Our
Team

Invited with his wife Nancy Kilgour to come to Calgary in 2001 to take over the Directorship of the School of Alberta Ballet Murray Kilgour stayed as Artistic Director for 13 years. The two of them developed both the training for students in the School as well as the development of teachers to sustain this training in the future. In 2008 Mr. Kilgour received the Rozsa Foundation Award for excellence in Arts Administration in Education.  Acknowledged as one of the world’s most respected dance educators Mr. Kilgour started his early dance training in Vancouver with Kay Armstrong. He continued at Canada's National Ballet School with the legendary Betty Oliphant, as well as Daniel Sellier, Alex Ursuliak and Nancy Schwenker. He has studied character dance with Eugenie Farmanyants and Kira Zatzepina of the Bolshoi Ballet School, as well as classical ballet with Eugine Volukin, who is now head of Teacher Training at the Bolshoi Ballet School.                   

In 1967, Mr. Kilgour joined the National Ballet of Canada, where he danced many soloist and principal roles. He left Canada in 1971 and joined the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. In 1973, he joined Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet), where he was a soloist and principal dancer. During his performing career he danced in ballets by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Flemming Flindt, Mikhail Fokine, Celia Franca, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Heinz Poll, Antony Tudor, Sir Peter Wright and many others.  

As a teacher, Mr. Kilgour studied educational methods at the Paris Opera School, the School of American Ballet and the State School in the former East Berlin. He took summer courses at the St. Petersburg Ballet School (the Maryinski). From 1980 to 1989, Mr. Kilgour taught at the Royal Ballet School – both the Junior School (White Lodge) and the Upper School – teaching classical dance for boys, pas de deux, repertoire and character repertoire. In 1984, Mr. Kilgour and his wife Nancy travelled to Beijing, China on a cultural exchange to teach ballet and repertoire at the Central School of Ballet (China's National School).  
 
Prior to his return to Canada, Mr. Kilgour was senior male teacher at Central School of Ballet in London, England. As Head of Male Dance he was instrumental in developing all aspects of course work for the boys' training, which included in-service development of a three-year course of study involving classical dance, repertoire and pas de deux. He also assisted Ballet Central (the graduating-year performing group) with their productions, including setting works from the classical repertoire, Bournonville repertoire and works of Ashton and MacMillan. In 2000, Mr. Kilgour taught as a guest with the National Ballet of Canada and the National Ballet School. 

Many of Mr. Kilgour's students have gone on to notable dance careers. These dancers have become choreographers, principal and soloist dancers and even Artistic Directors with companies such as Nederlands Dance Theatre, the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Stuttgart Ballet and Tokyo Ballet. 

Mr. Kilgour continues his role at the School as Senior Teacher concentrating on the Professional Graduate class, Pas de Deux classes and Repertoire. 

Aram Manukyan began his ballet training at the National Choreography Academy in Yerevan, Armenia where he studied the Vaganova method under Hovhanes Xachikyan, Rafael Avnikyan and Maxim Martirosyan. He finished his training with a full scholarship to the Russian University of Theatre Arts in Moscow. Manukyan later returned to Armenia and danced with Armenian National Ballet before taking a soloist position with two Ukrainian State Opera Ballet Theatres (Kharkiv and Donetsk). He would later dance principal and soloist roles with companies in Annapolis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Sarasota. 

Manukyan was appointed the Artistic Director of the BGLV/Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in 2006. In 2007, he accepted a position as a lead ballet and character teacher at Alberta Ballet School. Aram was closely mentored by renowned Canadian teachers Murray and Nancy Kilgour where he studied Pas De Deux Pedagogy and the Cecchetti Method. With the launch of the Alberta Ballet II (now the Alberta Ballet Trainee program) Manukyan was appointed the program’s Director. 

He is a jury member for many International Ballet Competitions, including being on the jury for the final round of the Youth America Grand Prix Competition. Aram Manukyan’s in-depth knowledge of different methods of training from his international experience and education has led him to become a recognized master teacher that has taught all over the world. Many of his students have gone on to dance in the world’s top ballet companies.

Graham McKelvie was born and raised in Saskatoon where he began his training with Hazel Ann Olson at Saskatoon School of Ballet. He continued his training as a scholarship student at Canada's National Ballet School and then in the professional training program at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre.

In 1988 he joined the Toronto Dance Theatre, and was until 2011, a principal dancer with Coleman et Lemieux et Compagnie. His award-winning choreographic work have been presented internationally, most notably in various cities across Canada and Japan. Mr. McKelvie has taught at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre, National Ballet School, and York University. Mr. McKelvie was first a guest teacher at Kobe Jogakuin University in Japan before becoming a full-time staff member from 2011 to 2014.

Since 2015, Mr. McKelvie has been the Head of Contemporary Dance Training at Alberta Ballet School. He continues to teach master classes across Canada.

A prolific and award-winning choreographer, Edmund has established a notable career in both contemporary and classical ballet fields as dancer and ballet master. 
Edmund Stripe was born in London, England and trained at the Royal Ballet School where his distinguished teachers included Walter Trevor, Nancy Kilgour, Piers Beaumont, and Richard Glasstone. He has danced with Ballet Gulbenkian (Portugal), London City Ballet, and the West Australian Ballet, where he created many major works for the company. He was appointed Ballet Master for West Australian Ballet in 1998. He joined Singapore Dance Theatre as Ballet Master in 2000: there he assisted in the mounting and re-creation of works by such noted choreographers as Jivˇí Kylián, Nacho Duato, and Goh Choo San. 

In 2002 he moved to Alberta Ballet as Ballet Master and over the next decade, assisted with works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Christopher Wheeldon and Jean Grand-Maître. His works for Alberta Ballet include Unquiet Light (2003), Swelter (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2006) and The Nutcracker (2008). He continues creating with Alberta Ballet as Choreographic Associate/Artist in Residence. 
 

Ms. Mori started ballet training in Japan and won a Scholarship Award in Prix de Lausanne. She completed her professional ballet training at Canada’s National Ballet School where she received the Jeffrey Kirk Award.

Ms. Mori joined The National Ballet of Canada (NBC) and toured internationally. She performed many soloist roles and worked with world-renowned choreographers. In 2011, she represented NBC in The Ninth International Competition for the Eric Bruhn Prize, and in 2013 and 2014, she received the Patron Award of Merit.

After nine years at NBC, she moved to Calgary to perform with Alberta Ballet. In 2018, she retired from the stage. Ms. Mori has been teaching at Alberta Ballet School since 2019 and has received teacher training under master teacher Diane van Schoor.

Tetyana Gazizova began her ballet training at the age of 7 at Vadim’s Pisarev School of Choreographic Mastery in Donetsk, Ukraine, studying under the guidance of Galina Volodina and Olena Ogurtsova. She furthered her education with a master’s degree in Directing for Ballet from Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Karyi University of Theatre, Cinema, and Television under the direction of Sergiy Bondur, People’s Artist of Ukraine, and a master’s degree in Culturology from Donetsk National University, both awarded with honors.

At 15, Tetyana commenced her professional dance career as a ballet dancer with the Donetsk National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, where she performed for over a decade under the direction of Vadim Pisarev, People’s Artist of Ukraine.

Her teaching career is distinguished by her role in training students who have advanced to prestigious ballet institutions worldwide, including the Paris Opera Ballet School, the Ballet Academy of La Scala Theatre in Milan, the Royal Ballet School in London, the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance, the John Cranko School in Stuttgart.  

Tetyana has held teaching positions at Vadim’s Pisarev School of Choreographic Mastery in Donetsk, Ukraine; Den Norske Balletskole and Akademi in Oslo; the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School; and now is thrilled to have joined Alberta Ballet School. 

An internationally renowned Master Teacher and former Principal of the Royal Ballet School, White Lodge, Miss van Schoor brings a wealth of expertise to ballet education. She visits Alberta Ballet School twice a year to support classical assessments, curriculum and staff development.

Meghan Critchley was born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she began dancing at a young age at a local studio. Meghan went on to study Dance Science and earn her BFA from the University of Wyoming in 2015.  

In 2022, Meghan completed her doctoral thesis examining prevalence and risk factors of dance-related injury in pre-professional ballet dancers at the University of Calgary. She continues to focus on the health and wellness of dancers, and studies injury prevention strategies, to promote long, healthy, dance careers.  

Margarita (Rita) Rebetskaya was born in Moscow, Russia, where she began her training in rhythmicgymnastics at the age of 5. At 14, Rita was admitted to the Igor Moiseyev Dance Academy, and upongraduation, she joined the Igor Moiseyev Ballet. With this company, Rita had the privilege of traveling andperforming around the world. Rita is also a graduate of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, specializing in theater criticism. In 2016, she founded an inclusive theatre called InterAction. Rita relocated to Canada with her family in 2021 and now Character teacher for Alberta Ballet School.