Ballet

Natasha Sarafanov was born in Kiev Ukraine and started learning Classical Ballet at the Kiev Ballet Academy from the age of 10. When she graduated at the age of 18, Natasha started working as a professional dancer and had a very successful career for over 20 years.

Natasha is also the proud mother of world renowned principal dancer Leonid Sarafanov formerly of the Mariinsky Theatre now with Mikhailovsky Theatre. Leonid followed his mother and fathers footsteps as well as his grandparents and is now considered to be one of the top classical ballet dancer’s in the world. Both Leonid and his wife Olesya Novikova are special guests of many major ballet companies all over the world.

Hip Hop

Manuel started his career in dance performing for the Calgary Stampede and dancing on scholarship at L.A’s Edge Performing Arts Studio. Upon graduating high-school, he moved on to work for Norwegian Cruise Lines as a dancer/tumbler, and as a teacher for various studios in the BC Interior.

Wanting to continue his training, Manuel moved to Vancouver where he found his way into the Source Dance Company. Shortly after, he joined the Modus Operandi training program. Falling in love with contemporary dance he moved on to work with Kinesis Dance Somatheatro. With Kinesis he has performed various pieces such as Kitchen Decadance, Odd-essay:Gleaming I and II and Box 4, which toured Poland this past summer.

Manuel has done various work throughout Vancouver with the likes of Martha Carter, Rainmaker Studio’s, ABC Network and the opening ceremonies for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. He recently performed at the National Arts Centerin Ottawa for the Canada Dance Festival with Vancouver contemporary company The Response. He has also started working with the highly athletic and ground breaking contemporary company The 605 Collective from Vancouver. A company that fuses urban hip hop and contemporary movement.

Jazz & Tap

Natasha began dancing at the age of three starting with Ballet, and then added another form of dance every year after. She is trained in Ballet, and has completed her RAD Elementary exams, and is now certified to teach. Natasha trained and competed in Highland dance, and also passed all her exams in Highland. Other forms of dance include Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Contemporary. Natasha has competed since the age of four and has won numerous awards and scholarships.

Natasha has taken training from Blake McGrath, Scott Hislop, Napoleon and Tabitha, JT Horenstein, Bill Prudich, Luther Brown, Twitch, Show Tyme, Benji Schwimmer, and numerous other profession choreographers. Natasha has travelled many times to take classes at the Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Natasha hopes to share her love and passion for dance here at Sarafanov Ballet Studio.