FACULTY

Diane Hakak – Director

Diane Hakak was selected to join the Higher Institute of Ballet at the Academy Of Arts of Egypt. Her tutors were from the Bolshoi and Kirov academies and included Leonid Zhdanov, Youri Chatilov and the great choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky.

Diane earned a two-year scholarship at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow where she completed her graduation course in the Vaganova method. She was a prima ballerina of the Cairo ballet, and for her contribution to the arts she was awarded the Order of Merit medal by the President of Egypt. Diane danced the principal roles in the ballet of the Fountain of Bakhtchissarai, the Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Coppelia and Chopiniana among others.

Diane completed her B.F.A in Cairo, did graduate work in French Literature at St John’s University in Queens, New York, and is fluent in English, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic and Spanish.

In New York, she taught at the International School of Ballet at Carnegie Hall, the Shostakovich School of Music Art and Dance, the Dickerson Performing Arts Center and was invited to conducted master classes at various venues. In Connecticut she taught and coached at Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York [VKDCNY]

She joined the Kozlov’s Troupe while on tour and performed as guest artist in various ballet productions of Kaleria Fedicheva in New York.

Diane Hakak was the Kozlov’s Assistant Choreographer for the Melbourne Australian Ballet Company production of The Nutcracker.

Valentina Kozlova - Artistic Advisor

Born in Moscow, Russia, Ms. Kozlova is a graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in the Vaganova method. Upon graduation she was immediately selected to join the Bolshoi Ballet Company, and in barely two years was promoted to Principal Dancer where she danced principal roles of major classical ballets performed by the company.

Valentina Kozlova is known throughout in the ballet world.

Several of Valentina’s students continue to earn medals at major international and national dance competitions including, but not limited to VKIBC, International Ballet Competitions-Varna, USA-International Ballet Competition, Youth America Grand Prix and Orlando Ballet Competition.

With her passion for dance, Ms. Kozlova has trained aspiring dancers in the Vaganova method, and dancers trained by Ms. Kozlova are currently in positions from soloist to principal dancers in major ballet companies worldwide.