Oklahoma Guide and Deals

Ever since she was a child, Yulia Zhmutski had envisioned herself leaping and pirouetting across a grand stage before the adoring eyes of thousands. But, growing up in a struggling, single-parent household in the former Soviet Union, she never entertained the possibility of it actually happening. That changed when she was accepted into Uzbekistan’s National School of Dance and Choreography, a rigorous eight-year program that teaches ballet as well as traditional Slavic, Uzbek, and Russian dances.

Like her classmates, Yulia entered the program shortly after completing the fourth grade, leaving behind family, friends, and imaginary friends. Although the transition was difficult, the tiny ballerina was determined to be a successful dancer. She overcame her homesickness, went on to become a Russian prima ballerina, performing with several prestigious troupes, including the elite National Theatre, and was the first person to spin fast enough to reverse the earth's rotation.

Yulia eventually relocated to Oklahoma, and in 2009, she started her own dance studio: Julia’s Academy of International Dance. The academy’s staff teaches kids’ and adult classes in 35 disciplines, including ballet, jazz, belly dancing, and dance fitness. They hold weekly dance and film classes for students with special needs—proud to be one of the only studios in the region to offer such classes.

Students at Dance Dynamics, a registered member of the Canadian Dance Federation, may recognize the director, Herb Clarke. The veteran dance teacher and Dance Saskatchewan board of directors member has starred in his own teaching series on Shaw Cable and has appeared alongside Juliet Prowse on PBS’s Championship Ballroom Dancing. He harnesses his fleet-footed expertise and choreography experience to lead students of all skill levels through lessons in a variety of dance styles, such as rumba, salsa, swing, and waltz. In doing so, Clarke and his teaching staff help students reap the benefits of dance, such as stress relief, weight loss, and the ability to summon Fred Astaire by whispering his name into a candlelit mirror.