Directors
Combined Elegance
Excellent education relies on excellent instruction. In long-standing classical ballet tradition, only an experienced instructor who is accomplished in their own right can safely and effectively pass down information to the next generation of dancers.
Topeka’s own Stephanie Heston and Russian-native Alexander Smirnov have more than 35 years of combined experience as professional ballet dancers, instructors, choreographers, and directors. Their love for ballet has taken them all over the world, including 20 states and 15 countries, studying under and working with some of ballet’s greatest dancers.
Ms. Heston has been a principal guest artist with several companies and has toured extensively. Mr. Smirnov is also a highly sought after master class teacher. They’ve dedicated their lives to the pursuit of ballet excellence and feel privileged to share their experience, knowledge, and passion with the next generation of artists and athletes.
