OPEN LEVEL BALLET CLASSES
With Ido Tadmor
Monday @ 10am
Tuesday @ 10am
Wednesday @ 10am
Friday @ 10am
Saturday @ 10am
5774 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019
For more information please contact:
Diane Shigekawa - Dance Professional Development Manager
(310) 701-1632
Our Team
DIANE SHIGEKAWA
Dance Professional Development Manager
Currently, Diane is a Private Dance and Movement Instructor. She was a Principal Dancer and Soloist for the MEHMET SANDER DANCE COMPANY; where she performed in the Holland Dance Festival, Festival Internacional de Danca (Brasil), Bollwerk/Belluard Dance Festival (Switzerland), Kobenhavns Internationale Dansefestival (Denmark), Istanbul Muzik Festivali (Turkey), and UCLA Dance Series, and at many venues including Schoenberg Hall, Sushi Performing Arts Space, the Carpenter Theater, Sci-Arc, Barnsdall Art Park, and New York’s City Center, and has given lectures/demonstrations in Germany. For over 45 years, she has studied and taught modern, contemporary, improvisation, choreography, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, break dancing, salsa, tango, ballroom, tap, swing, lindy, Noh, Kabuki, Okinawan dance, Bartinieff, Butoh, Laban/Labanotation, floor barre, folk dancing, hula, capoeira, karate, taekwondo, boxing, gymnastics, cheerleading, drill team, ballet, liturgical dance, movement for actors, performance, master dance classes, and company classes. Also, she has performed for R DANCE COMPANY, THE IT SQUAD, YOUNG-AE PARK AND DANCERS, COUERAGE THEATRE COMPANY, LION’S POUNCE DANCE THEATER, MARION SCOTT’S SPIRIT DANCES, J STRAUSS JAZZ, RON BROWN, KAI GANADO, IRIS PELL, PAULA PRESENT/PTERO DANCE COMPANY, DANIEL JIMERSON, DANCE KALEIDOSCOPE, J STRAUSS JAZZ, and NATIONAL WOMEN’S THEATER. She was a Performer, Instructor, Choreographer, Costumer, Co-Director, and Co-Founder of KOR DANCE in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and New York City at City Center Studios and Merce Cunningham Performance Space.
JHONATHAN SOUTCHY
Substitute Teacher
Jhonathan was educated in classical ballet and modern dance techniques at the Bat-Dor dance school in Israel. In his early 20’s, he worked at MUZA Dance Company and experienced work with many different choreographers and an extensive variety of teachers from many different fields. He danced for choreographers like Ohad Naharin, Lara Barsaque, Anat Danieli, Margalit Oved, Niv Sheinfeld, Keren Levi, Ido Tadmor. He trained in classical ballet, modern dance, acting classes, Tai Chi, Yoga, Composition, Music, Feldenkrais, Aikido, Contact Improvisation and more. Jhonathan danced as a soloist in the Ido Tadmor Dance Company, and performed in different productions at the Suzan Dellal Dance Center: “Behemot” by Imanuel Gat, Ido Tadmor, Yosi Undman & Shlomi Biton; and "But The Virgin Was Not Available" by Javier de Frutos.
As a singing dancer, he participated in the cast of the Bob Fosse musical, "Chicago" – the Israeli version. As a choreographer, Jhonathan won many awards in dance competitions such as "Shades Of Dance" – Suzan Dellal, Carmiel Dance Festival, IBelieve dance competition and more. Jhonathan was the modern dance choreographer for the TV show, "So You Think You Can Dance" Israel. He also created dance pieces for various dance companies in Israel and around the world, like the Israeli Ballet, Backhausdance Company. He worked as an independent choreographer in several dance festivals such as Hazira Jerusalem, Intima Dance, Clipa Aduma, Machol Acher. As a dance teacher, Jhonathan worked with the best dance schools in Israel such as Bikurei Haitim, Israeli Ballet, Mehola Dance Company. Jhonathan has a Bachelors of Education in Dance from Seminar Hakibbutzim College.
ADDISON ECTOR
Substitute Teacher
Addison Ector (California, USA) began dancing at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. After graduating high school, he was accepted into the scholarship program at The Alvin Ailey School in New York City for 3 years and also attended the Jacobs Pillow Contemporary Program in 2012. Immediately following his training, Mr. Ector joined Complexions Contemporary Ballet based in NYC under the direction of Dwight Rhoden & Desmond Richardson for 5 years touring domestically & internationally. After Complexions, Mr. Ector joined TanzCompany Innsbruck in 2018/2019 under the direction of Enrique Gasa Valga based in Austria. He left the company to recover from an injury and returned for 2 more seasons. In 2023/2024, Mr. Ector joined Enrique Gasa Valga’s brand new company, Limonada Dance Company, as a principal guest artist. Mr. Ector's accomplishments include: Photoshoot at the Swarovski Headquarters in Austria, Gap's Fall 2016 Fitness Campaign, Coreon Du's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" & Jill Scott's "Back Together" music videos, featured in 2 published books, "The Art of Movement" by NYC Dance Project & "Dancers After Dark" by Jordan Matter; and working with world renowned photographers like Rachel Neville, Carlos Quezada, Günther Egger, Vikki Sloviter & many more. He was also a guest artist with: Ballet Dallas, Germaul Barnes/Viewsic Expressions Dance, Company XIV Burlesque, Appalachian Ballet Company (Nutcracker Snow King & Spanish), Royal Ballet Dance Academy (Nutcracker Arabian) & The Great Gatsby Ballet based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Mr. Ector has also had the pleasure of teaching at studios, universities and companies around the world: University of South Carolina, Joffrey Ballet NYC, Texas Ballet Theater, Complexions Ballet Intensives, Atlanta Dance Connections and Dance Innsbruck (Austria) to name a few.
MAIRE ELIZABETH NEW
Substitute Teacher
Máire Elizabeth New is the first Alaskan graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.
She has performed on the Bolshoi stage and worked as a principal dancer with Moscow Classical Ballet, Samara Academic Theatre of Opera & Ballet, Astrakhan State Theatre of Opera & Ballet, Boston City Ballet, and Ido Tadmor Ballet.
Máire has trained with master pedagogues including Irina Kolpakova and Ludmila Morkovina, pupils of Agrippina Vaganova herself.
She has choreographed award-winning pieces for the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Youth America Grand Prix, and Li’s Ballet, and has taught masterclasses for Yale University and Westside School of Ballet.
She was also featured in Mariinsky Ballet’s "Russian Ballet Stars” gala, the America-Israel Cultural Foundation's ICA Awards Ceremony in New York, and the “Dance For Life” Festival, directed by Desmond Richardson, Phil Wilson, and Debbie Allen, where she performed an original creation by Ido Tadmor.
Máire’s students have won and been recognized at numerous international competitions and received scholarships to world-renowned schools including the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, John Cranko Schule, Paris Opera Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, English National Ballet School, and Ellison Ballet.
Máire currently resides in New York where she works as a freelance principal dancer, teacher, and choreographer.
DAVID PROTTAS
Substitute Teacher
After ten years with the New York City Ballet, David joined the 1st National Tour of An American in Paris before making his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning revival of Carousel. He continues his career as an actor, dancer and ballet teacher with a passion for making ballet approachable, meaningful and fun for all. He teaches a variety of open classes at Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica.
His training includes The Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Canada’s National Ballet School, The School of American Ballet, The Actor's Foundry, Lesly Kahn and Company and The Groundlings School. He is the recipient of the Christopher Ondaatje Ballet Prize and the Jerome Robbins Scholarship.
HAI COHEN
Substitute Teacher
A native of Beer-Sheva, Israel, Hai found his passion for dance through dancing with noted Israeli folk dance company Aylot Anegov, traveling around the globe presenting this rich cultural heritage at festivals for five years. He then went on to study ballet at the Bat Dor Professional Dance School. During that time, Hai was awarded the American-Israel Cultural Scholarship, given only to the top dance students in the country. Upon graduation, his achievements in dance were honored by the Israeli government, which allowed him to continue his professional career while simultaneously fulfilling his mandatory 3-year national service commitment in the IDF. After leaving Bat Dor, Hai’s training continued with Bat-Sheva Dance Company as an apprentice.
He was a member of Kamea Contemporary Dance Company and joined Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (under the direction of Rami Be-er) in 2007, with whom he traveled the globe touring their acclaimed dances at major venues. Because of the demand for Kibbutz technique, Hai currently teaches Kibbutz repertoire throughout the world. After emigrating to the US, Hai was a member of the acclaimed Los Angeles-based dance company BODYTRAFFIC from 2010-2013. Mr. Cohen shares his passion for dance with the next generation of dancers as a faculty member of the Idyllwild Arts Academy, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he teaches modern dance and ballet and choreographs multiple student pieces. Hai’s dance courses are unique in their combination of multiple dance techniques, giving his students a thorough foundation from which they can develop their individual voices as dancers and share their passions as fully-developed artists. In addition to teaching at Idyllwild and LAcCHSA, Hai is featured regularly as guest faculty, choreographer, and clinician at schools across America.