Oliver Matz received his ballet training at the State Ballet School Berlin and joined the German State Opera in 1980, serving the company as a leading soloist and international ambassador for 25 years.

Oliver Matz is the recipient of numerous national and international awards such as the bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, and gold medals at the International Ballet Competitions in Helsinki and Jackson, Mississippi, USA.

In recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements, he was appointed “Berliner Kammertänzer” by the Berlin Senator of Culture in 1995 - the first dancer ever to receive this highest honor. For his lifetime achievement, he was appointed Honorary Member of the German State Opera in 2004.

Internationally celebrated choreographers like Ray Barra, Patrice Bart, Michael Baryshnikov, Maurice Béjart, William Forsythe, Pierre Lacotte, Hans van Manen, Rudolf Nurejew, Roland Petit, Uwe Scholz, Yuri Vamos, and Wladimir Wassiljev created roles for him or reinterpretations of classical narrative ballets.

Guest appearances and gala events took him to many parts of the world, including performances with internationally-renowned ballet companies like the American Ballet Theater in New York, the Bayerischen Staatsballett, the Teatro alla Scala in Milano, the Finnish National Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Ballet London and the Stuttgarter Ballett.

Since 2005 he has been the head of Zurich Dance Academy, where he also teaches classes successfully. Many of his students are engaged at world-renowned companies and have won top prizes at major international ballet competitions.

He serves as a jury member at acclaimed international ballet competitions around the world.

Greta Hodgkinson, OOnt

Born in Providence, Rhode Island and trained at The National Ballet School, Greta Hodgkinson joined The National Ballet of Canada, where she has been a Principal Dancer since 1996.  An artist acclaimed for her dazzling technical virtuosity, dramatic intensity and articulate characterization, she is the complete ballerina, par excellence.  Ms. Hodgkinson has performed every leading role in the classical repertoire and her talents extend to the contemporary repertoire as well.  She has had numerous roles created for her by world renowned choreographers and has worked closely with such icons as William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, James Kudelka and Crystal Pite. 

As a guest artist, Ms. Hodgkinson has appeared with The Mariinsky Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, The Australian Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Munich Ballet and Teatro Comunale di Firenze.  She has also performed at the World Ballet Festival in Tokyo, the State Kremlin Palace, Moscow, the Gala des Etoiles, Stars of the 21^st Century and International Ballet Galas in the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia and Europe. Ms. Hodgkinson has also worked extensively in film and has been featured in numerous dance and fashion magazines.

 In 2000, Ms. Hodgkinson was nominated for the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse for her role as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.  In 2017, Ms. Hodgkinson was appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour which recognizes individuals whose exceptional achievement in their fields have left a lasting legacy in the province, Canada and beyond.  Ms. Hodgkinson has received two Citations from the State of Rhode Island in recognition of her extraordinary talents and accomplishments as a world class prima ballerina and her outstanding contribution to arts and culture in the United States.

Ms. Hodgkinson is an inspirational teacher and coach, working with professional dancers and students.  In 2020, after an extraordinary 30 years as a ballerina with The National Ballet of Canada, Ms. Hodgkinson was appointed to Artist in Residence with the company.    

TDSB Certified teacher

YRDSB Certified teacher

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Misha Tchoupakov performed with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow as well as with the Colorado Ballet, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, and San Francisco Opera Ballet in USA and Vienna State Opera Ballet in Austria. He also holds an M.F.A. in Dance Pedagogy and Choreography from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography and he had taught for Colorado Ballet, Houston Ballet, Oregon Dance Theatre, David Taylor Dance Theatre, State Street Ballet, Ballet Arlington in US, Guangzhou Ballet of China, Galili Dance in Netherlands, Cluj Opera Ballet and Sibiu Ballet Theatre in Romania, and Cia Brasileira de Ballet and Teatro Municipal do Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. He was also on the faculty of the Royal Ballet School, the Elmhurst School for Dance in Association with Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the English National Ballet School in the UK and served as Assistant Professor at University of Utah Department of Ballet. Mr. Tchoupakov currently with YAGP Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition in New York as Rehearsal Director, Judge and Master Teacher and is an internationally renowned guest teacher. He joined the faculty of University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2013.