Metropolitan Ballet Academy Faculty


		Yelena Borisova, Director, was born in Russia. She received her ballet training at the Moscow Ballet Academy, the prestigious school of the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre. She graduated in 1986, and in 1988 entered the Moscow State Choreographic Institute. Her teacher was the renowned Sofia Golovkina, who also taught Bolshoi Prima-Ballerina Natalie Bessmertnova and Marina Lleonova, the present director of the Moscow Ballet Academy. While majoring in teaching and choreography Ms. Borisova studied ballet, character dance, duet and historical dance; she graduated in 1992. Following her training, she was a soloist dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre in Russia. With the Bolshoi she received critical acclaim for her roles in Le Bayadere, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, and especially for her role as Myrtha in Giselle. While preparing for these roles, she had opportunity to work with some of the greatest teachers in Russia including: Galena Ulanova, Marina Semyanova, Rima Karelskaya, Natalia Bessmertnova and Raisa Struchkova. Ms. Borisova and her husband immigrated to the United States in 1996, and she became a principal dancer with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre in Indiana. They moved to Arlington, TX in 2001, and she assumed the position of Director of the Ballet Academy in the summer of 2002. Ms. Borisova also assists in the staging of many Metropolitan Classical Ballet productions. She is married to Metropolitan Classical Ballet artistic director Alexander Vetrov. Three years ago, they became citizens of the United States. They reside in Arlington with their son, Glen..


		Alexander Vetrov, MCB Artistic Director, was born in Moscow, Russia, and grew up in a family of actors. He attended the Moscow Academic School, the official school of the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet. In 1979, he joined the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre, and achieved the status as the lead principal male dancer. During his fifteen years with the Bolshoi, Mr. Vetrov toured to over fifty countries, and performed both independently and as guest Bolshoi Ballet principal for gala concerts worldwide. He was the first to perform the title role for the ballet, Casanova Fantasy, when it premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1996 when he was then the leading male principal with the Bolshoi. Michael Lavrovsky, choreographer of the ballet, created the ballet especially for Mr. Vetrov. A consistently dedicated, passionate, and strong dancer with extensive experience performing both classical and contemporary principal repertoire, Mr. Vetrov has a strong working knowledge of Russian Classical techniques and principles. He has been featured in numerous commercial video productions such as Spartacus, Le Bayadere, Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. In 1985, Mr. Vetrov was awarded the Gold Medal from the Fifth International Ballet Competition in Moscow. In 1995, he had the distinction of being the recipient of the Honored People's Artist of Russia, the highest honor given by the Russian President. Since his arrival in the United States in 1997, Mr. Vetrov has performed as a principal dancer with Ballet International Indianapolis and the Tulsa Ballet Theater. He performs independently as a guest principal for gala concerts worldwide. Before joining the Metropolitan Classical Ballet's resident company (then Ballet Arlington) as a principal dancer in 2000, Mr. Vetrov performed as a guest artist for two years. He maintains a significant relationship with the Bolshoi and he has staged many Bolshoi and other Russian classical works for the Company. In 2002, Mr. Vetrov was named co-artistic director of the Metropolitan Classical Ballet with Paul Mejia.


		Paul Mejia, MCB Artistic Director, was born in Lima, Peru, but was raised in New York. He joined the School of American Ballet in 1958, and by the age of fourteen, had choreographed his first ballets. Mr. Mejia joined the New York City Ballet in 1964, and danced principal roles in many of George Balanchine's ballets. In 1972, he joined Maurice Bejart's Ballet of the Twentieth Century where he danced and choreographed throughout Europe, and in 1977, he staged a season of ballet in Guatemala, where he created four new ballets including Romeo and Juliet, the first of his highly acclaimed Shakespearean ballet series Mr. Mejia joined the Chicago City Ballet as co-artistic director with Maria Tallchief, and during the next seven years, he created fifteen new ballets, including his full-length version of Cinderella, which toured nationally and internationally to great acclaim. His ballet Eight by Adler, music by Richard Adler, was later filmed for PBS and won an Emmy Award for Suzanne Farrell. From 1987 to 1998, Mr. Mejia was the artistic director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, during which time he added thirty-two of his own works to the company's repertoire, including sixteen world premieres. Dedicated to the artistic vision and philosophy of George Balanchine, Mr. Mejia has choreographed dramatic story ballets as well as works in the neoclassical style, and he has choreographed several works for operas, including the Chicago Lyric Opera. He has been a guest teacher and lecturer in various schools and universities throughout the United States. In 1984, Mr. Mejia was selected by Esquire Magazine as one of the "Outstanding Americans under 40." In 1998, Mr. Mejia became the artistic advisor of the Metropolitan Classical Ballet, which was then Ballet Arlington. He has added many of his own works to the company's repertoire including two world premieres, and he has staged several George Balanchine ballets. In 2001, he assumed the position of executive director for the Company, and in 2002 he was named co-artistic director with Alexander Vetrov.


		Maria Terezia Balogh, born in New York City, received her early ballet training at The School of American Ballet. At the age of fifteen, she was invited to study with ballerina Maria Tallchief in Chicago. In 1976, Miss Balogh joined the Lyric Opera Ballet, later known as The Chicago City Ballet, under the direction of Maria Tallchief and Paul Mejia. While in Chicago , she danced the principal roles in many Balanchine ballets including Firebird, The Four Temperaments, Concerto Barocco, and Apollo, as well as ballets created especially for her by Paul Mejia. Her performance of Mejia’s Webern Pieces, with Chicago Bears’ wide receiver Willie Gault and later with Dallas Cowboys football star Herschel Walker, garnered national media attention. From 1987 to 1998, Miss Balogh was a principal dancer with the Fort Worth Ballet under the direction of Paul Mejia. During this period, her repertoire expanded to over thirty ballets, including George Balanchine’s Agon, Serenade, La Valse, Jewels, Divertimento, Who Cares, and Western Symphony. Miss Balogh’s performances in Paul Mejia’s Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella in New York City, Chicago, Japan, and Taiwan received great critical acclaim. Ballets created especially for her by Paul Mejia include SwanLake Act II, Café Victoria, Les Noces, Brandenburg II, Three Pieces, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Jeux, Brahms Waltzes. Miss Balogh has also performed Afternoon of a Faun, with choreography by Jerome Robbins, and has been a guest artist at the Budapest Opera Ballet.


		Marina Goshko, Russian native, was born in Ulan-Ude in the republic of Buryatiya. She graduated from the Buryat State Choreographic School in 1992. She won an award in the International Competition of Artists of Ballet in the city of Novoskbirsk, and was awarded a diploma at the International Independent Competition in Moscow. Upon graduation, she was invited to join the Buryat Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. In 1993, she became a soloist with the Moscow Classical Ballet. Marina has toured extensively throughout the world. Her repertoire includes leading solo and pas de deux roles. In 2001, she joined Metropolitan Classical Ballet as a principal dancer. Marina is married to fellow dancer, Andrey Prikhodko. They have a young daughter, Alexandra.


		Andrey Prikhodko, was born in Polovinny, Sverdlovsk Region, Russia in 1976. He graduated from the Perm State Ballet Academy in 1994, and was accepted into the ballet troupe of Grand Moscow Classical Ballet of Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov. Mr. Prikhodko has toured in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, China, the United States and Canada. His extensive repertoire includes many leading roles in both contemporary and classical ballets, and he often performs as a guest artist. Andrey has been a principal dancer with Metropolitan Classical Ballet since the 2001-2002 season. He is married to fellow dancer, Marina Goshko. They have a young daughter, Alexandra.


		Brittany Bollinger is a recent graduate from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Ballet Performance as well as Pre-Occupational Therapy. She performed leading or soloist roles in Les Corsaire, Reflections, Glazunov Variations, Les Patineurs, and was the original Laurie in Steve Brule’s People Will Say We’re in Love from Oklahoma. Throughout her four years at OU, Brittany received the Dance Partner’s Scholarship, the Euval R. Charles Scholarship, the Helene C. Lottinville Prize in the Fine Arts, and the Donald F. Clark Outstanding Senior in the College of Fine Arts award. In 2008 she toured with Oklahoma Festival Ballet in Shanghai and Ningbo, China. Before attending college she trained with the Metropolitan Classical Ballet Academy and the Schaffenburg Ballet Academy. She has performed with Metropolitan Classical Ballet in numerous productions..