Koltun Ballet Boston

"It's been almost 10 years since I did a summer intensive at Koltun Ballet and I still think about the experience daily... At 13 years old, I was berated and humiliated in front of my class of peers daily. Growing up, I had scoliosis, and at the time I attended Koltun Ballet I was actively working with doctors and physical therapists to improve my condition. Alexandra Koltun loved tormenting students about anything she could, so naturally my medical condition made me a perfect subject to her humiliation. Unfortunately, her mistreatment was not limited to verbal...I remember her making me bend over in front of the class (and stay like that for the class to see for several minutes) while she made fun of me and my spine's curvature. I started crying and she continued to make fun of me for that as well, and would bring it up to repeatedly mock me for the remainder of the program. I was a 13 year old girl and had no way to defend myself against a middle aged woman in a position of power, and despite how hard I tried to obey her commands and how hard I worked, she found things to make fun of me for. Many classmates and myself were repeatedly called stupid or told there was something wrong with us. She would make fun of students for their hair and body type. Her students were regularly injured due to unsafe stretching practices where she would force stretching and refuse to stop. To this day I still vividly remember dreading going to ballet every day of that summer and living in fear of what Alexandra would do or say to me. Over 8 years attending various ballet schools (many big name schools included) and programs, this was by far the worst environment I have ever witnessed. I can only hope that things have improved over the last decade and that the students now do not face this treatment. The studio has an extremely high turnover rate. While there are loyal students who have been there for years and created a relationship with the studio, many students do not last more than a few weeks. If you are lucky enough to be one of Alexandra's favorites and willing to withstand some level of this mistreatment, the studio is capable of creating great dancers. However, at what cost? I urge parents of students to take their kids complaints seriously. Like any sport, criticism is vital to a student's growth. However, Alexandra Koltun takes things way too far and should not be allowed around children."

"QUALITY AND CARING PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FOR SERIOUS DANCERS - If you are reading this review, it is likely you are searching for a ballet school that is right for you. You may be looking for your child’s first ballet school, or thinking of moving from your current school. We found Koltun when looking to move. Our daughters entered Koltun’s level five and six after spending years at a big-name ballet school. While our former school had an admirable children’s program, it became evident that it was not teaching our daughters at the highest level as they progressed. Our previous school was associated with a professional ballet company, but none of its students were being selected to be in their pre-professional program. That raised eyebrows. If the school could not prepare its own students for success in its own company, why were we there? We looked to see where the students who were being selected were coming from. They were coming from Koltun. We decided to give Koltun a try. At first, we just dabbled by attending Koltun’s seven-week Summer Intensive Youth Program. The Koltun dancers were extremely flexible and more advance en pointe. In just seven weeks, our daughter noticeably improved. We decided to stay. Koltun is a school for dancers who are serious about classical ballet and modern dance, and want to perform and compete at the highest levels. Ms. Koltun herself was trained in classical ballet from legendary Kirov stars such as Irina Kolpakova, Tatiana Terekhova and Sergei Berejnoi. She was a principal dancer at Boston Ballet, and has toured Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine with the San Francisco Ballet. Ms. Koltun and her staff are passionate about dance. Koltun’s school seems to have stemmed from her successful and popular workshop on stretching called “Alexandra’s Ballet Stretch” which can still be viewed on YouTube today. Her school remains focused on stretching, flexibility, strength, and classical technique. What is it like at Koltun Ballet Boston? You will find a state-of-the-art facility with multiple studios. You will find small class sizes. You will receive individual attention from talented instructors. The instructors will push you to be your best, and they truly care about their students’ success. You will find a great group of kids who develop lasting friendships both inside and outside of the studio. You will find that Ms. Koltun has deep connections in the dance community, and is able to bring star choreographers to prepare modern dance ensembles that frequently earn top awards at prestigious competitions such as the famous Youth America Grand Prix. Koltun routinely wins the Outstanding School Award at these prestigious events. Many of the students go on to enter professional companies around the world. All of the students learn to be the best they can be. If you are serious about ballet & modern dance, you should seriously consider Koltun Ballet Boston. I have seen reviews critical of this school after only attending for a few days. Those reviews are baseless. If they have you concerned, I suggest starting with the seven-week Summer Intensive Program. This program will introduce you to this outstanding school, its outstanding teachers, and its wonderful students."

"Koltun is a place for kids who truly love ballet. My daughter has been dancing at Koltun since she was 4. All the teachers are very dedicated and professional. The teachers care about each and every student in their class. The community is all very supportive of each other."

"We had a wonderful experience at KBB! Tremendous support and technique provided by experienced teachers and mentors. This school trains beautiful dancers with amazing futures! Highly recommended!!"

"My daughter has attended Koltun Ballet Boston for a few years now. She loves the school, the environment and the friends that she has found there. The school is very serious, and it offers great training. It can be challenging at times but the enthusiasm that the teachers put in it is invaluable. We are overall very happy about Koltun Ballet Boston"