2018 that Júlia began her teaching journey, and joined NKBS as a teacher in 2021. She has since become a PBT (Progressing Ballet Technique) certified teacher, received a level 4 certification with BBO Dance, as well as received a teaching certification in the Zena Rommett Floor-Barre technique.
Teacher
Yosvani Ramos was originally born in Camagüey, Cuba, and in 1997 graduated from the Cuban National Ballet School. At 17 years old in 1996, he won the silver medal and best couple in the International Ballet Competition (IBC) in Varna, Bulgaria. In 1998 while dancing with Jeune Ballet de France, he won the silver medal at the USA IBC in Jackson, Mississippi. The same year, he also won the gold medal at the IBC in Paris, France. Subsequently in 1999, he won the silver medal at the IBC in Nagoya, Japan and danced with Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris.
In the summer of 1999, he joined English National Ballet (ENB) as a Soloist and was promoted to Senior Soloist in 2000. Then in 2003 after his performance as Franz in Coppélia, he was promoted to Principal dancer. He continued to dance with ENB until 2008 when he joined The Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist until 2013. The following year, he performed as a Principal dancer with Cincinnati Ballet before joining Colorado Ballet in the USA as a Principal dancer in 2015 where he remained until his retirement in April 2023.
He has performed as a guest artist all around the world and taught for companies like The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, New English Ballet Theatre and Northern Ballet Theatre in England, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in The U.S and as a guest Ballet Master for Finnish National Ballet in Helsinki, Finland. Yosvani is the Patron of Kings International Ballet Academy in Leicester, UK. He has danced the lead roles in major classical ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake, Coppélia, Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, The Merry Widow, Manon, La Silphíde, The Snow Queen, as well as ballets by Balanchine, Ratmansky, Duato, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris and many others. Furthermore, he has choreographed original pieces for ENB, Colorado Ballet, and Colorado Ballet Academy.
Teacher
Born in Hungary, Ezter is a friendly and energetic individual with a passion for both teaching and dancing. She has been performing since she was a child and teaching for over five years, which has provided her with the skills, knowledge and experience to pass on her passion for dance to people of all ages and abilities.
Ezter has studied dance in her home town in Hungary, as well as at West Thames College, University of Roehampton, and Goucher College. She was studying abroad at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, exposing her to American Modern Dance.
Ezter was also studying for her BBO Dance Extended Level 6 Teaching Diploma.
After becoming a mother, she decided to combine her knowledge and experiences in dance, by becoming a babywearing dance teacher, and through babywearing dance classes she has been able to help mums and babies to able to bond together through the love and joy of movement.
Teacher
In 2011, Sabina completed her studies at the Riga Choreographic School in the direction of Classical dance (A.Vaganova). She then performed with the Riga National Opera in the classical performances including "Romeo and Juliet", "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", as well as in modern productions of the seasonal repertoire of the Latvian National Opera.
From 2013-2014, Sabina successfully mastered the additional educational program at SPBGUKI "Sports and wellness technologies of socio-cultural activities"
Between 2013 and 2015, she worked in various children's centers in St. Petersburg, Russia, with young children with developmental disabilities. Aimed primarily at the development of attention, hearing and coordination.
Sabina then went on to obtain a diploma of higher education in 2019, at the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture and Arts (SPBGIK) , according to the program 51.03.02 "Folk Art Culture" (Choreographer) Where she continued to work with children of different ages, teacher and choreographer in children's and youth groups of St. Petersburg between 2019 and 2022.
Sabina is currently working as a choreographer, répétiteur and director of the school "A*Russian school " in London
Guest Teacher and Nutritionist
Violetta Zhirova was born in Saint Petersburg. She started professional ballet training at the age of ten at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in 2012. During her education, she attended Miami City Ballet summer intensive programs and the YAGP ballet competition (Top-12 European Dancers 2011).
After graduation, Violetta joined Yacobson Ballet Theatre, and one year later, she became a principal dancer with Conservatory Ballet Theatre, where she danced soloist roles in ballets such as Nutcracker, Cinderella, Giselle, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, Paquita. At the same time, she started to teach ballet classes with professional ballet students. Violetta continued her education at Vaganova Ballet Academy, where she got her Master's degree in ballet pedagogy in 2021. She is also an ABT National Training Curriculum Certified teacher (pre-primary–level 7). She completed the whole program in New York in 2023.
The same year, she graduated from the Moscow University of Psychoanalysis, where she studied the psychology of eating disorders and nutrition. Now Violetta is working on her Ph.D. dissertation in Arts, researching the formation of the classical dance curriculum as a part of Russian ballet school unification.
Sports Coach and Therapist
Zina is currently completing the final year of BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy at The University of Hertfordshire. Since 2016, she has been a professional Sports Massage therapist (level 4) with training and experience in assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries.
Zina has worked as a medical team member in a variety of sports teams including rugby (Old Albanian RFC), American football (Hertfordshire Cheetahs), football (Oaklands College), gymnastics (Mayfield Gymnastics), netball (University of Hertfordshire) and swimming (Hatfield Swimming club). Zina’s main responsibilities include analysing training plans, devising and optimising rehabilitation programs and strategies, providing advice on training techniques, nutrition and general well-being strategies, supervising prehab and rehabilitation sessions, providing soft tissue therapy and screening, First Aid cover during game days and training.
The key modules that Zina is currently studying are: Anatomy and Biomechanics, Examination of Lower and Upper Limb, Foundations of Human Physiology and Exercise Physiology, Nutrition, Therapeutic modalities, Sports Trauma Management, Sport and Exercise Rehabilitation and Applied Manual Therapy, Examination and Management of the Vertebral Column, Strength and Conditioning.
Class Assistant
Elizabeth was born in London. She started dancing ballet from the age of 6 years old. Her professional training took place at The Arts Educational School in Chiswick. In 2005 she moved abroad to Poland, Kraków, where she completed her ballet training at a Russian Ballet School where she was taught the Vaganova method at The Krakow Professional Ballet School and graduated in 2013.
She has performed in Edinburgh Cathedral in Scotland, Westminster Cathedral Hall in London, The Old Orangery in the Royal Theatre in Warsaw. Since then she has been teaching/assisting children and very much enjoys it. In 2015 she completed her Diploma in teaching Level 3 and 4 with The British Ballet Organization.
Class Assistant
From the age of 6, Anastacia began gymnastics before going onto acrobatic gymnastics, while training at a professional level at the ‘Heathrow Gymnastics club’ as well as doing dance such as ballet and lyrical on the side. As of recently, Anastacia has coached children between the ages of 3-12 in gymnastics at a club called the ‘Good Life Gymnastics’,. Working at the club for the past 2 years, she was able to pass down her knowledge about the sport as well as discover her own passion and love for woking with children in the creative arts.
Pianist
Nina has graduated from Ural State Conservatoire in Ekaterinburg, Russia in 2005. Having moved to London in 2011, she continued to work as private piano teacher and accompanist. Over number of years, Nina performed with classical soprano Irina Tutt and cooperated with few ballet schools in London such as Hallsville School of Ballet and New London Performing Arts Centre where she plays Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing exams. Along with classical repertoire, she is interested in jazz music and improvisation. Nina joined our team in 2022 as a pianist and provides music for Pre Vocational and Vocational classes. Being a mother of three children, she also runs a very busy piano practice in East London.
Email: info@nkballetschool.com