Ballet Summer Course

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.

ANA CATALINA ROMAN

Coach for William Forsthe ballets

Her dance training begins in Madrid, Royal Conservatory Superior, and continues at John Cranko Tanz Akademie in Stuttgart. 

She began as a dancer at the Musiktheater im Revier, Gelsenkirchen with Bernd Schindowski, which continued in Frankfurt/Main with Egon Madsen. 

Since Forsythe directed Ballett Frankfurt in 1984, she has worked under its direction as a soloist dancing many works that were created for her. She also dances works by guest choreographers such as Jan Farbe, Daniel Larrieu, Amanda Miller and Tony Rizzi. 

From 1992 onwards she also began working as Forsythe's assistant, staging a series of his works for other companies, mentioning: Australian Dance Theatre, Nederlands Dans Theatre, the National Dance Company, the Gothenburg Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. she also specializes in Forsythe Improvisations Technologies. 

In 2000 she began her career as a choreographer with Equipoise at Ballett Frankfurt, followed by Unobserved Phases, The secret bob, Anna Tanzt, Parent(h)esis o dicho sea de paso, Hecho a mano and Cuán simple deseo. 

She is currently a professor of Choreographic Composition at the CSDMA, Madrid. In addition to the mentioned activities, her passion for art and cinema led her to complete a diploma in animation in 2002 and to take the Master of Performing Arts at the URJ in 2011.

AKI SAITO

Former Principal Dancer of Royal Ballet Flanders & Jury Member of Prix de Lausanne

Aki Saito is an internationally acclaimed former prima ballerina and distinguished ballet
pedagogue, known for her refined technique, musicality, and dramatic artistry. Over a
celebrated 24-year career with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, she performed leading roles in
major classical and neoclassical ballets, as well as in contemporary masterpieces by
some of the world’s most respected choreographers. Her stage career spanned
performances across Europe, Asia, and North and South America.
In 2016, she was knighted as a Chevalier in the Order of Leopold, one of Belgium’s
highest national honors, in recognition of her artistic achievements.
Following her retirement from the stage, Aki transitioned to teaching and mentoring the
next generation of dancers. She was a faculty member at the Royal Ballet School
Antwerp from 2018 until 2025, where she worked closely with final-year students in
classical technique and repertoire. Today, she continues her work internationally as a
sought-after guest teacher, coach, and jury member, known for her integrity, precision,
and deep artistic insight.
Teaching & Coaching (Selection)
- Company Classes & Workshops: Ballet Malandain Biarritz (France), Northern Ballet
(UK), Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (Belgium)
- Summer Courses & Intensives: Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal,
Spain, Japan
- Private Coaching & Masterclasses: Across Europe and Japan
- Jury Member: Prix de Lausanne (5 editions), Prix Carpeaux (France), Budapest Ballet
Grand Prix, NBA Competition (Japan), and other international competitions
Performance Career Highlights
- Principal Dancer, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (1994–2018)
- Starred in iconic roles such as Tatiana (Onegin), Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Odette/
Odile (Swan Lake), Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Giselle, and Kitri (Don Quixote)
- Performed works by Balanchine, Forsythe, Kylián, Béjart, Van Manen, Cherkaoui,
Haydée, Cranko, Dawson, Lopez Ochoa and many others
- Guest appearances at prestigious galas and festivals in Paris, Tokyo, New York,
Houston, Santiago, Prague, Zurich, Nagano, Havana, Hong Kong, and beyond
Awards & Distinctions
- Chevalier in the Order of Leopold, Belgium (2016)
- Dancer of the Year, DANCE EUROPE Magazine (2018)
- Outstanding Performance, DANCE EUROPE Magazine (2006, 2007, 2015)
- Critics Award, BALLET2000 (2007)
- Prix de Lausanne Scholarship Winner (1991)
- Multiple national and international competition prizes
Education
- Royal Ballet School Antwerp – Full Scholarship via Prix de Lausanne (1991–1994)
- Pedagogical Training in Dance, Royal Conservatory Antwerp
Current Focus
Now working exclusively as an international guest teacher and coach, Aki continues to
inspire dancers worldwide with her unique blend of Eastern discipline and Western
expressiveness, drawing on a lifetime of stage experience and artistic depth.

WIM VANLESSEN

Artistic Director of Time To Dance & Former Principal Dancer of Royal Ballet of Flanders

Wim Vanlessen is a renowned ballet educator and former principal dancer of The Royal Ballet Flanders. As a principal dancer , he performed lead roles in major classical and contemporary works, including Onegin by Cranko, Béjart’s Bolero, Grigorovich’s Spartacus, Theme and Variations by Balanchine, and Khan’s Giselle. He worked closely with leading choreographers such as Forsythe, Maillot, and Dawson.

In 2025, Wim was selected as a jury member for the Prix de Lausanne, one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions, of which he was a prize winner himself in 1993. He is regularly invited to teach masterclasses and coach professional dancers and students internationally.

Wim is the founder and director of Time To Dance, an international ballet gala that supports young talent by providing scholarships from its profits.

Named “Dancer of the Year” multiple times by Dance Europe Magazine, Wim was knighted Chevalier in the Order of Leopold in 2016 for his contributions to the arts. He is also the author of the autobiography Dancer and the children’s book Een heel bijzondere jongen. His experience includes work as a movement director and choreographer for major fashion houses and Miley Cyrus, and serving as a judge on Dancing With The Stars Belgium.

ELENA VOSTROTINA

Principal Dancer of Zurich Ballet

Elena Vostrotina was born in St. Petersburg. She received her formal ballet training at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy, where her talent and dedication were evident early on. In 2002, she earned the “Hope of Russia” Award at the Vaganova Prix Ballet Competition, signaling the beginning of a promising career in classical ballet.

From 2003 to 2006, Vostrotina was a member of the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinsky Ballet) in St. Petersburg, where she performed various classical roles and continued developing under the guidance of renowned teachers, including Elena Evteeva.

In 2006, she joined the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, Germany. Initially appointed as a second soloist, she quickly rose through the ranks—becoming a first soloist in 2007 and a principal dancer in 2011. During her tenure at Semperoper Ballett, she gained acclaim for her interpretations of both classical and contemporary repertoire. Critics particularly praised her performance in The World According to Us by David Dawson, for which she received the “Outstanding Performance by a Female Artist” honor from Dance Europe Magazine in 2009. That same year, she was awarded the “Paradise Award” for Best Dramatic Actress in La Bayadère (staged by Igor Zelensky) in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Her excellence was further recognized in 2014 when she received the Mary Wigman Award from the Stiftung zur Förderung der Semperoper.

In 2017, Vostrotina joined Ballett Zürich in Switzerland as a principal dancer. Her work with the company has included standout performances such as Odette/Odile in Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of Swan Lake, Myrtha in Giselle (Patrice Bart), and leading roles in productions by Christian Spuck, including Winterreise, Romeo and Juliet, and Nocturne.

Throughout her career, she has danced major roles in the classical canon, including Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Nikiya in La Bayadère, the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Myrtha in Giselle. She has also excelled in neoclassical and contemporary works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, David Dawson, Stijn Celis, and John Neumeier, Paul Lightfoot and Crystal Pite.

IVAN URBAN 

Former Principal Dancer & Coach of John Neumeier ballets

Ivan Urban was born in Gomel, Belarus. He was educated at the Minsk Ballet School and The School of the Hamburg Ballet. Mr. Urban became a member of the Hamburg Ballet in 1994, was promoted to Soloist in 1997 and to Principal Dancer in 1998. He has danced principal roles in many ballets by John Neumeier including Odysseus in Odyssee, Hamlet in Hamlet, Armand Duval in Lady of the Camellias, King Ludwig in Illusions – like Swanlake, Eros in Bernstein Dances, Serge Diaghilev in Nijinsky, Kostya in The Seagull, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and Stanley Kowalsky in A Streetcar Named Desire. Mr. Urban has also performed as an invited guest artist at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, or at the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich. Mr. Urban is ballet master since 2016 and also stages John Neumeier’s works.

JOSÉ CARLOS BLANCO MARTINEZ

International Guest Ballet Master & Coach for William Forsthe ballets

fulfilled his dance studies at the Víctor Ullate school, joining then the Company at the age of sixteen, and promoted First Dancer at the age of twenty.

In 2001 he joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain) under the direction of Nacho Duato, where he worked as principal dancer with such renown choreographers as W. Forsythe, J. Kylian, M. Ek, O. Naharin, J. Godani or Nacho Duato, amongs others.

In 2010 he joined the CND2 as rehearsal assistant under the direction of Herve Palito. He then joined, in 2011, the main company as rehearsal director under the direction of José Carlos Martínez. Meanwhile he was named Artistic Coordinator of the Gala Somos Arte in 2013.

Since 2015 he´s working as international freelance ballet master, teaching classes and workshops of Nacho Duato, Gentian Doda, Yoko Taira, Toni Fabre and Alejandro Cerrudo, participating as well in many other projects.

He has participated in galas and worked with dancers such as Roberto Bolle, Marianela Nuñez, Friedemann Vogel, Alicia Amatriain, Vadim Muntagirov, Polina Semionova, Maia Makateli, Young Choi, Anna Ol, Michaela de Prince, Anna Tsygankova, Jon Vallejo, Ana Laguna, among many others.

Since 2017 he works as Juanjo Arques’s assistant and collaborating as Nacho Duato´s rehearsal assistant.

In 2020 he’s named Coordinator for Training Audition Program in Danza 180 School.

Since 2022 he works as Forsythe stager and as guest ballet master in different companies.

Dr. LUIS GADEA MATEOS

PhD in Dance Science

Head Physical therapist of the National Dance Company of Spain since 2001.

Professor and researcher of dance science at Conservatory of Dance in Madrid since 2013.

He has also collaborated with differents company’s like Royal Ballet London, Scapino Ballet, Dresden Frankfurt ballet, Kibbutz dance Company, Hoffesh Shechter, Jan Fabre, Ballet national de Marseille.