Our Team.

Alexandra Koltun

Founder & Artistic Director, Koltun Ballet Boston

Alexandra Koltun graduated from the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1989, earning a BFA with honors under the mentorship of legendary teachers Natalia Dudinskaya, Ludmila Morkovina, and Irina Kolpakova. Upon graduation, she joined the Kirov Ballet (Mariinsky) and quickly rose to prominence, performing leading roles and working closely with icons such as Tatiana Terekhova, Irina Kolpakova, and Sergei Berezhnoi. She toured internationally throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.

After defecting from the Kirov Ballet in 1991, Alexandra began her American career as a guest artist with New Jersey Ballet and Colorado Ballet. In 1992, she joined Boston Ballet as a soloist and was promoted to principal dancer in 1994 under the directorship of Bruce Marks. Her repertoire included leading roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as contemporary works by Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, and Daniel Pelzig. In George Balanchine’s Apollo, she was partnered by international ballet star Fernando Bujones.

Alexandra went on to perform as a principal dancer with Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and as a guest artist with the Bavarian State Theater in Munich. She later worked with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center and performed at the Joyce Theater in New York with Margo Sappington’s The Daring Project, NYC. As a guest artist, she appeared internationally with American Ballet Stars, Ballet San Jose, and Dallas–Fort Worth Ballet, and collaborated with renowned choreographer Flemming Flindt on The Red Shoes and Miraculous Mandarin.

Throughout her career, Alexandra received numerous awards, including the Bronze Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi (1994), and the Gold Medal at the Boston International Choreography Competition. She has been featured in Dance Magazine, Boston Magazine, and other major publications, and has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle.

Following her distinguished performance career, Alexandra devoted herself to teaching and coaching. She has taught for leading institutions such as Boston Ballet, Festival Ballet Providence, Colorado Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Ellison Ballet, Joffrey Ballet (NY), and the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, where she served as Artistic Director from 2009. Under her leadership, the school achieved remarkable success at Youth America Grand Prix, earning multiple finalist awards and a Grand Prix at the European Finals.

In 2008 Alexandra launched Alexandra’s Ballet Stretch, a unique conditioning system designed to enhance flexibility, strength, posture, and coordination for dancers and non-dancers alike. Developed from decades of professional ballet experience, this program combines classical technique with modern exercise science to promote a healthy, strong, and injury-free body. The carefully structured routines focus on alignment, muscle balance, and fluidity of movement—making them suitable for children, adults, and professionals at any level.

Alexandra’s Ballet Stretch quickly gained recognition for its effectiveness and accessibility. The accompanying instructional DVD, distributed internationally through Amazon and Alexandra’s official website, brought the program to students and teachers around the world. Alexandra continues to lead seminars and workshops across the U.S. and abroad, inspiring participants to achieve their personal best through mindful movement, grace, and discipline. More than just a stretch system, Alexandra’s Ballet Stretch reflects Alexandra’s lifelong commitment to sharing the beauty, health, and artistry of ballet with everyone.

In 2012, Alexandra founded Koltun Ballet Boston, where she continues to share her artistry, passion, and deep knowledge of the Vaganova tradition with the next generation of dancers. Her students and choreography have received multiple accolades at YAGP, including Outstanding School for 5 consecutive years and Best Choreographer.

In 2025, Alexandra expanded her creative vision by launchingAlexandra Koltun Photography, where she captures dancers, artists, and individuals with the same artistic sensitivity and precision that defined her ballet career. Through both her school and photography, Alexandra continues to inspire, mentor, and celebrate the art of human expression.

Mairi Jausseran

Koltun Ballet Boston is delighted to welcome Mairi Jausseran to our faculty beginning Summer 2026! Mairi began her training in Honolulu at Hawaii State Ballet under John Landovsky, then continued on scholarship at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. Her advanced studies took place at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg under Ludmila Kovaleva Udalenkova.

Her competitive experience includes the Varna International Ballet Competition and finalist status at both the Serge Lifar Competition in Kyiv and Youth America Grand Prix in New York City. As Ballet Mistress with Columbia Classical Ballet, she staged full-length classical productions and coached students who advanced to companies including Het Nationale Ballet and Boston Ballet.

Now based in Boston, Mairi specializes in classical ballet instruction rooted in the Vaganova method and brings a wealth of knowledge, artistry, and teaching experience to young dancers.

Rachel Linsky

Rachel Linsky is a Boston-based contemporary dance artist holding a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from Elon University, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2019.

She dances as a Principal Dancer with KAIROS Dance Theater and has toured nationally. Her choreography has appeared at venues including the New England Conservatory, Boston Center for the Arts, The Huntington Theatre, and Boston University. She teaches Contemporary, Ballet, and Yiddish folk dance throughout Boston and has led workshops at Tufts, Brandeis, and MIT.

Her work has received recognition through fellowships and awards from numerous organizations including the New England Foundation for the Arts, the Boston Foundation, and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

London Mills

London Mills is an award-winning choreographer recognized for creating emotionally resonant, visually striking works distinguished by dynamic staging, musicality, and emotional depth. She graduated from Koltun Ballet Boston in 2020 after training extensively in the Vaganova tradition under Alexandra Koltun and Alex Lapshin. Her classical foundation informs her contemporary work through technical precision and innovative movement vocabulary.

Recent accolades include YAGP Outstanding Choreographer (2025 & 2026), the Judges Choice Award for “Vendetta” (2026), “Scratch” placing 1st at the Boston Semifinal and Top 12 worldwide at the YAGP Houston Finals (2026), and 1st Place for “Vendetta” at UBC Senior Contemporary Ensemble (2026).

Fernando Hernando Magadan

Fernando Hernando Magadan is a Spanish dancer and choreographer who originally trained as a professional gymnast becoming a National Champion. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Dance in Madrid and the London Studio Centre before enrolling at the Central School of Ballet. After dancing for one year in Santamaria Compañia de Danza, he joined the Nederlands Dans Theater II in 2001, and was later nominated for ‘Outstanding Male Artist’ in the Modern Dance category at the Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards 2003. Fernando was invited to join the Nederlands Dans Theater I in 2004, where he worked with and performed works by renowned choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Paul Lightfoot, Sol Leon, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger and Crystal Pite, among others.

As a choreographer, Fernando has created several works, including pieces for NDT 1 and 2, the Curve Foundation Dance Company (Scotland), Luna Negra Dance Theater (Chicago), Cross Connection Ballet Company (Copenhagen), Ballet Mainz (Germany), Donlon Dance Company (Saarbruecken), Arts Umbrella Dance Company and Ballet BC (Vancouver), Korzo Theater (The Hague). He choreographed Nierka, a multidisciplinary show by visual designer Tupac Martir, which premiered in London in 2012. He has also been invited to present his choreography The Time is a House for the Russian Cultural TV.

Fernando collaborates with the NDT Education Department, and has coordinated the NDT choreographic workshop Switch for several years. He has been invited to teach at the Dance Art Faculty of Rome, Architanz International Centre for Dance in Tokyo, The University of North Carolina, The Incolballet Ballet Institute of Colombia, the Hollins University in New York and the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. He performed his solo piece Rouse with the Etoiles from the Hamburg Ballet, and has presented it at the Dance Salad Festival 2013 in Houston. His piece Royal Road was performed together with Grammy Award Winners ‘Turtle Island Quartet’ by the Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. He’s been invited to perform at the Benois de la Danse Gala Performance 2013 at the Bolshoi.

Roman Rykine

Roman Rykine began his training under the direction of Shamil Teregulov at the Rudolph Nureyev State Ballet Academy in his hometown of Ufa, Russia. From early on, Roman was recognized as an exceptionally gifted dancer. While still a student, Roman was given the opportunity to perform the roles of Prince Siegfried in “Swan Lake” and Albrecht in “Giselle”. Mr. Rykine graduated in 1993 and was immediately invited to join the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer. That same year, he was awarded the Gold Medal and First prize at the International Ballet Competition in Lausanne, Switzerland and a Bronze medal at the Rudolph Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary. Mr. Rykine was also awarded the honorary title of “Artist of Merit of the Republic” from the Government of Ufa, Russia in 1993. In 1994, Mr. Rykine received the Bronze Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi and was invited to join the English National Ballet as a principal dancer. With the English National Ballet, he starred in a wide range of full-length classical ballets including Rudolph Nureyev’s “Romeo and Juliet”.

Mr. Rykine joined the San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 1996. In his six years with the company, he toured extensively throughout Europe, Japan, China, Korea, Russia and the United States. He danced numerous leading roles in the company’s classical repertoire including Rudolph Nureyev’s “Raymonda” — Act III. Mr. Rykine also excelled in the contemporary and neoclassical repertoire.

Mr. Rykine retired from the stage in 2010 and turned his focus to teaching. He became a guest faculty member at the Boston Ballet School and in 2012 joined the artistic faculty of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division. In 2016, Mr. Rykine joined the Atlanta Ballet as a Ballet Master. As part of the company artistic staff, he also staged ballets that include Marius Petipa’s “Paquita”, “Giselle” and Act III “Swan Lake”, Yuri Possokhov’s Firebird, and Liam Scarlett’s “Vespertine”. He also made a significant contribution to the creation of Yuri Possokhov’s “The Nutcracker” for the company. Currently, he is a guest Ballet Master with The Sarasota Ballet Company as well as a freelance teacher/stager.