MARINA TIMOFEEVA
BALLET TEACHER, CHARACTER DANCE INSTRUCTOR, COACH

Miss Marina teaches the Junior PTP 3/4 at ABA. Miss Marina is a graduate of the famous Perm State Academy of Ballet in Russia. She performed the Classical repertoire in Russia, Europe, Asia and America. Marina danced with the Russian State Ballet and Moscow Ballet in Russia.

Miss Marina has taught at ABA since 2017 in technique, pointe, character, preparing students for national and international competitions, coaching and mentoring them for various performances and is an experienced Vaganova instructor who has a special talent with our younger dancers.

Jessica Novakovich teaches the PTP ⅔ level, PTP 1 level and the Stretch/Strengthening/Pilates classes at ABA for 3 years. Jessica is a graduate of the Akhmedova Ballet Academy Professional Training Program where she trained for 4 years with Mme. Akhmedova. She danced professionally with the Manassas Ballet Theatre for three seasons where she performed classical and contemporary roles.

Jessica won Best Choreographer Award at WBAC and UBC and her choreographies won many awards at national and international competitions. She is choreographing classical and contemporary pieces (solos and ensembles) for PTP students. She is also coaching and preparing students for competition and is the assistant editor for ABA’s digital magazine. She completed her certification as a Pilates mat and Reformer teacher.

Jessica is a certified Bolshoi curriculum teacher (Levels: Pre, One, Two).

JESSICA NOVAKOVICH
BALLET TEACHER, CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHER, PILATES

MIMMO MICCOLIS
CONTEMPORARY GUEST TEACHER & CHOREOGRAPHER

Arturo Garcia
CONTEMPORARY SUMMER GUEST TEACHER

ASHLEY CANTERNA-HARDY
CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHER

Accompanists

NATASHA SUTHERLAND

Glenn Sales, Pianist, has been well-known to Washington, DC audiences since his National Symphony Orchestra debut at age 14 and his subsequent invitations as soloist with NSO. Sales attended the Juilliard School on scholarship and was featured in 1980 on PBS as the winner of the Beethoven Fellowship for American Pianists in a performance of Chopin’s Etudes, Opus 25. He has been a guest pianist at American Ballet Theatre since 1990 and has also played for The Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Washington Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet for performances as well as a film for the Balanchine Foundation of Meditation. Sales has collaborated with Damian Woetzel and Yo-Yo Ma in various projects at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, various public schools in the Washington, DC vicinity, the Smithsonian Institution Hirshorn Museum and The White House.

Glen is a guest artist for the Akhmedova Ballet Academy.

GLENN SALES

Mme. Akhmedova teaches the Senior PTP level at ABA.

Mme. Jacqueline Akhmedova graduated with honors from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the Ukrainian Academy of Dance in Kiev, with Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Ballet Performance, Pedagogy and Choreography, she quickly moved into the world of European classical dance performance.

She is the Founder and Artistic Director of her own school, the Akhmedova Ballet Academy, in Silver Spring, MD. Her vision for ABA is to provide the finest quality ballet training utilizing the Vaganova Method. Her Professional Training Program offers a well-rounded training with personal and artistic mentoring to prepare young dancers to become strong and fully developed artists ready to take their places in major dance companies around the world.

JACQUELINE AKHMEDOVA

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & BALLET TEACHER, COACH

Mimmo Miccolis, born in Italy, is a freelance neoclassical and contemporary choreographer and guest teacher at the Akhmedova Academy. He was awarded the “Excellence in Dance” by the Italian Cultural Society of Washington in 2019. Among his accolades, Miccolis has received the “Outstanding Choreographer” award at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in 2015, the Indianapolis International Ballet Competition in 2017, and the Washington DC Grand Prix in 2021 and 2022.

In recent years, his choreographic works have gained recognition at dance competitions across Europe and the U.S., making him a notable figure in the global dance scene. He was a speaker at the 2022 TEDx conference, discussing the power of dance as a tool for self-expression and breaking stereotypes.

For seven years, Miccolis has served as a judge and Master Teacher at the American Dance Competition (ADC-IBC), creating original works for its prestigious Final Gala of the Stars.

Garcia is a highly accomplished and versatile performing artist from Monterrey, Mexico. With a diverse range of skills as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and producer, Arturo has captivated audiences in numerous national and international festivals across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. As a valued member of Tania Perez-Salas Compañia de Danza, he has performed at renowned festivals such as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Biennale de la Danse in Lyon, France. In 2009, Arturo founded Company Danzante, a collaborative performance group that showcased his innovative choreographic vision. His creations have been presented at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Arturo’s dedication and contributions have been recognized through grants and awards, including the Kennedy Center’s Local Dance Commissioning Project and the Strauss Artist Grant from the Arts Council of Fairfax County.

Ashley is creating choreographies for the PTP students at ABA. Ashley received her ballet training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. on full scholarship. At 14, she was the winner of the junior Division of the Youth America Grand Prix Ballet Competition. That same year, she represented the United States in Varna at the 2000 International Ballet Competition. She won the silver medal (the highest awarded) and the City of Varna Award for being the youngest competitor to pass to the third round.

She performed with Bad Boys of Ballet in “Rock the Ballet” at the Joyce Theater in New York and on their European tour.

Ashley is proud to have received choreography awards from the USAIBC and the Youth America Grand Prix Ballet Competition. She is honored to teach and choreograph for the Akhmedova Ballet Academy annually under the direction of world renowned ballerina and teacher Jacqueline Akhmedova. Ashley is creating beautiful solos and ensemble choreographies for ABA since 2013.

Natasha Sutherland is an accompanist for ABA since September 2016. She was born in Moscow and graduated with honors from the Moscow Children’s Music School in 1976. She also graduated from the Mussorgky Conservatory in 1986 as a concert pianist with a master degree.

Natasha accompanies the PTP 5/6 and 3/4.

Choreographers and guest teachers who worked with ABA PTP students:

Hee Seo, Edwaard Liang, Alicia Canterna, Rainer Krenstetter, Misha Tchoupakov, David McCarty, Kathy Whitelaw, Meaghan McHale, Alice Wylie, Deanna Pearson, Courtney Washington, Carlos Gutierrez, Kathryn Abdul-Baki, Arturo Garcia