A native of Moscow, Russia, Nadia Pavlenko graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg (class of 1989) Following graduation, Ms. Pavlenko danced as a Soloist at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre. Eloquent and expressive, as well as a classically graceful dancer, Ms. Pavlenko performed a long list of principal roles in major ballets including The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, Paquita, Coppélia, Don Quixote and many others. She toured Russia, Germany, Italy and the United States. Ms. Pavlenko continued her education at the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory.

She is known as a talented and extremely dedicated pedagogue who has been teaching classical ballet for the past 25 years. Ms. Pavlenko served as Principal of the Ballet West Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah from August 2016-May 2017 and was the Artistic Director of International Ballet Academy (IBA) in Cary, North Carolina from August 2017-May 2025.

While serving as Artistic Director of International Ballet Academy, Ms. Pavlenko received the Outstanding Teacher Award from YAGP in 2015, 2017, 2023 and the ADC IBC Outstanding Teacher Award in 2018. Under her direction, International Ballet Academy was recognized as YAGP Outstanding School in 2018-2022, 2024 and 2025 and as ADC IBC Outstanding School Award in 2017, 2019-2024. Ms. Pavlenko’s students are currently dancing in professional companies and schools throughout the United States and Europe such as Bayerisches Staatsballett, Stuttgart Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, John Cranko, Tanz Akademie Zurich, San Francisco Ballet School and Houston Ballet Academy.