Our Faculty

 Georgi Rusafov is a graduate of the National Dance High School in Sofia, Bulgaria studying under Peter Koldamov. After graduation he joined the National Opera and Ballet Sofia Bulgaria. Mr.Rusafov received advanced Vaganova master education for teaching ballet and choreography at the Bulgarian National Music Conservatory (P.Vladigerov). Mr. Rusafov has won several ballet awards and has participated in the International Ballet Competitions – Varna, and Helsinki. Mr.Rusafov has performed as a soloist and principal dancer with the Bulgarian National Opera and Ballet, and Estonia National Ballet. He was a principal dancer with Milwaukee Ballet, Northern Plains Ballet and Omaha Ballet Theater and company member with Ballet Arizona. Toured in Spain, Greece, Egypt, Germany, Holland, Italy, and all over the United States as a star principal dancer. Mr.Rusafov also is Master Ballet Class teacher. He has taught Master Ballet Workshops at New Mexico, Washington DC, Florida, New York and many other places at USA and Europe.   

Miss Hartley was born in Bonn, Germany, and grew up in South Africa and Chile, where her parents danced for P.A.C.T. Ballet and Ballet de Santiago. She studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with teachers such as Melissa Hayden, Duncan Noble, Gyula Pandi, Dianne Markham, and Trish Casey. 

In 1993 she joined Ballet de Santiago with Marcia Haydee as her director. In 1997 Ivan Nagy took over the company and Miss Hartley was promoted to soloist after performing the role of Myrtha in “Giselle” with guest artist Igor Zelensky. During her years with Ballet de Santiago, she worked with other guest artists such as Jose Manuel Carreño, Maximiliano Guerra, Carlos Acosta, and Lauren Anderson. She performed leading roles such as Olga in John Cranko’s “Eugene Onegin”, TheMad Lady in Ben Stevenson’s “Peer Gynt”, Mercedes in “Don Quijote”, The Countess in Ronal Hynd’s “The Devil to Pay” and Stella in Mauricio Wainrot’s World Premiere of “Streetcar Named Desire”. She had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Ronald Hynd, Ben Stevenson, Trey Mc Intyre, David Parsons and Natalia Makarova.

In July of 1998 Miss Hartley was invited to join Ballet Arizona as a Principal Dancer, company now under the directorship of Ib Andersen since 2000. Since arriving, she has expanded her modern repertoire by working and performing pieces from Kevin O’Day (“Hellblondegroove”), Paul Taylor (“Company B”), Twyla Tharp (“Sinatra Suite” and “The Golden Section”), Julia Adams (“Before”), and world premieres by Moses Pendleton (“Opus Cactus”) and Dwight Rhoden (“Skinny Puzzle” and “Scarlet Symphony”). She performed with guest artists such as Marcelo Gomes (“La Fille mal Gardee “ pas de deux), Nikolaj Hubbe (“Napoli”) and Gael Lambiotte (“Swan Lake”). Her leading roles in full length productions include Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty”, Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake”, Giselle in “Giselle”, Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”, Swanilda in “Coppelia”, The Sylph in “La Sylphide”, and Kitri in “Don Quijote”. She has premiered leading roles in Ib Andersen’s productions of “Midsummer Nights Dream”, “Play”, “Indigo Rhapsody”, “Amoroso”, “Mozaic”, and “Topia”. Her Balanchine repertoire includes principal roles in ballets such as “Theme and Variations”, “Allegro Brillante”, “Apollo”, “Serenade”, “Four Temperaments”, “Divertimento No 15”, “Duo Concertante”, “Concerto Barroco”, “Stravinsky Violin Concerto”and “Rubies”. She has received extensive coaching from stagers such as Olga Eivrenoff, Freddie Franklin, Sandra Jennings, Susan Hendl and Elaine Kudo.
During the summers of 2009 and 2008, Miss Hartley performed with local company Novaballet. She worked with upcoming choreographer Emery Le Crone in “Pulling to Break”, performed Vicente Nebrada’s “Our Waltzes”, and restaged David Palmer and Yanis Pikieris’ “Adiemus”. Miss Hartley has toured in Stuttgart, Buenos Aires, Budapest and New York. She performed with partner Astrit Zejnati at a Gala in Albania in 2005 and at the Miami International Dance Festival in 2006. She has been seen by millions performing as a guest artist in the Chilean TV talent show “Rojo Fama Contrafama”, where her father is a judge. In her spare time she has taught ballet at several dance academies of the valley, such as Tempe Dance Academy, Master Ballet Academy, and The School of Ballet Arizona.

In the summer of 2011 and 2012, Miss Hartley was invited as a guest faculty member at the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, Canada.
In 2013, Miss Hartley joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet as a Soloist, where she performed the leading roles in George Balanchine’s “Pas de Dix”, “Tempo di Valse”, “Episodes” (Symphony and Concerto), “Agon” (2nd Pas de Trois), “Swan Lake”,”Allegro Brillante”, the role of Juliet in Paul Mejia’s “Romeo and Juliet”, and the Butch Girl in Jerome Robbins’ “The. Concert”. In 2015, Miss Hartley retired from Ballet Arizona and has become one mother of a beautiful boy while also continuing her career as a guest artist and teacher.

Sabina Valic began dancing at the age of 5 in her native Pula, Croatia. She pursued her love and passion for ballet and was later accepted to attend the formal School for Classical Ballet in Zagreb, Croatia.

Her dance education continued after moving to Arizona and her dance experience today spans from classical, contemporary, and character, to modern dance.

Some of her classical dancing roles include: Les Cygnets (“Swan Lake”), Sugar Plum (“Nutcracker”), Prelude (“Les Sylphides”, coached by Mr.George Zorich, principal dancer with Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo), “Leaves Are Fading”, as well as a variety of contemporary and modern pieces.

Ms. Valic had the joy and privilege to perform, among others, with the Croatian National Ballet Theater of Croatia, Arizona Opera, Fun House Movement Dance Company, Balalaika Orchestra, Flor de Liz Dance Ensemble, and the University of Arizona’s Dance Department.

Katherine is a graduate of Georgi’s Rusafov’s pre-professional ballet program. During her time at the Youth American Ballet Company, she performed multiple lead roles at the YABC, including Aurora, Lilac Fairy, Snow Queen, Dew Drop, and Sugar Plum. At the age of 16 and 18, she was invited to perform as a guest artist in New Mexico and Mississippi to dance the Sugar Plum Pas de Deux. Throughout her training, she competed in multiple ballet competitions around the world including ADC IBC, World Ballet Competition, and the Youth America Grand Prix. She was awarded full scholarships to Sarasota Ballet Summer Intensive, Milwaukee Ballet Summer Intensive, Alberta Ballet School, and Danceworks Ballet Academy in London, UK. In 2019, Katherine was awarded first place in the senior women’s classical division and was one of 130 competitors to be selected to perform at the Youth America Grand Finals in New York City. Katherine is grateful to be a part of Premier Ballet Conservatory and is excited to teach the next generation of aspiring ballerinas. 

Naomi Spektor, with her dance partner, Nikita Grygorchuk, are a top amateur ballroom dance couple, representing the United States. They started dancing together in January of 2019 and became United States National Champions in the Youth Latin division just six weeks later. Naomi and Nikita went on to win all major North American competitions in the Youth Latin American division. Based on these outstanding results, they were selected to represent USA at the 2019 WDC AL World Championships in Dublin, Ireland. A week later they traveled to Naples, Italy for the WDO World Championship where they became World Champions in the Youth U19 Division. 

In the summer of 2021 Naomi and Nikita became bronze medalists at the prestigious and world-renowned Blackpool Dance Festivalin the Under 21 and Amateur Rising Star Division. A few months later, they also became bronze medalists at the International and World Championships in Brentwood, UK in the Under 21 Latin Category. In January of 2022, they became bronze medalists at the United Kingdom Open Championships in the Under 21 Latin division. 

With her previous partner, Naomi is a 4x United States National Champion. She represented USA in multiple World Championships across the World. She won all major USA competitions in the Junior and Youth Divisions between 2014 and 2018 and became the 2017 World Youth 10 Dance Bronze medalist. 

 Kayla Igo is an esteemed dance instructor, choreographer, and mentor, dedicated to nurturing the talents of young dancers and empowering them to achieve their utmost potential. Trained at the renowned Larkin Dance Studio, Kayla has cultivated a deep understanding and appreciation for various dance styles and techniques. Complementing her training, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Dance Pedagogy from Oklahoma City University, further honing her expertise in the art of teaching and mentoring aspiring dancers.

Kayla spent four years as the director of a  pre-professional dance company in Scottsdale, helping dancers flourish both artistically and personally. Prior to this, Kayla worked as a guest teacher and choreographer at studios nationwide, sharing her expertise with dancers of all ages and skill levels.

Kayla has also had the honor of serving as an adjudicator with competitions such as Hall of Fame Dance Challenge, Groove Dance Competition, and the World of Dance Championships in Los Angeles, where her eye for detail and constructive feedback have helped shape the next generation of dancers.

Beyond her studio and competition involvement, Kayla has been honored to be part of the faculty at conventions such as Nexus Dance Convention, World of Dance DX, and Liberate Artists. Her choreography has been showcased on platforms like NBC's World of Dance, Dance Plus, and VidCon, captivating audiences with her innovative creations.

Kayla is a true advocate for her students' holistic development. Understanding the significance of personal growth alongside technical proficiency, Kayla invests in each dancer's journey, guiding them to refine their technique, explore their artistic voice, and instilling in them the confidence to pursue their dreams. Her genuine care and mentorship ensure that dancers not only excel on stage but also develop into well-rounded individuals.

National Ballet of Cuba where she held the rank of soloist for three years, and competed in National and International Contests.

Arianni’s accomplishments include bronze and silver medals at National and International Competitions in 2009 and 2010 in Cuba. From Cuba, Arianni came to the United States in 2013 and began working with Ballet Arizona. With this company she has had the opportunity to go to the 2014 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was one of the finalists.

While dancing with Ballet Arizona she has had the opportunity to dance principal roles in Cinderella, La Bayadere, The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Napoli, Romeo and Juliet and George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht, Western Symphony, La Sonnambula, Apollo, Emeralds, Agon, Theme and Variations, Symphony in Three Movements and many of Ib Andersen ballets such as Eroica, Indigo, Rio, Round and The Firebird.

Nayon began dancing at age 10 under the instruction of Gisela Vaz at Studio Dancarte Brazil. At age 17, he was awarded a full scholarship to begin training with The Washington School of Ballet with Kee Juan Han and Carlos Valcárcel. In 2009 he joined Houston Ballet II and was featured in Stanton Welch’s Fingerprints, Blue, Long and Winding Road, Red Earth and Tales of Texas. In 2010 Nayon joined The Washington Ballet where he performed soloist roles in Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker, The Great Gatsby, and in Twyla Tharp’s Sinatra Songs, Push Comes to Shove, and Surfer at the River Rocks.  His accomplishments include finalist at the 2008 Youth America Grand Prix, the bronze medal at the 2009 Youth America Grand Prix and in 2012 he was awarded the gold medal at World Ballet Competition in Orlando. As a guest artist, he has performed with Terra Brazil touring throughout Germany and France. Nayon joined Ballet Arizona in 2012. Since joining Ballet Arizona in 2012 Nayon has performed in George Balanchine’s “Rubies” (from Jewels) at The Chicago Dancing Festival and Balanchine’s Serenade and Stravinsky Violin Concerto at Ballet Under the Stars. 

 Taylor has spent the majority of her life dancing in all forms of dance, she began dancing competitively at 5 years old.  Taylor has been classically trained at Ballet Etudes and Master Ballet Academy.  Taylor is a currently a member of the AZ Aces Worlds Dance team and has competed on the worlds stage for the past two years.  This past year she was given the opportunity to be the assistant spirit line coach at a valley high school and began teaching at various studies around the valley.  Taylor is also RYS 200 hour Yoga Alliance certified and Yoga for Athletes certified.  Currently she is working on becoming a certified personal trainer and stretch, flexibility and recovery certified.  As a teacher Taylor focuses on technique, strength, flexibility and proper alignment.  As a technical dancer and teacher she loves to clean routines to make sure dancers have smooth transitions and movements that flow with their natural graceful abilities.  

 Dannis brings over 20 years of dance education experience to her classes. During her career Dannis has celebrated many successes in the industry. Some of her accolades include Youth Grand Prix gold medal distinction recipients honored at the Kennedy Center, Top 10 female finalists for “So You Tink You Can Dance”, scholarship winners to Alvin Ailey Professional/Junior Division, American Ballet Theater apprentices, Rockettes, Nike commercials, videos for artists such as Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and SIA. Some of her former students are represented by dance agencies such as MSA, Te Movement Agency and Bloch.

Natalia Magnicaballi was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has been the only principal dancer leading simultaneously two major ballet companies in the United States for almost 2 decades, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet since its conception in 1999 and Ballet Arizona since 2002.

A graduate of Teatro Colón, Natalia became a principal dancer at age 19. In Europe she led the Italian company Aterballetto for two seasons. Her repertoire includes the lead roles in 38 Balanchine ballets, she has also danced the leads in all the most beloved classic ballets, as well as in works and premieres by renown international choreographers. Natalia has toured around 6 continents, performing in the main houses, opera theatres and arenas, including the Paris Opera Garnier and the Mariinsky Theatre.

Natalia has built a widespread reputation for herself as a sought-after master ballet instructor and artist coach since young age, continuously for over 18 years now, while simultaneously performing as a principal dancer. Natalia holds a masters in coaching and personal psychology (CLEA) and has pursued psychological education studies at Stanford; her experience and continuing development, research and studies in educational psychology, has led her to develop a comprehensive teaching method, focused not just on the dance students’ technique and physicality, but in their overall growth, providing each with key tools for their physical, psychological and emotional development, essential not only when performing on stage, but throughout their lives.

Lepp began her dance life at the age of two and never paused. Studying and practicing ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern and tap, she found an innate love for the art, one she continues to pursue through performance, creating work and teaching.  With a BFA in Dance and concentration in ballet from the University of South Florida, Lepp pursued further education and is currently an MFA Dance candidate at Arizona State University. 

  Taylor Mckinley has been dancing for over 16 years.  She has trained and competed in 7 different styles of dance. She choreographs lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and musical theater solos. She teaches ballroom, tap, and ballet for a wide age range of students around the valley.  At Premier Ballet Conservatory, she teaches a recreational ballet class for 4-6 year old’s. Taylor is also a student at Arizona State University majoring in accounting as well as a professional dancer with the Arizona Rattlers Sidewinders!

 Kyla Kabat is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator based in the Chicago area. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University along with a minor in business. While at Arizona State, Kyla has performed in multiple dance productions such as SpringDanceFest, Transitions, and numerous Undergraduate Project Presentations, in which her self-choreographed works were also presented. In 2021 Kyla premiered her work, Toxic Love, which had been chosen by Arizona State University to represent the school’s dance program in a national dance conference, ACDA. In spring of 2022, she traveled to the University of Oregon where Toxic Love was performed in front of a variety of schools from the west coast, receiving a great amount of recognition and rewards. Kyla is in the process of putting together her honors thesis and other choreographic works to be featured this spring. Since then, she has taught and choreographed competitive pieces at a dance studio based in Chandler, Arizona where she plans on expanding her creative mind and inspiring dancers of all ages. 

Makenna Taylor is a born and raised Arizona dancer. She has been training and competing since she was 4 years old, and is experienced in all styles of dance. As a competitive dancer, Makenna has won many regional and national awards. She has trained throughout the valley under the direction of many nationally recognized choreographers. As a current member of Streetz dance company, Makenna travels around the country assisting top name choreographers. Makenna is known for her passionate dance style, and crazy tricks. She was also a member of the double national champion Highland Hawkettes. She has been choreographing since she was 13 around the valley. Her favorite style is contemporary, and her choreography is known for its athleticism.