Zhanna is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, where she trained from the famed Vagonova Ballet
Academy, and graduated with Honors in 1968. She studied with the renowned O. Yordan and V.
Kostrovitskaya. For over 20 years Zhanna was a soloist with the Choreographic Miniatures
Company led by L. Yacobson and the Maly Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Michailovski Theatre).
She has worked with international acclaimed choreographers such as Y. Yacobson, I. Belsky, N
Boyarchikov, O. Vinogradov, and B. Eifman. Her performances have been seen throughout the
world – from Europe to Asia. She is an accomplished ballerina with recognition in classical,
contemporary, modern and character ballets such as: Swan Lake, Paquita, La Corsaire, Giselle,
La Sylphide, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardee, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet,
MacBeth, The Hooligans, Serenade, and Theme and Variations.
Zhanna has been invited as a master teacher and choreographer to stage classical ballets such as
Giselle, La Sylphide, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Paquita, and Swan Lake for major
companies (including Colorado Ballet) and competitions throughout the United States and
Europe. Since 1998 she has assumed the role of Artistic Director for Salt Creek Ballet – and has
stage all productions for the pre-professional company. Under her direction, Salt Creek Ballet
has also become recognized as one of the leading pre-professional ballet companies in the
Regional Dance America Festival.
She is internationally respected and known for her preservation of the purity, musicality, and
aesthetics of the Russian classical ballet technique and traditions. Today, her students perform
worldwide in major dance companies. Many have gone on to teaching, choreographing, and
staging ballets nationally and internationally.