Yuri Nikitenko (Artistic Director) (Ballet, Character, Variations)
Born in Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R (now Kazakhstan), he graduated from the A. V. Seleznev Choreographic Institute,
Alma-Ata, with honors in 1985. After graduation, he performed as a principal dancer with the Alma-Ata Theatre of Opera
and Ballet, the Dnepropetrovsk Theatre of Opera and Ballet, the Chelyabinsk Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and the
Yekaterinburg “Pirouette” Ballet Theatre. He was also a founding member of Ballet Plus, the renowned ballet company of
Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he expanded his classical repertoire to include works by contemporary choreographers like
Roland Petit, Jerry Bevington, and Alla Sigalova. In 1992, Yuri was a finalist at the Arabesque International Ballet
Competition held in Perm, Russia. He was also nominated for one of Russia’s highest awards for performing artists,
Honored Artist of Russia. Yuri taught ballet at the Sverdlovsk University of Dramatic Arts prior to coming to the U.S. He
has performed principal roles in much of the classical repertoire, staged ballets for professional companies and students
alike, and prepared students for major ballet competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix. (Placed Top-12 regionally
in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) In demand for his expertise as a teacher, he has guest taught at professional
ballet schools throughout Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. As a choreographer, he has created ballets such as Strauss
Spectacular, Peter and the Wolf, and Counterpointe in addition to smaller works. He has also staged classical works like La
Bayadere, Don Quixote, Giselle, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Paquita, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Yuri was most
recently featured in Northern Virginia Magazine's December 2007 issue. ("A Dream Long Pas Deux: Russian Ballet
Dancers Find Their Ideal Stage in America", p. 99)
Jasmine Nikitenko (Artistic Director) (Ballet, Character, Variations)
A Manassas native, she received her early ballet training from Ricardo Moreira and Vycheslav Mesropov. She was
accepted to the summer intensives of the Joffery Ballet School, Richmond Ballet School, and the Washington Ballet School
in 1994 and chose to attend the latter. In 1996, she was offered a coveted place at the Virginia Governor’s School of Visual
and Performing Arts. As a professional dancer around the D.C. Metropolitan area, she studied with ballet masters D.
Tuboltsev, I. Stabrova, I. Sapotko, A. Saburov, and her husband, Y. Nikitenko while performing classical and character
soloist roles in ballets like Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, and The Nutcracker, among others. She has
also staged excerpts from classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Coppelia, and The Sleeping Beauty. First recognized by her
mentor, V. Mesropov, as a talented pedagogue and ballet mistress, Jasmine has taught at professional schools throughout
Virginia and Maryland and was also on the faculty of Loudoun County Public School's Summer in the Arts Program.
Jasmine received her BA in History from George Mason University in 2006 where her thesis on Agrippina Vaganova's
impact on the revolution of Russian ballet (Krasnaya Terpsikhora) was submitted by Professor Rex Wade to the Southern
Conference of Slavic Studies for its Undergraduate Award. She has been accepted to GMU's Masters' Program and will
pursue an MA in History
Lesley Laing (Pilates)
Biography Coming Soon!
Ahmad Maaty (Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Tap)
Ahmad Maaty is an Egyptian-American actor, dancer, and singer. He was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in northern
Virginia, and graduated from George Mason University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Dance. He regularly performs
as a guest artist for Silk Road Dance Company in DC, with whom he performed in Doha, Qatar at the Asia Cup Games in
January 2011. Ahmad has danced and choreographed for the DC Metro area basedmodern dance company, Mayzsoul, Inc.
and acted as Artistic Director for two of their concerts, “Fresh” and “Le Monde Secret.” Most recently in NYC, he
performed with Mayzsoul, Inc. in “Sticky,” and with the Bats Acting Company on their production of “#serials@theflea.”
In May 2012, Ahmad received a Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the acclaimed Actors Studio
Drama School at Pace University in New York City. (www.ahmadmaaty.com)
Stephanie Suitt (Ballet, Dance Team/Pom)
Growing up in Manassas, Stephanie began training under Y. Nikitenko in 2000 and graduated from ARB in 2006.
Stephanie performed soloist roles in ballets such as “Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “La Bayadere”, “Swan Lake”, and
“Giselle” among others as staged by Y. Nikitenko. She also placed Top-12 at Youth America Grand Prix in 2002. Stephanie
graduated from James Madison University in 2009 with a B.A. in International Affairs. At JMU, Stephanie was member of
the Dukettes dance team where she performed at sporting events, taught dance clinics to youth in the Harrisonburg
community, choreographed contemporary pieces, and danced in the 2008 Macy’s Day Parade in NYC. During her last year
as a Dukette, the team was ranked Top 5 at the National Dance Association Competition in Daytona Beach, Fl Stephanie
received her M.A. in Policy Studies in 2010 from JMU while spending the year abroad in Europe. She is currently pursing
her law degree at George Mason University and will graduate in 2015.
Assistant Instructors
Maggie Patterson
Kelsey McIntyre
Megan McIntyre
Guest Master Instructors
Alisher Saburov Bat Erdene Udval Dimitri Malikov
Igor Sapotko Evgenia Singur Ninel Cherevko
Regina Bogomolova Ivan Korneev Dimitri Vistropskiy
Vadim Bogomolov Sarah Skaggs Nickolai Balatsenko
Staff
Yuri Nikitenko, Artistic Director
Jasmine Nikitenko, Artistic Director
Kelly Muzzin, Reception Assistant/Press Liason
Jean Walker-White, Costume Mistress
Milton Shomo, Technical Director
Russ Keating, Technical Assistant
B. Payden Photography, Official Photographers for ARB and NVYB
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BalletNikitenko ©
WebMaster
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Artistic Faculty & Staff
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