Meet The Teachers

Lena Levins

Rianna Leyden

Alisha McFadden

Lena Levins - born in St.Petersburg, Russia, where she studied ballet and art at Sviridov School of Arts and then under Marina Pomerantseva, who was taught by Agrippina Vaganova and then danced at the Kirov (Mariinsky) theatre.
Upon coming to Ireland in 2012 she joined the Monica Loughman Ballet company as a dancer, and in 2017 started teaching. Lena has a red diploma in Pedagogy.

Anton Ploom

Anton graduated from the A.Y. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St Petersburg in 2001. Antonio won the International Ballet Competition in Italy in 2007. In 2015 he graduated from the Vaganova Academy again. This time as a teacher (Magistracy)

Romas Ceizaris

Romas Ceizaris graduated from the National M. K. Čiurlionis Scool of Arts Ballet Department in 2005. He became a soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet theatre in 2004, when he was still a student. Mr. Ceizaris prepared main roles in such ballets as “The Sleeping Beauty” (Prince Desire), “Swan Lake” (Prince Siegfried, pas de trois), “La Bayadère” (Solor), “Romeo and Juliet” (Paris), “Peter Pan” (Shadow), “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (Dwarf), “Giselle” (Pas de deux) and others. He participated in a ballet competition “ARABESK 2006” in Perm (Russia) and became a finalist. Together with the LNOBT’s troupe he danced in Poland, Latvia and Spain. In 2009 R. Ceizaris was bestowed a “Švyturys” award as the Best Ballet Soloist of the Year.

Rianna began training in ballet at age 11 at The Ballet Barn for four years, She has attended Shawbrook residential summer intensives where she was awarded a scholarship. She started attending Monica Loughman Elite Ballet School at aged 15.

Rianna will teach our back to basics lessons on a Wednesday evening.

Nikolay Semenov

Nikolay Semenov - Graduated from the A.Y. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet In 2001. Then in 2011 as a teacher. In 2017 he began studying for a PHD.

Mark Hindle

Mark has recently completed two years at The Royal Ballet School on their teachers diploma and is now a qualified ballet teacher under The Royal Ballet School. He has also taught for The Royal Ballet School Associate and Primary Steps programs. Mark has been invited by The Royal Ballet School to be a guest assessor and was also on the schools panel for their final auditions. Mark has also taught on The Yorkshire Seminars and this year he has lead the auditions for The National Youth Ballet of Great Britain Mark currently adjudicates nationally and internationally for The Dance World Cup

Alisha has been dancing under Miss Monica since she was 4 years old. She started training with the elite academy at age 10.

She has danced as Clara, The sugarplum fairy, Nutcracker pas de deux, Snow pas, Tchaikovsky variation, Le Bayadere Gamzatti, and she has attended master classes and summer schools at Monica Loughman Elite Ballet.

Anastasia

Anastasia Lomachemkova - Graduated in 1998 from the A.Y. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. And then again as a teacher in 2013. She is the gold winner of the International Ballet Competition in Hungary in 2008. In 2017 her and Anton created their own ballet company in St Petersburg.

Denis Matvienko

Denis is a merited Artist of Ukraine, he was born in 1979 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. He began training in classical dance at a very young age at the Kiev State Choreography School and at the age of 18 he joined the Ukrainian National Ballet as a First Figure

In 2001 he joined the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg as Soloist. In 2003 he returned to the Ukrainian National Ballet and in 2007 he moved back to St. Petersburg working for the Mikhailovsky Theatre as a Principal Dancer. Two years later, in 2009, he returned as Principal Star to the Mariinsky Theatre

Denis has been a guest dancer with numerous Companies, such as the Bolshoi, New National Theatre of Japan, Alla Scala Theatre, Paris Opera among others. During his career he performed in numerous Principal roles, but he is a dancer at heart with exceptional versatility, allowing him to excel across both Neoclassical and Contemporary works