serving upstate South Carolina

Welcome to the International Ballet Organization

The Academy                                 founded in 2003                                 The Company



Imagine ...

a famous conductor imploring a retired ballet dancer/teacher in the Caribbean, to come back to Greenville to meet a pair of ballet prinicpals from eastern Europe....

...the conductor?  None other than Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.  The retiree building coral reefs?  Lena Jankowsky Forster, former ballet teacher and director at several Upstate ballet studios.  The pair?  Vlada Kyssleova and Hennadii Bespechnyi, principal dancers performing Russian ballet classics all over the world.

The talent and training embodied in this couple so inspired Lena that she leaves her island life to return to South Carolina to launch International Ballet (IB) and the International Ballet Academy (IBA).  Classical  Russian training and authentic choreography are the trademarks of International Ballet

The International Ballet Academy

A thriving school of classical ballet providing training for students from age 3 to professional levels. Classes include a complete curriculum of classical ballet (Pre-ballet, Levels I, II, III, VI, and V).  Students are also offered classes in Character, Jazz, Zumba, Yoga, and Pilates.

The International Ballet Company

 A nonprofit classical ballet performance company which produces annual performances of The Nutcracker as well as up to eight annual performances of their Chamber Ballet Company.