About Us
The Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Story
Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy (DKCBA) was founded in 2006 by Dmitri and Jennifer Kulev, past principal dancers at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. DKCBA focuses on training dancers in the Russian Vaganova method. Under the direction and excellent training of Dmitri and Jennifer, their students soon began to receive numerous awards in various national and international dance competitions.
Today the academy has grown to offer dance training from the pre-ballet to professional level in ballet, jazz, contemporary, character and lyrical genres. Also home to the Orange County Ballet Theater (OCBT), students at DKCBA are given performance opportunities in and around Orange County.
DKCBA provides students with the highest quality instruction, with a commitment to maintain the highest standards of Russian ballet. This training is evident in the many awards the students of DKCBA continue to receive at renowned national and international dance competitions. Students from DKCBA have been accepted to prestigious ballet programs and companies such as the Royal Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Colorado Ballet (Company), Ballet West, Washington Ballet, Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Kirov Academy in Washington D.C., American Ballet Theatre, The School of American Ballet (SAB, Company), Harid Conservatory, Houston Ballet, Nashville Ballet (NB2), the Briansky School, Bolshoi Ballet Summer Intensive, Boston Ballet (Company) and Tulsa Ballet (Company). College Dance admission has included Indiana University’s Jacob School of music/ballet, NYU’s Tisch school of Dance, Boston Conservatory, Butler University/Dance, University of Utah/Ballet West, Cincinnati University’s Conservatory of Music, Fordham College’s Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, UC Santa Barbara Theater/Dance Program and UCLA’s World Arts and Culture/Dance, among others.
Founders: Dmitri and Jennifer Kulev
2008-2022 Youth America Grand Prix recipients of “Outstanding Teachers” Award
DMITRI KULEV, artistic director
Mr. Kulev received his fine arts diploma from the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow, Russia, where he trained with the distinguished teacher Peter Pestov. After graduating in 1992, he was invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre under the direction of Yuri Grigorovich. During this time, he performed in over 12 countries including France, Greece, Egypt , Japan, England and the US. After touring the US, Mr. Kulev decided to stay and join Ballet Arizona. Since then he went on to perform as a principal dancer with the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Ballet Concerto.
As a teacher, Mr. Kulev possesses a charismatic teaching philosophy that leaves students eager to return each day. He focuses on core strength and technique in the Vaganova method. Inspired by his own teacher, teaching legend Pyotr Pestov, Mr. Kulev inspires students to give their best in class each day.
As a private coach, many of Mr. Kulev’s dancers have won top honors and grand prizes in prominent local, national and international ballet competitions; and received scholarships to elite professional and collegiate training programs from American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet School, The Bolshoi Academy, San Francisco Ballet Program, Indiana University, Boston Conservatory and others.
JENNIFER KULEV, artistic Director
Ms. Kulev retired from her professional career as a principal dancer with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT). During her seven seasons with PBT, she danced the lead roles in the company’s classical ballet productions and worked with and performed the repertoire of many distinguished choreographers such as Glen Tetley, Dwight Rhoden, Kevin O’Day, Derek Deane and Lynn Taylor-Corbett.
Ms. Kulev received her early training from Harvey Hysell and Maestro Vincenzo Celli in New Orleans, then later trained at the School of American Ballet as a scholarship student where she studied under famed teachers Antonina Tumkovsky, Alexandra Danilova and Andrei Kramarevsky. After returning to her home state of Texas, she studied with Madame Krassovska in Dallas and with Ballet Concerto director Margo Dean in Fort Worth. During her eighteen-plus summer performances with Ballet Concerto, she had the unique opportunity to work with and dance works by Luis Montero, Bruce Marks, Michael Vernon and Fernando Bujones.
Ms. Kulev’s performing repertoire includes the principal roles in Giselle, Coppelia, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly, Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, Dracula and Cleopatra, and Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Valse Fantasie, Jewels and Serenade among others. Prior to dancing with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, she danced with the New Orleans Ballet, Dallas Ballet and Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. Ms. Kulev focuses on precise technique, turnout and artistry in her classes.