Kingsport Ballet Artistic Director Awarded By TN Association of Dance

By Bertina Dew, Executive Director, Kingsport Ballet –

Kingsport Ballet artistic director and ballet mistress, Valeria Sinyavskaya, has been awarded Tennessee Association of Dance’s (TAD) “Outstanding Dance Educator Award” during their recent dance festival held at Middle Tennessee State University. The Outstanding Dance Educator Award recognizes and honors excellence in the field of dance education. This peer award honors the fine professionals working in Tennessee and also earns public recognition for the importance of dance education. The honoree is awarded a plaque and receives free annual membership and conference registration the following year. TAD holds their festival each Fall, convening dancers from throughout Tennessee as well as nearby states, such as Georgia and Kentucky. Guest teachers from around the country teach workshops and master classes in a wide-range of dance styles. Other awards presented at the festival include scholarships for summer study, presented after competitive auditions. Kingsport Ballet students have been scholarship winners on several occasions, most recently in 2015 and 2016.

Sinyavskaya has been at the artistic helm at Kingsport Ballet for 15 years. She was recruited from Tokyo, Japan where she was artistic director of the International Ballet Academy. She is a former Prima Ballerina with the Novosibirsk Ballet Theater and Opera. Sinyavskaya spent twenty years as a professional ballerina, most of it as a principal dancer and guest soloist with the major Russian ballet companies including Bolshoi Ballet, performing leading roles in Russian and European ballets and touring throughout Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America and the United States.

She has thirty-six years of professional teaching experience, including twenty-five years in the United States as artistic director, ballet mistress, ballet teacher and choreographer at universities, ballet conservatories and private dance schools. Fifteen of those years, she has been with the Kingsport Ballet.

“Valeria is a dancer-maker. Once the students have had her for a year or two you can see her mark—everyone has the arms, everyone closes in perfect fifth position … this is why I love to work with Kingsport Ballet students,” said Andre Valadao, Principal Dancer and Assistant Artistic Director, Dance Alive National Ballet.

Sinyavskaya also has thirty years’ experience producing major classical ballets, frequently featuring international ballet stars. She teaches the Vaganova Method of classical ballet, pas de deux, variations, pointe, character dance, and specializes in the staging of full-length classical repertory.

“She is an inspiration to so many, her passion, her beautiful expression through dance, her skill, knowledge & patience. Kingsport Ballet Is so lucky to have her,” said Jan Mather,  a community volunteer.