2024-2025 Master Class Series
Master classes will take place on the first Friday of every month. Times vary, so please be sure to double check the schedule. Find the full bios of all our instructors below. Please contact Ixchel to register for Master Classes.
Valery Lantratov, a graduate of the Moscow Academic Choreographic College, has had a distinguished career as a dancer in many dance companies and international tours. Most recently he has made international headlines for his role as Czar Nicholas II in a production of the new ballet Rasputin, with Farouk Ruzimatov of the Marinsky Theater (Kirov). In 1997, Russian president Boris Yeltsin named Mr. Lantratov “People’s Artist of Russia”, the Russian Federation’s highest artistic honor. In 1993 Lantratov formed the Russian National Ballet Foundation and has toured as a solo guest artist all over the world. The foundation allows him to realize his goal of introducing new audiences throughout the world to some of the finest classical works of Russia.
Upslope Physical Therapy’s mission is to empower individuals to surpass their physical barriers, reclaim their active lifestyles, and achieve their full potential. Through personalized care and expert guidance, we provide the tools and support necessary to overcome obstacles and embrace a life of strength, mobility, and vitality.
David Taylor has been professionally involved in the Colorado dance community for the past fifty-three years. He began choreographing in 1976 and since then has created over one hundred original works. In 1979, he founded the David Taylor Dance Theatre, for thirty-two years one of the Rocky Mountain Region's most well-known and respected dance organizations, and Denver’s original contemporary ballet company. Mr. Taylor is also an authority on dance history and sacred dance and he continues to conduct workshops and lecture demonstrations on these subjects for both statewide and national organizations. Currently, he also serves as the Artistic Director Emeritus and an upper level ballet program faculty member at Denver Ballet Theatre, teaching ballet technique and dance history. Mr. Taylor founded his new company, the Zikr Dance Ensemble, in 2009. With a roster that features some of the nation’s finest ballet-trained and contemporary dancers along with a totally unique repertoire, the company has been met consistently with standing ovations and critical acclaim.
Recently retired from a 22 year professional performance career, Sarah Tallman is currently serving as Ballet Master and Associate Choreographer for Wonderbound, Denver’s premier contemporary dance company. She spent 15 years performing with Wonderbound and has danced in over 30 original works by Artistic Director, Garrett Ammon. Her technical prowess and artistic development over that time was guided by President, Dawn Fay. She has performed alongside musicians, poets, mentalists, and visual artists.
An accomplished choreographer, Sarah has created several works for Wonderbound in collaboration with Denver based musicians and visual artists. She has created works for Oklahoma City Ballet, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Western Arkansas Ballet, University of Northern Colorado, Kent State University and Denver School of the Arts. Sarah is guided by the humility that permeates the human spirit. She believes art and the stimulus of music and movement can awaken the senses by exploring the complexities of being human. The simple things that make Sarah smile include twinkling lights, and the color orange. She resides in Denver with her loving husband, and their pets.
Christina Bargelt was born and raised in Denver, CO where she dedicated her childhood to the performing arts. She began her ballet training at age three at Academy of Classical Ballet under Carla Parks and Ixchel Levendosky, her violin training at age five through the Suzuki Method under Heather Gruis, and her professional singing career with the Colorado Children’s Chorale at eight.
In her teen years, Christina continued her ballet and jazz training at Denver Dance Center under Kris Kehl, Jill Oliver, and Terrell Davis. She was given multiple opportunities to perform principal and soloist roles in Jill Oliver’s Thrive Ballet productions and competed in the Denver Ballet Guild Young Dancers Competition and Youth America Grand Prix Semi-Finals. She also attended summer programs at Joffrey Ballet School, Ballet West, and Colorado Ballet.
Christina went on to study ballet and ballet pedagogy at University of Utah’s internationally esteemed Ballet Program under notable faculty members Jay Kim, Maggie Wright Tesch, Christopher Alloways-Ramsey, Sharee Lane, Melissa Bobick, Dr. Melonie Buchanan Murray, Pablo Piantino, Jan Fugit, Jennie Creer-King, Richard Wacko, Justine Sheedy-Kramer, and Dr. Kate Mattingly. She gained further experience in jazz, modern, choreography, and character dance throughout her undergraduate experience and performed in over six productions ranging from classical ballet to post modern dance. She graduated in May of 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet (Pedagogy Emphasis), a Ballet Teaching Certificate, and a Minor in Violin Performance.
Post graduation, Christina worked at Boulder Body Wear honing her skills as a professional pointe shoe fitter under Amy Kenney’s tutelage. She also danced professionally with Reformation Dance Company as a Soloist for the 2019-2020 season originating featured roles in two of Kathy Vreeland’s contemporary ballets: Witch and Go West. Christina joined Ballet Ariel as a company dancer for the 2021-2022 season where she has performed featured and corps de ballet roles in Coppelia, The Nutcracker, Bournoville’s Konservatoriet, Tale of Molly Brown, and An American in Paris.
Christina is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, in order to further support her passion for providing ballet students with a strong and safe foundation. She continues to build her leadership experience volunteering for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and remains a sought after teaching artist in Colorado and beyond.