Ballet Classique (formerly City Ballet Academy Vaganova), helmed by Singapore’s first and only Vaganova certified instructor, Mr Ilya Shcherbakov, is dedicated to providing our students a world-class education in the Russian Vaganova ballet method. By offering this time-honoured system, which has produced some of the greatest dancers in history, we aim to set the standard for ballet instruction in Singapore with a team of high calibre instructors.
Our students are our top priority, and we are fully committed to offering them the highest quality of dance education, at the same time cultivating life skills that shape character, mindset, and future success so that our young students grow up to become well-rounded individuals who are prepared for various challenges, both on and off the dance floor.
We see it as our responsibility to nurture talent, and instill a profound love for the Ballet artform. We invite you to join us and witness the extraordinary potential students can realize through hard work and the love of dance.
Get to know Our Team
ILYA SHCHERBAKOV
Director, Principal
Ilya is the first and only Vaganova-certified teacher in Singapore. He completed his 8 years of professional dancer vocational training at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia, in which he received intensive coaching in Classical Ballet, Character Dance, Contemporary and Dance Education in Dance History.
In 2015, Ilya was selected for the Professional Teacher’s Training Program with the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Less than 10 professional dancers are hand-picked each year after a careful and rigorous selection process for this prestigious program at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. He was coached by teachers who were the very students of A.Y. Vaganova, founder of the Academy and Vaganova method. Ilya is a highly sought-after teacher and choreographer, having been invited to teach in various schools in Europe and Asia, including the Munich International Ballet School, Bavaria Ballet Academy, Ballettpunkt Muenchen, Benedict Manniegel Ballettakademie, Ballett- und Tanzstudio Beatrix Klein and Performing Arts Studio. One of his students, Henri Frey, was selected as the only candidate to represent Germany at the Prix de Lausanne 2020 and received scholarships from 3 prestigious institutions: Palucca Hochschule for Tanz Dresden, Royal Ballet School Antwerp and the Royal Swedish Ballet School. After completion of his scholarship year, Henri is now a dancer with Ballett Theater Kiel. His students are currently soloists at international dance companies like the South Bohemian Theatre, xx and more.
Ilya had an illustrious ballet career, working with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, Universal Ballet Company in Seoul and Boris Eifman Theater in Saint Petersburg. His lead roles include Prince Siegfried and Rothbart in Swan Lake (Mariinsky Ballet version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, revised by Konstantin Sergeyev), the Cavalier in the Nutcracker (Vasili Vainonen), the lead role in Ohad Naharin’s Minus 7, Terrence Kohler’s Once Upon An Ever After, John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew, among others. He has worked with many world-renowned ballet masters and choreographers such as Mats Ek, William Forsythe, John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian, Alexei Ratmansky and Evgeniy Neff.
He co-founded and was Artistic Director of the Shcherbakov BallettAkademie in Munich, Germany in 2019. He is also a certified Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor and was Director, Principal and Head of Vaganova Program at City Ballet Academy Vaganova.
In 2015, Ilya was selected for the Professional Teacher’s Training Program with the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Less than 10 professional dancers are hand-picked each year after a careful and rigorous selection process for this prestigious program at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. He was coached by teachers who were the very students of A.Y. Vaganova, founder of the Academy and Vaganova method. Ilya is a highly sought-after teacher and choreographer, having been invited to teach in various schools in Europe and Asia, including the Munich International Ballet School, Bavaria Ballet Academy, Ballettpunkt Muenchen, Benedict Manniegel Ballettakademie, Ballett- und Tanzstudio Beatrix Klein and Performing Arts Studio. One of his students, Henri Frey, was selected as the only candidate to represent Germany at the Prix de Lausanne 2020 and received scholarships from 3 prestigious institutions: Palucca Hochschule for Tanz Dresden, Royal Ballet School Antwerp and the Royal Swedish Ballet School. After completion of his scholarship year, Henri is now a dancer with Ballett Theater Kiel. His students are currently soloists at international dance companies like the South Bohemian Theatre, xx and more.
Ilya had an illustrious ballet career, working with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, Universal Ballet Company in Seoul and Boris Eifman Theater in Saint Petersburg. His lead roles include Prince Siegfried and Rothbart in Swan Lake (Mariinsky Ballet version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, revised by Konstantin Sergeyev), the Cavalier in the Nutcracker (Vasili Vainonen), the lead role in Ohad Naharin’s Minus 7, Terrence Kohler’s Once Upon An Ever After, John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew, among others. He has worked with many world-renowned ballet masters and choreographers such as Mats Ek, William Forsythe, John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian, Alexei Ratmansky and Evgeniy Neff.
He co-founded and was Artistic Director of the Shcherbakov BallettAkademie in Munich, Germany in 2019. He is also a certified Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor and was Director, Principal and Head of Vaganova Program at City Ballet Academy Vaganova.
JANICE CHAN-SHCHERBAKOVA
Vice-Principal
Trained under veteran ballet mentors, Mrs Lim Soo Chern and Ms Cheah Mei Sing, Janice is an award-winning professional dancer who danced with the Singapore Dance Theatre (now Singapore Ballet) and Universal Ballet Company in South Korea during her dance career. She has danced in a range of styles covering Classical, Neo-classical and Contemporary, and danced prominent roles in The Dying Swan (Mikhail Fokine), Graham Lustig’s Cinderella, Thierry Malandain’s Bolero, Jorma Elo’s Glow-Stop, Boi Sakti’s Reminiscing the Moon and The Lost Space, and in ballet classics like Swan Lake (Mariinsky Ballet version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, revised by Konstantin Sergeyev), Oleg Vinogradov’s Romeo and Juliet, Vasili Vainonen’s Nutcracker, Marius Petipa’s Raymonda, August Bournoville’s La Sylphide, Jean-Paul Comelin’s Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty, Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly, and many more. She has worked with renowned ballet masters like Johnny Eliason, Paul de Masson, Albert Mirzoyan and Evgenii Neff. She has been teaching Ballet in Germany since 2017, and was Co-founder and Principal of the Shcherbakov BallettAkademie in Munich, Germany. She is also a certified Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor and was Vice-Principal of City Ballet Academy Vaganova.
With almost two decades of working with world-class dancers and renowned ballet companies in South Korea, Europe and Russia – regions celebrated for their long-standing traditions, rich cultural heritage, and high international dance standards – Janice brings a profound wealth of artistic knowledge, expertise, and experience to the school.
Passionate about teaching, she aims to inspire and motivate the younger generation to love the art form, and to nurture each individual to achieve their best. She believes that teachers are those who create an atmosphere that stimulates the students’ minds, bodies, and souls to help them achieve what they aspire to be.
With almost two decades of working with world-class dancers and renowned ballet companies in South Korea, Europe and Russia – regions celebrated for their long-standing traditions, rich cultural heritage, and high international dance standards – Janice brings a profound wealth of artistic knowledge, expertise, and experience to the school.
Passionate about teaching, she aims to inspire and motivate the younger generation to love the art form, and to nurture each individual to achieve their best. She believes that teachers are those who create an atmosphere that stimulates the students’ minds, bodies, and souls to help them achieve what they aspire to be.
GRACE NG
Instructor
Ms Grace, a graduate of the Singapore School of the Arts (SOTA), is a versatile dancer deeply passionate about teaching. Her expertise spans various dance genres such as Ballet, Contemporary, as well as Improvisation, and Choreography. She was awarded Distinctions in all her RAD exams and has won several awards in both local and international competitions. Grace has also trained with the Royal Ballet School and the Ballet Associates Course under Singapore Ballet.
Grace wants to share the passion of dance with others, especially the younger generation, and nurture her students into passionate dancers. Grace also greatly enjoys watching her students grow and improve, while learning to be confident, passionate dancers.
Grace wants to share the passion of dance with others, especially the younger generation, and nurture her students into passionate dancers. Grace also greatly enjoys watching her students grow and improve, while learning to be confident, passionate dancers.
JAIME LEE
Instructor
Ms Jaime began learning ballet at the age of four. She holds a Diploma in Dance from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Making at the same institution. Her dedication and excellence have earned her notable accolades, including the Shariff-Vaidhya Arts Scholarship (Degree) in 2023 and the International Women’s Forum Singapore Education Grant for Young Women in 2022.
Ms Jaime’s technical proficiency is exemplified by her consistent distinctions in the Royal Academy of Dance graded examinations. She has participated in productions, working with teachers and choreographers, such as Jeffrey Tan, Yarra Ileto, Jacky Yu, Supatchai Lappakornkul, and Peter Gn. She is currently expanding her dance education by learning the Russian Vaganova method through rigorous training under the guidance of Mr Ilya Shcherbakov.
As an educator, Ms Jaime has taught ballet classes ranging from baby ballet to adults. She is deeply committed to nurturing body awareness and inspiring a lifelong love for ballet in her students.
As an educator, Ms Jaime has taught ballet classes ranging from baby ballet to adults. She is deeply committed to nurturing body awareness and inspiring a lifelong love for ballet in her students.