About ZBS

The mission of ZBS is to train and develop young students with the excellence required for a professional career in ballet. Instructors are chosen for their abilities to help the student obtain an international level of expertise.

The Zamuel Ballet School (ZBS) offers a professionally oriented ballet program with classes in technique, pointe, character, classical variations, and contemporary variations. ZBS has established itself as a superior training ground for aspiring ballet dancers.

Students of German and Valentina Zamuel have distinguished themselves through their professional careers as principal and leading dancers at major companies around the world and acceptance at many of the country’s leading Ballet Programs: San Francisco Ballet School; World Masters in Vail; Kirov Academy in Washington DC; American Ballet Theater School; Pacific Northwest Ballet School; North Carolina School of the Arts; Walnut Hill School; National Ballet of Canada School; Suzanne Farrell Intensive; Harid Academy; Boston Ballet School; Washington Ballet School; and the School of American Ballet.

Performance is an important part of the students dance education and ZBS will train students to share their joy of dance with an audience. Studio   performances and formal stage productions, including an annual Nutcracker performance, are the highlights. Through performance, students acquire a focus, discipline, and love of the art that will enrich their lives and may lead to a professional career in dance.

ZBS Faculty

German Zamuel graduated from the world-renowned Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy. He danced professionally in leading roles throughout the former Soviet Union, Europe, South America, and the United States. Mr. Zamuel was a principal dancer and choreographer of the Maliy Theatre of Opera and Ballet, St. Petersburg, Russia and professor of choreography at the All Union College of Arts and Culture, St. Petersburg. Following his performance career, Mr. Zamuel served for 11 years as senior teacher at The Royal Ballet School in London, as principal teacher at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, as director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater II, and as ballet teacher for the New York Conservatory of Dance. Mr. Zamuels students have won numerous awards including six medals (two of them gold) by Tetsuya Kumakawa and Christopher Wheeldon at the Prix de Lausanne, the worlds foremost dance competition.  For five years Mr. Zamuel has been awarded the "Outstanding Teacher" award from the Youth America Grand Prix.

Valentina Moukhanova Zamuel is also a graduate of the prestigious Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy. She danced as a principal dancer with the Maliy Theater of Opera and Ballet, as well as guest artist with the Kirov Ballet. Ms. Moukhanovas roles include Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle in Giselle, Nikia in La Bayadere, Medora in Le Corsaire, Swanhilda in Coppelia, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Carmen in Carmen Suite, and Firebird in The Firebird. In 1980 she received the Meritorious Artist of Russia award from the government. Ms. Moukhanova was a senior teacher at The Royal Ballet School in London for 12 years before coming to Colorado.

Marina Oreshkevich is a graduate of the Perm State Choreographic School and the Russian State Academy for Theatre Art. She danced as a soloist and principal dancer with Moisseyevs Folk Dance Company and later taught in the Academic Folk Dance Company of the Russian Federation of Moscow, earning numerous awards. She brings a wealth of teaching experience in classical ballet, historical character, and folk dance, to the Zamuel Ballet School.

Ayana Kjonaas is a recent graduate of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a BFA in Musical Theatre. She is an alumni of the Zamuel Ballet School and began her dancing career at the age of 6 and has since expanded to work as an actress, singer, and dancer. She has had the privilege of performing for Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, Andre de Shields, Alex Lacamoire, Alysha Umphress, Alan Cumming, and Jessica Castro. Additionally, she has performed and attended masterclasses with Sutton Foster, Emily Koch, Jim Hogan, Roberto Sinha, as well as members from the Broadway casts of Hamilton, Cats, Mean Girls, West Side Story, Candide, Dear Evan Hansen, Miss Saigon, and Side Show to name a few. She is excited to continue working on her career as an educator and performer both on and off the stage.

Brieanna Olson was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. From a young age she competed in both gymnastics and dance. At 12 she began studying ballet under the direction of German Zamuel and Valentina Moukhanova, and within one year she won numerous awards and scholarships with Denver Ballet Guild, Esther Geoffrey Young Dancers Scholarship Competition and Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), including the Grand Prix Award (Top Classical/Contemporary) in Denver, Colorado. Brieanna's professional career was with Ballet San Jose where she danced for 7 years under the direction of Dennis Nahat, Wes Chapman and Jose Manuel Carreno - all former principals with American Ballet Theatre. Brieanna danced many soloist and principal roles of Maria in Nahat's The Nutcracker. She was casted by Ben Stevenson for "Summer Fairy" in Ben Stevenson's "Cinderella", and was casted and rehearsed a soloist role in Paquita at which time she suffered a career ending injury. The injury brings her back to Colorado Springs where she now shares her ballet and artistic knowledge with other ballet dancers as an instructor with Zamuel Ballet School