MEDIA RELEASE

West Hawaii Dance Theatre welcomes back Timour Bourtasenkov and Lori Christman Bourtasenkov for the 2011 Holiday Ballet Intensive.

The classes are Dec. 27-29 at West Hawaii Dance Academy and are open to the public.

The Bourtasenkovs will teach ballet technique, points and variations/repertoire between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day.

Tuition is $210 for all three days in advance; $85 per day; or $35 per class.

To register, call 329-8876 or download a registration form at www.whdt.org

Bourtasenkov just finished a guest appearance with Ballet Hawaii’s “Nutcracker” at the Blaisdale Center in Honolulu.

He began his professional education with the Moldavian Opera House and the Bolshoi Ballet. Upon coming to America he danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet, New Jersey Ballet and the New York based Daring Project. In 1998, Bourtasenkov joined Carolina Ballet as a principal dancer and founding member of the company.

He has choreographed works for Carolina Ballet, Infinity Ballet, New Jersey Ballet and most recently, the New York Choreographic Institute, using New York City Ballet members.

Bourtasenkov won the Bronze Medal in the VII Massako Ohyo World Ballet Competition of Osaka, Japan and the V International Competition of Paris, France. He was awarded a jury prize at the 2nd Luxembourg International Ballet Competition.

Bourtasenkov has appeared in two USSR movies: The Long Way and The Magic Star. In 1996, he filmed Little Red Ridinghood, directed by Davis Koplan and choreographed by Elena Tchernichova.

In 1996, Bourtasenkov became the Artistic Advisor of Infinity Ballet and in 2005 he was named the Artistic Director of Carolina Performing Arts Center in Pinehurst, N.C.