Ella Kolpakov

I’m 11y.o. aspiring ballerina. My parents are from Russia but we live in the USA. As far as I can remember I always loved dancing. I took my first dance class when I was 2. When I was 5, I started my serious training in ballroom dancing. Later I danced jazz and contemporary at a dance company.  I started my serious ballet training at the age of 8. At 9 I went to my first ballet competition at YAGP and got in top 12 there. I got very encouraging words from Larisa Savelieva — the YAGP director. That inspired me to get serious about my training and to dream about making Ballet my career. Last year I was placed 2nd and 3rd at YAGP, UNC and WBC. My favorite Ballet is Spartacus. My role model is Svetlana Zakharova. My dream company is Mariinskiy.