Oleg Gorboulev received his ballet training from the National Ballet School of Uzbekistan (Class of K. Sagatov). Upon graduation, he was accepted into the ballet troupe of Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. From 1990–1995, Oleg performed with Moscow Classical Ballet in Russia, where he had opportunities to develop roles such as Albrecht & Peasant Pas in Giselle, Rothburt & PD3 Act I in Swan Lake, La Esmeralda Pas De Deux and many others. He toured with the company throughout Europe— England, Holland, Spain, Italy, France— and Japan.

In 1995 he was offered a contract to dance in USA with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre later known as Ballet Internationale (BI) Indianapolis. Worked with Eldar Aliev, Dale Shields, and ballet legends Irina Kolpakova and Vladlen Semenov, Oleg added to his classical repertoire principal and soloist roles from The Nutcracker, Cavarly Halt, Carnival in Venice, Sleeping Beauty, and La Sylphide. Working at Ballet Internationale he had his first experience performing lead roles in contemporary ballets such as: Val Caniporali’s Lambarena, Paul Taylor’s Company B, Eldar Aliev’s Firebird, and Alberto Alonso’s Carmen.

After dancing with BI for 4 seasons, Oleg was invited to join Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) where he reached soloist rank. There was his first acquaintance with George Balanchine choreography. Under coaching of Francia Russell, PNB’s founding co-artistic director and Balanchine Trust repetiteur, Gorboulev danced Pas de trois from Agon, Ballet Imperial, and Chacconne; Demetrius in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dark Angel in Serenade, and many others. In 2000 he participated in filming of the George Balanchine Foundation’s Interpreters Archive series. His classical repertoire includes Nutcracker Prince in Kent Stowell’s The Nutcracker, Gold & Silver in Ronald Nynd’s The Sleeping Beauty, Espada in Mikhael Baryshinkov Don Quixote, and Conrad in Petipa’s Pas de Trois from Le Corsiare Act II. Oleg had also performed in contemporary works by Kent Stowell, PNB’s founding co-artistic director, Nicole Fonte; Glen Tetley, Hans Van Manen, and Lynn Taylor-Corbett.

Before retiring from performing, Oleg was a founding member of Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) and Seattle Dance Project (SDP). Working under directorship of Colleen Neary & Thordal in Los Angeles, he expanded his classical and Balanchine repertoire with role of Apollo, Agon Pas de Deux, and Concerto Barocco 2nd movement. While dancing with SDP directed by former colleagues from PNB, Julie Tobiasson & Tim Lynch, Oleg worked directly with contemporary choreographers such as Edward Liang, Heidi Vierthaler , Molissa Fenley, Donald Byrd, Olivier Wevers, Pat Cat, and Betsy Cooper.

Oleg Gorboulev has been teaching over a decade, starting his teaching career with PNB, Spectrum Dance Theatre, and many schools in Greater Seattle area. In 2007, he was invited to teach at Midwest Regional Dance America festival in Indianapolis, IN. In 2011, he became co-artistic director of Olympic Ballet Theatre & School in Edmonds, WA. His students have been placed in the Top 3 and Top 12 at YAGP regional semifinals. Oleg’s choreography was presented at OBT productions, in collaborations with Seattle Symphony, Seattle Chamber Players, YAGP, and throughout the Seattle area.

Mara Vinson is from Redondo Beach, California, and started her ballet training at Palos Verdes Ballet with Uta Graf-Apostol. She was later accepted, on full scholarship, into the Kirov Academy where she studied with legendary Kirov Ballet ballerina Alla Sizova. At age 15, Vinson moved to Seattle to continue her training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School on full scholarship before joining Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) as an apprentice in 1999. She was promoted to corps in 2000, soloist in 2004, and became a principal in 2007. Her classical repertoire includes Stowell productions The Nutcracker and Swan Lake as Clara and Odette/Odlie respectively, Hynd’s The Sleeping Beauty as Princess Aurora and Princess Florine, and Balanchine’s Coppélia as Swanhilda. Under coaching of PNB’s founding director Francia Russell, Vinson also performed leading roles in Balanchine ballets such as Agon, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Four Temperaments, Serenade, Brahms, Divertimento #15, Symphony in C, Ballet Imperial, and Chaconne. She later added roles of Diamonds and Emeralds from Jewels, Symphony in Three Movements, and Square Dance while dancing under current PNB artistic director Peter Boal. As a principal dancer, Vinson appeared in numerous works by contemporary choreographers such as Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat & Ressemblement; Jerome Robbins’ Dances at Gathering, Nicole Fonte’s Within Without, Val Caniporali’s Torque, Twyla Tharp In The Upper Room & many others. During her time with PNB Vinson toured to England, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Vail, CO.

Other accomplishments include an opportunity to work with Frederick Franklin on variation from Balanchine’s Raymonda, and Vinson has also appeared in lecture series held by Dough Fullington in Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 2008, Vinson was name one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.”

Vinson became co-artistic director of Olympic Ballet Theatre & School in 2011, after teaching ballet at various schools in Seattle area, Indiana, and California. Under Mara’s instructions and coaching, students of Olympic Ballet School have been accepted into summer programs of schools such as San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and many others. Her students have been placed top 12 at and have taken 3rd places at YAGP Semi-Finals in Seattle as well were invited to participate in Finals in New York.

In 2017, Vinson was awarded Best Teacher at World Arts Ballet Competition Semi-Finals. For that same competition two of Vinson’s students, after receiving top places at Semi-finals, were invited to compete in Finals in Niagara Falls, Canada.