The Directors

Eugene Slavin
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mr. Slavin received his ballet training there at the Teatro Colon, where he began his professional career. In New York, he studied with Anatole Vilzak, who had been First Dancer of the Mariinsky Theatre (now the St. Petersburg-Kirov Ballet), succeeding Vaslav Nijinsky. Mr. Slavin made his American debut at Carnegie Hall and subsequently as a soloist with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Shortly after joining the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where he became a Principal Dancer, he was chosen to partner the legendary ballerina Maria Tallchief in such works as the Don Quixote Pas de Deux, Swan Lake, and George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial.

With the Ballet Russe and Ballet de Monte Carlo he performed in the United States and Europe, and he also toured internationally with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a Principal Dancer. He has been Regisseur of the Ballet Russe Concert Company, taught at the Ballet Russe School in New York and was Ballet Master of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. He choreographed his first work for the Royal Winnipeg and assisted in the filming of the company for the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Mr. Slavin appeared numerous times as a featured performer at Radio City Music Hall and in the heyday of television variety shows was a guest on the Ed Sullivan, Dinah Shore and Perry Como Shows. He has staged ballets for regional companies and taught master classes across the United States, Canada and Australia. He is a past president of the Southwest Regional Ballet Association and has taught master classes in ballet and character for Regional Dance America.

 

Alexandra Nadal
Born in the West Indies, Ms. Nadal received her initial training in Chicago from Russian emigre Andre Commiacoff and former Sadler’s Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet) soloists Richard Ellis and Christine DuBoulay. In New York she continued training with some of the most influential teachers of the time, including Maria Swoboda and Leon Danielian. At age 17, she was accepted into the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for what was to be the company’s last American tour.

Ms. Nadal has also been a member of the New York City Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, a Principal Dancer with Ballet de Monte Carlo under the patronage of Prince Ranier and Princess Grace, and a Ballerina with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. While with the Winnipeg Ballet, she studied with Vera Volkova, who was the most internationally respected expert on and teacher of Vaganova technique long before this teaching method achieved the popularity it currently holds in the West. In addition to performing many of the great 19th Century classics, Ms Nadal has been coached in their ballets by choreographers such as Agnes de Mille, Leonide Massine, Anton Dolin and Eliot Feld as well as performing the works of Balanchine, Bournanville, Jerome Robbins and Frederik Ashton. Agnes de Mille wrote of her “….she has the strength and control that only perfect training can give…there is a creamy elegance to her gestures…she is a connoisseur’s dancer…” She was the recipient of the 1987 YWCA’S Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award.