National Ballet Competition Jury

2026 Jury Members (More to be posted soon)

  • Luba Gulyaeva graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). Her instructors include
the famous N.V. Baltacheyeva, assistant to A.Y. Vaganova. Ms. Gulyaeva joined the Kirov (Maryinsky) Ballet Company from 1968 to1979 in Leningrad where she performed in ballets such as La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Le Corsair, Nutcracker, Legend of Love, Cinderella and others. In 1980,

    
Ms. Gulyaeva was invited by Jurgen Schneider to be a faculty member
of the Botsford School of Dance in Rochester, New York where she
taught intermediate and advanced classical ballet, pointe technique,
 and variation repertory. She also coached students for competitions
and professional company auditions. From 1988 to 1989, Ms. Gulyaeva was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to be a member of the faculty of
the American Ballet Theatre School of Classical Ballet where she gave classes to the American Ballet Theatre dancers.

    From 1989 to 1993, Ms. Gulyaeva was ballet coach at the Steps Ballet Studio in New York City. She also taught master classes at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne and classes at the School of American Ballet in New York City. Ms. Gulayaeva has privately coached participants of the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS and the Prix de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is well known as one of the finest teachers of the Vaganova ballet system and classical repertory.

  • Mr. Pakri is originally from Estonia and is a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. Following his graduation, Mr. Pakri danced with Estonian National Ballet as a principal dancer and taught partnering and technique classes at the Tallinn State Ballet School. During that time, he also performed as a principal guest artist at the International Ballet Festival in Havana, Cuba; and for the National Theater of Macedonia in Skopje, Yugoslavia. In 1991, at the invitation of then-artistic-director Martin Fredmann, Mr. Pakri joined Colorado Ballet as principal dancer. Over the next ten years, he performed numerous classical and contemporary roles, including Albrecht in Giselle, the title role in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Basilio in Don Quixote, the principal male in Balanchine’s Rubies, and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. Mr. Pakri was also a frequent guest performer in Estonia and Japan. In 1998, he performed as a guest artist with the Martha Graham Dance Company in the role of the Husbandman in Appalachian Spring at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

    Mr. Pakri retired from dancing in 2001 and, for the next five years, served as ballet master of Colorado Ballet. In 2005, he received critical acclaim for staging The Sleeping Beauty for the Company. In 2006, Mr. Pakri joined the faculty of The Royal Ballet Upper School in London, England, where he remained until August 2013. During his tenure, Mr. Pakri’s students won prizes at the Youth America Grand Prix and Young British Dancer of the Year competitions. He also served as a guest teacher at Estonian National Ballet and at a number of schools. Prior to joining HARID’s faculty, Mr. Pakri was ballet master at Houston Ballet. He has served as a guest teacher not only at Estonian National Ballet, but also at The Royal Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. He remains active as a guest teacher and a ballet-competition judge.

  • Svetlana Svinko is originally from Krasnoyarsk, Russia. In 2009 she graduated from the Krasnoyarsk State Choreographic College, class of the teacher Mikhieva Svetlana. During her studies she took part in international and all-Russian contests, in 2009 she was awarded a scholarship of People's Artist of Russia N.L. Semizorova.

    In 2009 she joined the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater under the direction of Igor Zelensky, People's Artist of the Russian Federation. Passed the creative way from the corps de ballet to the principal ballerina. Has taken part in all the theater's productions and premieres. Has worked with teachers Ya. Serebryakova, V. Ryazhenova and Olga Kostritskaya.

    From 2016 - 2023 she worked as a principal ballerina at the Leonid Yakobson St. Petersburg Ballet Theater. She danced principal roles in the ballets “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Don Quixote” on the best stages of Russia at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

    Since 2018 she started her teaching career, working as a teacher at the Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theater.

    In 2021 she graduated from the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Vaganova - Bachelor of Education in Ballet Pedagogy.

    Since 2023 she has been working at Clevelandballet. She has performed principal roles in the ballets The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.

    Awards:

    Winner of the Galina Ulanova All-Russian Competition in 2008 (silver medal)

    Winner of the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 2009 (bronze medal).

    Winner of the 12th Russian Youth Delphic Games in 2013 (silver medal)

    Laureate of the 13th Youth Delphic Games of Russia in 2014 (bronze medal)

    Diploma winner of the International Ballet Competition in Varna in 2014.

    Laureate of the prize to support talented youth, established by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, in 2013 and in 2014.

    Repertoire:

    Swan Lake: Odette - Odile, Pas de trois.

    The Corsair (Chor. Petipa, Gusev, Khomyakov): Medora, trio of odalisques.

    La Bayadera: Nikiya, Gamzatti, shadow trio.

    Paquita: solo and variations.

    Chopiniana: solo.

    Giselle: Giselle, Myrtle.

    Coppelia: friends of Swanilde, variations.

    Don Quixote: Kitri, Street Dancer, friend of Kitri, The Queen of the Dryads.

    Sleeping Beauty: Aurora, Lilac Fairy, Diamond.

    The Nutcracker: Masha, Sugar Plum.

    Cinderella (Chor. K. Simonov): Stepmother.

    Pulcinella (Chor. K. Simonov): the two girls.

    Cippolino (Chor. Mayorova): Countess Cherry.

    Whisper in the Dark (Chor. E. Liang).

    Apollo Musaget (Chor. Balanchine): Polyhymnia.

    Who cares? (Chor. Balanchine): five soloists.

    Sacred Spring (Chor. Patrick De Ban): Tribe of the Sun.

    "Pas de quatre" Chor. L. Jacobson

    "Firebird" Douglas Lee: Princess

    "Queen of Spades" Iñaki Urlezaga: Countess

    "Don Quixote" Johan Kobborg: Mercedes

    "Swan" Chor. L. Jacobson

  • Ellen Rosa-Taylor, originally from Wilmington, DE, is currently the Chair of the Dance Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy. She received her Bachelor of Science in Ballet from Indiana University, Bloomington. Ms. Rosa-Taylor received her MFA in Dance from Florida State University where she was the recipient of a Deans Teaching Fellowship for the School of Visual Arts and Dance as well as a University Fellowship. Ellen has performed as a dancer with the Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, City Ballet of Los Angeles, Media City Ballet, Louise Reichlin and Dancers and Chattanooga Ballet. Ms. Rosa-Taylor was also featured as the Bluebird in Disney’s Snow White, an Enchanting Musical at Disneyland. As a choreographer Mrs. Rosa-Taylor has been a guest choreographer throughout the US. As a dance educator, Ms. Rosa-Taylor is currently an ABT Certified Teacher for levels Primary- 7 and has received the distinction of ABT NTC Fellow.

  • Mariaelena Ruiz — recipient of the 2019 Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) NYC Finals Outstanding Teacher Award— was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where she trained under Nina Novak, Prima Ballerina of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

    At just 14, she became the youngest member of Ballet Nacional de Caracas under Vicente Nebrada. She soon earned 3rd place in the Junior Division at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson and a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York. Additional accolades followed, including the Best Couple Award and 3rd place in the Senior Division at the Varna International Ballet Competition, and a prize at the Prix Volinine in Paris.

    Over the next seven years, Mariaelena performed principal roles with Bay Ballet Theater, Cleveland San Jose Ballet, and Ballet Hispánico, and appeared as a guest artist across the U.S. and Europe. From 2000–2006, she danced an extensive Balanchine repertoire with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, performing at the Kennedy Center and on tour internationally.

    Mariaelena began teaching at The Rock School for Dance Education in 2000, becoming full-time Ballet Master in 2006 and training many of today’s top ballet talents. In 2015, she and her husband became part-owners of Cary Ballet Conservatory, where she launched the Professional Training Program and was named Artistic Director of Cary Ballet Company. Under her direction, the Conservatory has earned national acclaim, including Outstanding School awards from YAGP in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and ADC|IBC in 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2025, features in Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine, and Mariaelena’s own cover story in Dance Teacher Magazine.

    A sought-after guest teacher and judge, she has served on panels for YAGP and the New York International Ballet Competition, appeared in the award-winning documentary First Position, and was featured in WHYY Philadelphia’s 2009 documentary on the Curtis Institute of Music and Rock School collaboration. In 2016, she received the Outstanding Teacher Award at ADC|IBC.

    Her coaching has produced medalists at major international competitions, including Moscow IBC, USA IBC in Jackson, Boston IBC, Prix de Lausanne, YAGP, and ADC|IBC. Her students dance with leading companies worldwide, such as the National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, Het Nationale Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Ballet West, Washington Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, and on Broadway.

    As Artistic Director of Cary Ballet Company, Mariaelena has staged a sold-out full-length Nutcracker annually since 2016, introduced one-hour narrated Nutcracker mini-shows, brought acclaimed choreographers to Spring Works productions, and choreographed or adapted classical favorites including Le Corsaire, La Bayadère, and Don Quixote. Under her leadership, Cary Ballet Conservatory dancers have been invited to the Prix de Lausanne in 2021, 2023, and 2024 — with a silver medal win in 2025.

  • Kaylin Carrera holds a degree in Dance Education from SUNY Brockport, where she studied modern and contemporary technique under renowned modern dance pioneer Bill Evans. During her studies, she explored kinesiology and anatomy in depth, examining their relationship to movement efficiency, injury prevention, and expressive range. She brings this wealth of knowledge into her teaching, creating a holistic approach that blends artistry with an informed understanding of the body.

    She currently serves as contemporary faculty for The Sarasota Ballet’s Margaret Barbieri Conservatory and Trainee Program, under the direction of Christopher Hird and Dierdre Miles Burger. In this role, training students from across the country, she brings a contemporary voice into a ballet-based environment, expanding dancers’ range of movement and artistic expression.

    Passionate about both teaching and choreography, Kaylin creates works that blend emotional honesty with refined physicality, offering dancers a platform to explore vulnerability, precision, and transformation. Her choreography and coaching have received national and international acclaim, garnering first-place honors and the prestigious Grand Prix Award at Youth America Grand Prix.

    In addition to her conservatory work, Kaylin is committed to arts accessibility through Sarasota Ballet’s Dance – Next Generation, a tuition-free program for dancers from underserved communities. She uses this platform to mentor young students and foster creative empowerment through movement.

  • Rex Tilton is the Artistic Director of artÉmotion. He is a former Principal dancer with Ballet West and danced with the company from 2008-2022. He was a featured cast member on seasons 1 & 2 of the CW Docu-series Breaking Pointe. He has been featured in issues of Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine, and Pointe Magazine.. He shared the cover of Dance Teacher Magazine, February 2018, with Allison DeBona. He was also the model for the August 2015 Grishko Pointe shoe ad featured in Pointe Magazine. Additional accolades include producing the ‘I Am Your Friend’ Benefit Dance Performance alongside Allison DeBona, June 2015, to benefit the non-profit organization Fahodie for Friends.  He attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division program on scholarship, one year, before getting his job at Ballet West. Additional training includes School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. He grew up under the artistic direction of former Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal, Ben Houk, and Pacific Northwest Ballet Soloist, Lauri-Michelle Houk, at San Elijo Dance and Music Academy. In 2020, he was named a Nikolay Brand Ambassador.

    Rex Tilton is currently an Adjunct Instructor for the University of Utah's School of Dance.