Guidance Shaped by the Stage.

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Anastasiia Zaberezhna is a distinguished ballet professional with over 15 years of performance experience on the world’s leading stages, including:

• The National Ballet of Canada (Toronto)
• Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre (St. Petersburg)
• National Opera of Ukraine (Kyiv)

As a dancer with the Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre, Anastasiia toured extensively across Europe, North and South America, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, and the United Arab Emirates. These experiences enriched her artistic perspective, which she now shares with her students.

Her teaching experience spans ages 5 through pre-professional levels, including choreographing for Egypt’s National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. For Anastasiia, the greatest reward is witnessing her students’ progress and guiding them to reach new heights—both on stage and in life.

Karolina Nesterova began her ballet training at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, attending the Academy’s preparatory program for three years before entering its professional ballet program. She graduated with a Diploma in Ballet Performance after more than a decade of training in the Vaganova tradition.

After graduating, Karolina joined the Konstantin Tachkin Theatre and toured internationally across Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East (France, Taiwan, China, Bahrain, Germany, Australia, South Africa). Her repertoire included classical productions such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, La Bayadère and Romeo and Juliet, as well as contemporary works.

From 2015 to 2022, Karolina was a ballet dancer with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, performing in a wide range of classical and contemporary ballet productions and opera performances, and participating in international ballet festivals.

Since moving to Canada, she has continued through independent dance projects and teaching classical ballet to students from young children to adults (group and private). Her teaching includes pointe work, individual variation coaching, rehearsals, concert preparation, stretching, ballet workout and conditioning. Drawing on her Vaganova training and professional stage experience, she focuses on strong classical technique, musicality, body awareness and thoughtful individual guidance.

Katherine Semchuk is a contemporary dance artist currently based in Toronto. Originally from Edmonton, AB, she is an alumni of Victoria School of the Arts and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Since 2016 she has been engaging in artistic communities across the country, collaborating and performing with a multitude of artists across disciplines, including:

• Kaeja d’Dance, Mile Zero Dance, Project InTandem (Meghann Michalsky & Sylvie Moquin), Tapestry Opera
• Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, Carol Anderson, Robert Binet, Sasha Ivanochko, Robert Stephen, Mateo Galindo Torres, Naishi Wang, Jera Wolfe, William Yong/Zata Omm
• Peggy Baker Dance Projects (2019/20 RBC Emerging Artist Program — mentorship, repertoire and collaborations)

In 2023, she co-created and toured Maybe we Land with Meghann Michalsky (nominated for two Dora Mavor Moore Awards). She is currently a company member with Radical System Art (Vancouver) and Côté Danse (Toronto), touring nationally and internationally, and a frequent collaborator with the Toronto collective Joy of Music (led by Chris Au and Peggy Baker).

Her choreographic work has been presented by Chutzpah! Festival, Citadel + Compagnie, Expanse Festival, Fluid Fest, FODAR - Market Dances, Mile Zero Dance, and New Dance Horizons. She has created and danced for musical projects including Julian Anderson-Bowes, Black Fish Project, Charsu Quartet, Jordan Hart, Younggun Kim, Mear, and Projectwhatever. Her work has been supported by multiple residencies, Edmonton Arts Council, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and Canada Council for the Arts.

Through teaching, Katherine has shared her passion for movement and dance since age 13, working with students from 3-month-olds to seniors (beginners to professional company dancers). She has taught in public and private schools, competitive studios, university/college programs, company classes, conservatories, and online workshops across the country. She is currently on faculty at Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of Toronto Dance Theatre) teaching Contemporary, Floorwork and Cultivating a Career, and is a guest teacher and demonstrator at Canada’s National Ballet School.

Abby Hanson (she/her) is an emerging contemporary dance artist from Edmonton, AB, currently based in Toronto, ON. She is a 2023 graduate of Dance Arts Institute Canada (formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre), where she worked with artists Amanda Acorn, Tia Ashley Kushniruk, Peggy Baker, and Tilman O’Donnell, each of whom has profoundly influenced her improvisational and choreographic processes.

Her movement research is deeply informed by modern dance techniques such as Graham, Horton, and Limon, which have cultivated an embodied understanding of spiral and extension, visible in her love for highly physical, expansive dancing. Abby is invested in exploring pathways toward efficiency in movement, seeking to release unnecessary muscular tension while sustaining the strength and reactivity essential for fast-twitch dynamics.

She has performed in both the Toronto and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, as well as in educational settings, sharing her work with a wide range of audiences. Over the past decade, Abby has trained, performed, competed, and taught across multiple dance idioms, including ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop. This breadth of experience underpins her enduring passion for performance, research, and collaborative creation with fellow artists.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Larkin Miller trained at two of the most prestigious ballet institutions in the United States — The School of American Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City.

In 2016, Larkin joined The National Ballet of Canada as an RBC Apprentice. Demonstrating exceptional artistry, technical mastery, and stage presence, he steadily rose through the company’s ranks, and in 2025 was promoted to the position of Principal Dancer.

Larkin has captivated audiences with his portrayals of some of ballet’s most iconic roles. His debut as Eugene Onegin in Onegin was praised for its depth and emotional nuance, while his interpretation of Raj/The Caterpillar in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland showcased his versatility and theatrical flair. His repertoire includes Peter/The Nutcracker in The Nutcracker, Prince Charming in Cinderella, Maurice Blackburn/Vincent Warren in Frame by Frame, as well as leading roles in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, The Winter’s Tale, Nijinsky, Anna Karenina, The Merry Widow, Pinocchio, A Streetcar Named Desire, MADDADDAM, Emma Bovary, Angels’ Atlas, The Dream, Diamonds, Serenade, Concerto, Suite en Blanc, Passion, Elite Syncopations, The Collective Agreement, Crepuscular, Being and Nothingness and On Solid Ground.

Beyond his stage career, Larkin is a dedicated mentor and educator. As Guest Faculty at T&Y Ballet Studio, he brings world-class expertise, refined technique, and an inspiring artistic vision to the next generation of dancers. His teaching combines the precision of classical ballet with the expressive freedom of contemporary movement, encouraging students to find their own voice within the art form.