Past Shows

Zhanat Baidaralin and Vera Kurmasheva are internationally recognized ballet teachers and choreographers from Almaty, Kazakhstan. They came to the US as the Aliens with Extraordinary Abilities in 2001, and shortly after opened their own ballet studio in Barrington, Rhode Island. They have taught in many places in America including Dance Theater of Harlem NY, Walnut Hill in MA, and RI Festival Ballet to name a few. They run a comprehensive ballet program featuring pointe, partnering, variations, turn techniques, ballet heritage; along with elements of historical dances and character, modern and workout with a discipline in classical ballet.

 

Zhanat is a natural-born artist, whose talent takes roots from the nature of the beautiful Almaty Mountains in Kazakhstan, where he was born into a family of a village teacher. Zhanat was always a very talented drafter. Even though he became a professional ballet dancer and spent over 50 years in ballet, he always kept his childhood dream of becoming a fine artist. And when he reached his 60’s, he finally started painting, just like he always wanted to. He paints mostly nature landscapes using acrylic paint over canvas, and very often his artworks are devoted to his childhood village and its scenic surroundings, and also the views of wonderful Rhode Island.

 

Vera is a multi-talented artist, who, besides co-directing the Ballet Prestige Studio as a ballet teacher, also makes all of the stage costumes for shows with her own hands including traditional Kazakh costumes for dolls. She has created over 70 pieces, each of them designed and sewn by Vera herself. The studio’s students wear these costumes during the two major performances per year: the Nutcracker on Christmas, and the Spring Performance, which concludes the school year before the summer program. Her small handmade doll dresses reflect the same attitude and passion towards the costumes as in her real costumes.

 

Daniyar Baidaralin is a son of Zhanat and Vera. He is an artist, writer, and a specialist on Kazakh traditional archery. Daniyar spent almost two decades working in interior design, architecture, and construction field. In 2003, he came to the US, and spent a number of years working for Morris Nathanson Design firm in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In 2011, he moved back to Kazakhstan, where he continued working for architecture and construction companies. He was also involved with the Ballet Prestige Studio since the beginning, helping his parents to find the location, design the studio, and renovate it for the opening. Since 2016, he and his wife Asylgul Baidaralina co-own the creative shop Baidaraly Studio in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

 

Daniyar has an educational background in fine arts: sculpture, illustration, and painting. A big part of his creative activity revolves around Kazakh traditional warriors and Sadaqshiliq – the art of Kazakh mounted horseback archery. Daniyar loves the Kazakh horse bows: he builds and shoots them, includes them in his artwork, and writes books about them. He is a published author of the book called Sadaqshiliq: the Art of Making and Shooting the Kazakh Horsebow. The main theme of his paintings and illustrations are Kazakh horseback archers and archeresses, the true historical Amazons.