Hi, I’m Natasha!

As a dancer and teacher, I’m interested in finding ways to move with ease, exploring artistic choices, and celebrating each dancer’s creative expression.

After moving away from home at age 13 to attend professional ballet school, I graduated from my professional training program, stayed on for a 2-year post-graduate certificate, and have enjoyed opportunities to train and perform in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

Natasha in first arabesque, wearing a Giselle costume with blue skirt, black bodice, and gauzy white sleeves
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Natasha wearing a teal leotard, pink tights, and white practice tutu. She's en pointe in ecartez.
Natasha wearing a blue and cream "Giselle" dress with a black velvet bodice. She's en pointe in retire.
A light green wavy ribbon. It has clear stripes running along the length, and speckles of light and shadow.

I also live with a complex illness.

When health complications, injuries, and stress took a toll on my innate coordination, my dancing fell apart — so I transitioned to teaching through community theatre, dance studios, and online classes.

As I developed my education and experience as a teacher, the missing pieces clicked into place. I learned tools to support mobility, retrain disrupted coordination, and master complex movements without excessively straining the body.

I reconnected with the world that opens up when you take on challenges from a place of deep self respect and compassion, rather than pushing through when something feels wrong.

A light green wavy ribbon. It has clear stripes running along the length, and speckles of light and shadow.

In the highest echelons of ballet, dancers get the privilege of customization.

I want to make that approach available to everyone who wants to learn.

My ballet students inspire me every day with their passion and determination. I’m so grateful that I get to share the traditions of classical ballet, dance science, and the lessons I’ve learned on my own dance journey.

My teaching education includes:

A Zoom ballet class. The screen is divided to show 3 dancers standing in tendu devant while Natasha demonstrates a seated version from her wheelchair.
Natasha wearing a black leotard and pink tights, doing a grand jete with arms in third arabesque

Setting repertoire and leading rehearsals as Assistant Repetiteur for a professional ballet school, while earning my Post-Graduate Certificate.

Leading rehearsals and providing supplementary choreography as Dance Captain in community theatre.

Shadowing experienced teachers, then leading classes while earning my Membership Diploma in Ballet (B.A.T.D.).

Learning from my students — I’ve taught ballet technique, syllabus, conditioning, pointe and pre-pointe, and repertoire through classes and dance camps for almost a decade, and my students continue to challenge and inspire me!

Continuing Education Courses

The Ballet Blog, Lisa Howell, 2021-present
  • Level 1 Teacher Training + over 100 hours of live ongoing education
  • Level 2 Flexibility
  • Training Turnout in Tiny Dancers with Beverley Spelling and Lisa Howell
Enlighten Series, The Royal Ballet School, 2020
  • Adapting Teaching Styles and Strategies, Karen Berry
  • Reaching their Potential: an Overview of the Skills Required to Achieve in Dance, Mark Annear
  • Striving for Excellence: Improving Ourselves as Teachers, Mark Annear
  • Effective Motor Learning Strategies: Strategies for Developing Dance Skills, Karen Berry