Sarah Brinson
Co-Artistic Director
Sarah Brinson is an Arizona native and proud Tisch School of The Arts at New York University graduate. She is a highly sought-after master instructor with over a decade of experience creating with and mentoring dance artists along their professional journeys and artistic endeavors. She is committed to cultivating experiences that prepare the artist for a life full of embodiment and empowerment creatively while also educating and nurturing fiscal sustainability. Sarah’s creative endeavors have been presented across multiple platforms and mediums, including stage, film, music composition, fine art, and published written articles as well as books in the US and abroad. Sarah is the founder of @dancingwithintention and a co-founder of Acting for Dancers method, created to help artists enhance their performance quality and storytelling depth and ability. Sarah is a faculty member of the prestigious Broadway Dance Center and New York City Dance Alliance. She has performed in theaters, on film and has appeared in television productions internationally. Some of her Film/TV & Stage credits include: Once Upon A Time (ABC), So You Think You Can Dance (FOX), AT&T, "Once Upon A Mattress," "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "New Lovesong Waltzes" (Mark Morris). Most recently, she has been researching and developing at the intersection of arts and technology- investigating how the two can combine in order to push the bounds of the human experience and evoke reflection at a soul level.
Jordan Lang
Co-Artistic Director
Jordan was born and raised in Long Island, New York where he began his dance training at the age of 12 with David Sanders Dance Dynamics and later Seiskaya Ballet Academy. Continuing to pursue his passion for the art form, Jordan chose to attend Marymount Manhattan College’s BFA program with a ballet concentration in 2015 after receiving a scholarship from the New York City Dance Alliance College Scholarship Foundation. While at Marymount, Jordan was a part of the Marymount Manhattan Dance Company from 2015 to 2019 performing works from a variety of choreographers as well as partaking in educational outreach programs for young children. Throughout his college career Jordan danced as an assistant for NYCDA as well as worked exclusively with his dear friend Martha Nichols on countless projects. In the summer of 2019, Jordan joined Ballet BC under the direction of Emily Molnar. In his time with Ballet BC, Jordan had the honor of performing multiple works by Vancouver native Crystal Pite, later artistic director of Ballet BC Medhi Walerski, Sharon Eyal, Johan Inger, and Aszure Barton. While at Ballet BC Jordan was able to continue his passion for working with children through outreach programs while recognizing one of his greatest passions in collaborating with choreographers in the creative process such as David Raymond, Tiffany Tregarthen and Dorotea Saykaly. In 2021 Jordan began working with Yin Yue Dance Company as a guest artist on new creations as well as acting as the assistant choreographer for a new work with the Boston Ballet. In 2022, Jordan went on to join Ballet Jazz Montréal as a guest artist under the direction of Alexandra Damiani, performing works by Adonis Foniadakis, Juliano Nunes, Crystal Pite, Anne Plamondon, and Ihsan Rustem. In his time with the company, Jordan was given the opportunity to choreograph on the dancers for multiple fundraising events, expanding him into the role of choreographer. Within the last few years, Jordan has had the good fortune to perform in theaters across the globe, meeting and collaborating with artists from around the world as well as acting as guest faculty for many contemporary intensives held across the U.S. Jordan is so proud to call Westside Dance Project his new home where he can channel all that he’s gained through his career and act as a conduit for the next generation of young artists to experience the present influences of contemporary dance as well as explore their own intelligent creative capacities.
Jessie Riley
Artistic Director Emeritus &
founder of westside dance project
Training Director
Jessie Riley has trained with Alicia Head, Paula Morgan, Reid Olson, Stanley Holden as well as teachers across the U.S. and Europe. Jessie has performed works by Peter Chu, Sonya Tayeh, Mike Esperanza, Lauren Adams, Billy Bell, Helen Blackburn, Mia Michaels and more. Jessie was a member of Sonya Tayeh’s “Tayeh Dance”, and Mike Esperanza’s "BARE Dance Company". Jessie started her choreography and production career at 18 when she produced and directed the choreography showcase Terpsicoreal in Hollywood, CA. Jessie formed WESTSIDE Dance Project in 2009, geared towards young dancers training for a career in contemporary concert dance. WESTSIDE Dance Project, under Jessie's direction, has produced 12 successful concerts and special events. Jessie has taught for various conventions, intensives, and workshops. She has also hosted her own intensives in the U.S., England, and Italy. Her choreography has been honored at Youth American Grand Prix. Her choreography has also been showcased at The Spotlight Awards in 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. She has been accepted into the Dancing Under the Stars Festival, and at The Capezio Ace Awards.
Dmitri and Jennifer Kulev
Managing ARTISTIC Directors
Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet ACADEMY
Artistic Directors
DMITRI KULEV
Mr. Kulev received his fine arts diploma from the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow, Russia, where he trained with the distinguished teacher Peter Pestov. After graduating in 1992, he was invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre under the direction of Yuri Grigorovich. During this time, he performed in over 12 countries, including France, Greece, Egypt, Japan, England, and the US. After touring the US, Mr. Kulev decided to stay and join Ballet Arizona. Since then, he performed as a principal dancer with the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Concerto.
As a teacher, Mr. Kulev possesses a charismatic teaching philosophy that leaves students eager to return each day. He focuses on core strength and technique in the Vaganova method. Inspired by his teacher, teaching legend Pyotr Pestov, Mr. Kulev inspires students to give their best in class daily.
As a private coach, many of Mr. Kulev’s dancers have won top honors and grand prizes in prominent local, national, and international ballet competitions; and received scholarships to elite professional and collegiate training programs from American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet School, The Bolshoi Academy, San Francisco Ballet Program, Indiana University, Boston Conservatory, and others.
JENNIFER LANGENSTEIN KULEV
Ms. Kulev retired from her professional career as a principal dancer with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT). During her seven seasons with PBT, she danced the lead roles in the company’s classical ballet productions and worked with and performed the repertoire of many distinguished choreographers such as Glen Tetley, Dwight Rhoden, Kevin O’Day, Derek Deane, and Lynn Taylor-Corbett.
Ms. Kulev received her early training from Harvey Hysell and Maestro Vincenzo Celli in New Orleans, then later trained at the School of American Ballet as a scholarship student, where she studied under famed teachers Antonina Tumkovsky, Alexandra Danilova, and Andrei Kramarevsky. After returning to her home state of Texas, she studied with Madame Krassovska in Dallas and with Ballet Concerto director Margo Dean in Fort Worth. During her eighteen-plus summer performances with Ballet Concerto, she had the unique opportunity to work with and dance works by Luis Montero, Bruce Marks, Michael Vernon, and Fernando Bujones.
Ms. Kulev’s performing repertoire includes the principal roles in Giselle, Coppelia, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly, Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, Dracula, and Cleopatra, and Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Valse Fantasie, Jewels and Serenade among others. Prior to dancing with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, she danced with the New Orleans Ballet, Dallas Ballet, and Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. Ms. Kulev focuses on precise technique, turnout, and artistry in her classes.
