FACULTY

VASILE PETRUTIU

Founder & Executive Director

(Ballet, Character, Partnering, Pointe, Variations) - Born in Transylvania, Romania, Mr. Petrutiu graduated at the top of his class with the highest degree in the field of dance from the Romanian Academy of Fine Arts. Following graduation, he immediately joined the Romanian National Opera and Ballet in Bucharest and later accepted an invitation to join The Classical and Contemporary Ballet of Romania as principal dancer and toured extensively throughout Europe, Canada and the United States. In 1982 he defected while on tour in USA. In 1984 Mr. Petrutiu established his residency in the United States and later got his US citizenship. His distinguished career includes the title of principal dancer with noted companies Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Cleveland-San Jose Ballet, Dallas Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Nevada Dance Theatre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Alberta Ballet, and encompasses an extensive repertoire of leading roles in classical ballets and contemporary pieces. Mr. Petrutiu has also acted as artistic director, master teacher, school director, and choreographer for several companies, most recently Southern Ballet Theater (SBT), now Orlando Ballet. Under his direction SBT successfully eliminated its trailing deficit of over 400K, tripled season subscriptions, and earned a surplus of 125K by his third year of leadership. In 2000, Mr. Petrutiu founded and incorporated the Central Florida Ballet (CFB) and its Academy, guiding the two organizations to great success. The Academy reached an enrollment of over 300 students in just four months and in 2003, Mr. Petrutiu’s Nutcracker production received international recognition being featured in USA Today and CNN Headline News as “one of the five outstanding productions in the nation”. In 2007, Central Florida Ballet was recognized for its original production of “9/11 An American Moment” by The House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. as ”the only company in the nation to have created a ballet on 9/11 this fateful day in American history”. In 2007, Mr. Petrutiu inaugurated the World Ballet Competition, which became the first ballet competition to be entirely broadcast on the internet. The WBC has since generated more than 7.5 million internet views worldwide and has been featured in numerous magazines internationally, including five multiple page layouts in Dance for You Magazine (based in Europe). Mr. Petrutiu is excited to continue working with professional dancers and students throughout the world as well as to bring quality in dance to Central Florida and abroad.

VLADIMIR BYKOV

Artistic Director

(Ballet, Character, Partnering, Pointe, Variations) - Mr. Bykov graduated from the Kiev State Ballet Academy (Ukraine) in 1988 and joined the Malyi Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Kiev as a principal dancer. In 1995, he received a Master's Degree from the Kiev National Institute of the Arts. Vladimir has performed in leading roles including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Harlequinade, Romeo and Juliet, and the Rite of Spring. Vladimir toured throughout Europe and came to the U.S. in 1996 where he danced with El Paso Ballet, New Mexico Ballet, Albuquerque and Dallas Metropolitan Ballet. He has been a ballet instructor at the University of Texas and was awarded Outstanding Male Newcomer by the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts in 1988. Before joining Central Florida Ballet as Ballet master, Mr. Bykov danced with Southern Ballet Theatre (now Orlando Ballet) and also served as a teacher and coach for the company. In year 2004 Mr. Bykov was appointed and accepted the Artistic Director’s position with Central Florida Ballet. In 2007, Mr. Bykov accepted the Artistic Director position with the World Ballet Competition.

MELISSA D'AVANZO

(Ballet, Pointe, Variations) - Born in Hawaii, Melissa received her early training at Ballet Hawaii and later studied with Nolan Dingman in Orlando and at the Julliard School in New York City. She attended summer intensive programs at Ballet West and the National Ballet of Canada. Melissa has performed with Ballet Hawaii, Honolulu Dance Theater, American Festival Ballet and Ballet Idaho as well as dancing at Walt Disney World, Sea World and as a featured artist with Euro Circus. She has been teaching in the Orlando area for 15 years and pleased to share her passion of ballet with the Central Florida Ballet's Academy students.

CASSANDRA LERETTE

(Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Artistry, Character) - Cassandra trained at Central Florida Ballet’s Academy from 2004 to 2015 under the tutelage of Vasile Petrutiu, Vladimir Bykov, and Melissa D’Avanzo. Upon graduating in 2015, she became the Academy Assistant and began choreographing and teaching for the studio company. Cassandra placed Top 12 at the Youth American Grand Prix in 2008 and 2009 and placed 4th and 8th at the World Ballet Competition finals held in Orlando, Florida in 2011 and 2015, respectively. In 2016, Cassandra was an alternate for the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular and was invited to attend their Summer Intensive in 2018. Most recently, she was an Equity dancer in Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and was an instructor during CFB’s Summer Intensive- teaching artistry, precision, and character. Cassandra joined the Academy staff in the 2020/21 academic year and is eager to pass on what she has learned to the younger generation of dancers.

HANNAH MAROLF

(Tap, Contemporary) Hannah started dancing at the age of 3 and began her competitive dance career at the age of 9. Hannah’s performance career has allowed her to dance at many distinguished locations, including the Dalí Museum, Ruth Eckard Hall, Straz Center, Walt Disney World, and the Amway Center. In addition, she has been invited to, and given the privilege of working with prestigious dance companies, such as World of Dance, Los Angeles Dance Magic (LADM), Disney’s Dance the Magic, BE Dance Company, and is a member of the 2021-2022 Orlando Predators dance team. Outside of dance, Hannah is currently working towards a degree in legal studies at the University of Central Florida.

TYLER MUHLENKAMP

(Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical) - Tyler Muhlenkamp’s career started out of Los Angeles, CA when he signed with McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA) dance agency. Tyler has trained at the nation’s top institutions such as Juilliard, Joffrey, Broadway Dance Center in New York City and numerous other traveling dance conventions. His credits include: “The Cleaner” on A&E, “90210” on CBS, Norwegian Cruise Line, Jean Anne Ryan Productions along with Disney Cruise Line, and the famed Odyssey Dance Theatre in Utah. Tyler has found home in Orlando, FL after performing as a dancer at the Walt Disney World Resort for nine years. His local credits include: performing as a “Newsie” in the Walt Disney World Christmas Parade dancing next to Neil Patrick Harris on ABC, The Central Florida Ballet Company, Metropolis Productions, In Motion Dance Productions, The Miss America Origination and being the Equity Lead of the Castle Stage Shows, Dream Along With Mickey and Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire. Tyler has taught on national dance conventions and also judged competitions for Tremaine Dance Conventions, Dance League, Dancearchy, and Flow 40 Dance Workshops. In class, Tyler excels at focusing on technique in jazz, musical theatre, and lyrical. His main focus — to inspire dancers of all ages and skill levels so that they’ll leave class feeling good about themselves!

MADISON MCGREW

(Ballet Technique) - A native Floridian, Madison McGrew attended the University of South Florida where she graduated with dual degrees in Biomedical Sciences and Dance Performance (with a Ballet Concentration); and in 2016, she was granted a US-UK Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar Award to attain her Master’s in Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Since then, she has worked professionally as a performer for prominent entertainment companies, such as Walt Disney World and Norwegian Cruise Lines, and she has gotten the privilege to work with notable contemporary ballet and musical theatre artists, such as Warren Carlyle, Alonzo King, Maurice Causey, Jennifer Archibald, and Paula Nunez. Madison loves sharing her passion for dance with others and especially geeks out when talking about the anatomy and physiology of the dancing body or when teaching combos to classic 70's and 80's rock bops.

JUNETA OZOLINA

(Ballet, Pointe, Variations) - Ms. Juneta Ozolina was born in Riga, Latvia. She started her ballet training at the Riga Choreography Ballet Academy, the same school where the world famous ballet dancers Michael Baryshnikov and Alexander Godunov started their ballet training.

She graduated from the Academy in 1985 and immediately joined the Latvian National Opera and Ballet Theater. She performed in many classical productions with the company from 1985-1992 including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Le Corsaire, Chopiniana, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and Sleeping Beauty to name a few. She also toured to Sweden, Germany, Italy, Israel, France, Denmark, Estonia, and Norway. She had the esteemed honor of performing in France with the legendary Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasiliev in “Anyuta” in 1989. Among her favorite roles is Muse in Stravinsky’s “Apollo” performed at the Jurmala Dzintaru Concert Hall and the Estonian Opera and Ballet Theater, choreographed by Juris Kaprālis.

Ms. Ozolina was invited as a principal ballet dancer to join the Latvian Independent Ballet company, where she danced from 1991-1993. Very excited to start studies in New York, she moved to the U.S. in 1996 and joined the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. During her career, Mrs. Juneta has served as ballet teacher and choreographer at ballet academies in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and Las Vegas. She was an artistic director for Malibu Dolphins Ballet in Malibu, California. Mrs. Juneta is the recipient of the 2018 Rumi International Dance Award in San Francisco, California and winner of the Outstanding Performance at the 2014 International Cinerockom Film Festival in Beverly Hills, California.

She has performed as a guest artist internationally, including the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Gala. Additionally she is the creator of the ballet inspired fitness program “Balletmania” and is a Progressive Ballet Technique certified teacher. Ms. Ozolina is dedicated to the highest standards of excellence in every aspect of her teaching and she believes in the artistic potential of every student.

ANNETTE MILAGROS RIVERA-DUHARTE

(Ballet, Tap) - Originally of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Annette began her dance training at the age of 4 with the Orlando Ballet School. In 2009 Annette began training with The Central Florida Ballet’s Academy, where she became a part of their Studio Company. She has studied many forms of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, character, and tap. In 2014 she graduated from the Central Florida Ballet’s Academy under the direction of Vasile Petrutiu and Vladimir Bykov. She graduated from The Dance Magnet at Dr. Phillips High School in 2014. Annette has attended summer intensives at Orlando Ballet, Central Florida Ballet, and Florida State University. In 2011 she had the privilege to travel to Sibiu, Romania with the Central Florida Ballet’s Studio Company to perform The Nutcracker. She has performed in productions, such as the 9/11 An American Moment, The Ugly Duckling, Romeo and Juliet, and Peter and the Wolf. In 2018 Annette graduated from Rollins College with her Bachelors in Communication Studies with a focus in Public Relations and a minor in Women’s Studies. While attending Rollins, she was able to take ballet, modern, and jazz classes. Annette achieved her Masters in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University this past fall. She continues her dance training at Central Florida Ballet. During her spare time, she enjoys taking Pilates and Aerial Silks with Mrs. Kate. Annette is thrilled to be a part of the Central Florida Ballet family and continue her journey as a teacher for her fifth consecutive year.

LESLIE SCOTT

(Ballet Technique) Leslie Scott has been teaching dance in the Central Florida area for 25 years. Her passion is to foster creativity and instill in young dancers a love for dance. She began taking classes at the age of 3 and grew up dancing and performing in Orlando. She trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern and acrobatics and was a member of Dance Unlimited, a Central Florida Performing Dance Company for five years. After high school, she attended Louisiana State University as a dance major and was a member of the LSU Dance Theatre, performing throughout college. She returned to Orlando and received a masters degree in Exercise Physiology and Wellness from the University of Central Florida. While getting her masters, she was a member of the UCF Dance Theatre, the University of Central Florida performing dance group. It is her belief that starting dance classes at a young age is a way to develop a love for dance and awaken an awareness of the importance of exercise and staying healthy which contributes to overall happiness and well-being.

CYNTHIA WHITE

(Ballet Technique) Born in Chicago and raised in the Boston area, Cynthia graduated from Skidmore College with degrees in dance and mathematics. After a brief business career, she returned to her love of dance and began performing professionally. A vibrant dance culture in Boston led her to perform a variety of styles including ballet, modern, jazz, baroque, hip hop, and liturgical dance. Cynthia has also taught classes in ballet, jazz, and modern dance at studios in Massachusetts and North Carolina before joining Central Florida Ballet in 2021. She brings her excitement and passions for music and dance to every ballet class she teaches.