Tradition. Precision. Grace.
Director & Instructor
Tatiana Kitlak
Meet Ballerina Tatiana Kitlak!
Tatiana Kitlak’s dream of ballet began in childhood, as it does for many young girls. Very early on—perhaps after attending her first ballet performance at the beautiful theater in Lviv, Ukraine, where she spent her childhood—that dream became a determined desire to learn to dance.Her mother enrolled her in a ballet school, where her first and beloved teacher was Rufina Mikhailovna Lanskaya, a student of the legendary Agrippina Vaganova herself.
Lanskaya R.M. Plakht J.I.
Soon afterward, Tatiana’s family moved to Odessa, a magnificent city on the Black Sea and home to one of the world’s most beautiful opera houses. There, she continued her ballet education under the guidance of distinguished teachers Zoya Khairulina and Rozalia Lerman. She graduated from the class of the renowned ballet educator Yuliy Osipovich Plakht, Honored Artist of Russia.
At her graduation performance on the stage of the magnificent Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, Tatiana danced the Pas de Deux from Delibes’ Coppélia and performed in the Trio of Shades from Minkus’ La Bayadère.
Only a select number of graduates were invited to join the company of the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, but Tatiana had little reason to worry—she was considered one of the strongest students in her class. The following season, she began performing professionally as a member of the ballet company. Thus began the challenging journey of mastering an extensive classical repertoire while continuing her daily artistic development under the guidance of Yuliy Plakhta, the theater’s principal ballet master and répétiteur.
Tatiana "Les Sylphides"
Odessa Opera&Ballet Theatre
Her first solo roles came in children’s ballets and later expanded into the great classical productions, including Giselle, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Les Sylphides, and La Sylphide. She also toured successfully with the company throughout Canada, Great Britain, Spain, China, and Japan.
Before immigrating to the United States, Tatiana became increasingly interested in ballet pedagogy. She began attending classes not only as a dancer but also as a future teacher, seeking to understand the secrets of effective training and the unique needs of children at different ages. She devoted herself to finding the most effective teaching methods that aligned with her artistic vision and understanding of contemporary ballet.
She studied extensively, reading professional literature, analyzing videos of master teachers, and exploring a wide range of training approaches. In addition to the traditional Vaganova Method and European ballet standards, she incorporated elements of rhythmic gymnastics, floor barre exercises, and detailed pointe work techniques into her teaching philosophy.
After establishing herself in the United States, Tatiana put this knowledge into practice. She gained extensive experience teaching students of all ages—from young children in pre-ballet programs to adult dancers. She also developed significant experience as a ballet instructor working in rhythmic gymnastics and figure skating. Through her work with athletes in rhythmic gymnastics and figure skating, Tatiana has helped them to develop classical body lines, artistry, and movement quality, encouraging athletes to understand
and appreciate grace, elegance, and expressiveness in their performances.
Through the Russian Ballet Academy, Tatiana has created numerous performance programs featuring both excerpts from the classical repertoire she performed as a ballerina and original choreographic works of her own creation.
Tatiana views the mission of the Russian Ballet Academy—and her own mission as a ballet educator—as a combination of accessibility and excellence: making quality ballet training available to anyone who wishes to study ballet while providing talented students with the strong technical foundation necessary for a professional career.
This vision is reflected both in the dedicated work that takes place every day in the Academy’s classroom and in the inspiring performances presented
on stage through RBA’s repertoire concerts.
You can experience this for yourself. Once you step through our doors, you will discover the beauty, elegance, and grace of ballet. Whether you uncover a talent within yourself or in your children, you too can become part of the timeless artistic tradition of dance and join the eternal circle of Terpsichore, the muse of dance.
You are warmly welcomed here. We will gladly help you take your first steps in ballet—steps that can transform you both physically and spiritually.
Galina Polishchuk Balletmaster-teacher
Teachers
Administrator
Ballet Instructor
Ballet Instructor