SALWA RIZKALLA - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Ms. Salwa Rizkalla, Artistic Director of Festival Ballet Theatre, studied with the Russian ballet masters of the Bolshoi and the Leningrad Schools of Ballets for nine years, prior to receiving her university diploma and her BA degree in Ballet Pedagogy.

Her studies centered on the Vaganova method of classical ballet training as taught by such master teachers as: Yuri Zdanov, N. Kouznetsov, Constantin Shatilov, L. Cherkassova and Zinaida Vasiliva. Her credentials as a classical ballet dancer include an impressive list of solo roles in well-known classical ballets, such as: Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Prince Igor, Daphnis and Chloe, Don Juan and Fountain of Bakhchisarai, Don Quixote, as well as appearances in original contemporary pieces.

During her distinguished career as a professional dancer, Ms. Rizkalla had the privilege to work under the direction of world-renowned choreographers, Leonid Lavrovsky and Serge Lifar.

In 1983, seeing a need for classical ballet education in her Orange County, California community, Ms. Rizkalla founded the Southland Ballet Academy and gave it the charter of teaching ballet in the time-honored tradition of the Russian School. The Southland Ballet Academy has registered great successes under Ms. Riskalla' leadership, with its students winning numerous national and international awards, being offered scholarships to prestigious summer programs, and going on to become members of well-known ballet companies upon graduation.

In 1988 Ms. Rizkalla expanded her educational and artistic reach by founding the Festival Ballet Theatre. A classical ballet company committed to bringing the spectacle and the beauty of classical ballet to audiences of all ages, the company also affords local and world-known dancers the opportunity to showcase their talent on the best stages of Orange County.

In addition to her responsibilities as an artistic director for the Festival Ballet Theatre and her busy teaching schedule at the Southland Ballet Academy, Ms. Rizkalla is an active faculty member at the Academy of the Performing Arts at Huntington Beach Highschool and Goldenwest College in Huntington Beach.

A fully credentialed California teacher, Ms Rizkalla has been a dedicated educator, a tireless promoter of the arts, and an active participant in the cultural life of her community for over 25 years. Today she continues to share her passion for dance, and her graceful artistry, with students, performers, and delighted audiences in Orange County where she makes her home.

THE FACULTY