I am Venus Villa,
the founder of this passionate institution, and I am humbled to share my remarkable journey with you.
As I reflect upon my journey, I am filled with gratitude for the countless opportunities that have shaped me as an artist.
Founder & Principal
Venus Villa
Born in La Havana, Cuba in 1986, Venus initiated her ballet journey at the tender age of 9 at the renowned Escuela Nacional de Alicia Alonso. Three years later, her passion for ballet led her to join the prestigious school, Teatro alla Scala di Milano in Italy, where she dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the art form.
At the age of 17, Venus made a courageous decision to leave La Scala and pursue further refinement of her technique under the guidance of her esteemed teacher. This pivotal step marked her transition into the realm of professional dance. At 18 years old, Venus auditioned for the Royal Ballet of London. Her undeniable talent and dedication earned her a coveted contract, propelling her into the captivating world of professional dance. Venus started her professional journey as a member of the corps de ballet, steadily ascending through the ranks as a first artist, soloist, and eventually, at the age of 23, as a principal dancer.
Throughout her career, Venus had the honour of gracing the stages of ballet companies worldwide, including the Vienna State Opera (Staatsoper), the English National Ballet, Opera di Roma, The Washington Ballet, and her most recent chapter at the Hong Kong Ballet, where she found a new home.
As a versatile dancer, Venus has mesmerized audiences with her command of both classical and contemporary works. With remarkable artistry, she has brought to life the creations of celebrated choreographers such as John Cranko, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Wayne McGregor, Derek Deane, Wayne Eagling, and Septime Weber, to name a few.
Her career took her on numerous guest appearances across the globe, enchanting audiences in Australia, Italy, the United States, China, Russia, Spain, France, Portugal, and Hong Kong, where she concluded her remarkable career in 2018.
Today, with her wealth of experience and profound passion for dance, she has established her own Academy. Inspired by her extraordinary journey, she knows what it requires to take students to the summit of the profession. She hopes to shape the future of dance education not only in Hong Kong but also the whole APAC region and provide aspiring dancers with exceptional training and mentorship by fostering creativity, discipline, and self-expression, while allowing each dancer to discover their unique voice and unlock their full potential.
Contemporary Guest Teacher
Enrique Perez - Cancio Cantero
As a choreographer since 2000, I created more than 600 parts, including 8 complete long-term dances and 28 medium-sized pieces, with the rest mainly divided into solos and duets, but also several short pieces (nothing less than 5 minutes) all presented in theater and verifiable with audiovisual material and/or paper.
Created over 1,000 choreographies among taller choreographies, summer intensive, or simply choreographic experiences, particularly in the quick assembly of complex ballets, improve quality, and strong interpretation and artistic content.
Studied ballet, acting and theater, visual arts, photography, lighting, design, and stage direction at the Art Education Center (CEDART) in Mexico and at the National Center for Contemporary Dance in Mexico (CENADAC), where I studied Graham technique while studying more techniques and styles like Alexander, Horton, Lemon, and Cunningham and choreographic fundamentals.
Ballet & Conditioning Teacher
Boniface Ho
Boniface started his ballet training at Christine Liao School of Ballet, and later attended the Gifted Young Dancer Programme (GYDP) at The Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. He was then professionally trained in the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, Canada until 2009. He won the first place in ballet Solo and third place in Solo Interpretive category at Surrey Festival of Dance, Surrey, B.C., Canada.
He joined various school productions and has a passion to teach and educate young students in a repertoire including Giselle, Don Quixote, La Fille Mal Gardée, Cavalry Halt, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker among many others.
With more than 10 years of experience as a teacher, he brings his know-how and expertise in conditioning and choreography whether in classic or contemporary dance. He is a kind and supportive ballet and conditioning teacher, and has received the Outstanding Teacher Award from Hong Kong Challenge Cup in 2023.
Ballet Teacher
Ashleigh Bennett
Australian-born, Ashleigh Bennett trained at The Australian Ballet School and in Li Cunxin's Pre-Professional Programme at the Queensland Ballet. She danced with The Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, and West Australian Ballet before joining Hong Kong Ballet in 2018.
During her career, Ashleigh has danced the featured roles of Queen of the Dryads in Dame Lucette Aldous' Don Quixote, White Snake in Septime Webre's The Nutcracker, The Caterpillar in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland), Big Swans in John Meehan's Swan Lake, The Fairy Godmother in Smeulders’ Cinderella and The Prayer in Greg Horsman’s Coppélia, among others.
Ashleigh has been teaching for 6 years and is very excited to join the VVDA team with the vision of passing on quality training and artistic excellence to the next generation of stars.
Ballet Teacher
Lauren Ho
Lauren is a dancer, choreographer and educator from Hong Kong who has trained extensively in ballet, contemporary, jazz and musical theatre. Lauren has performed in Hong Kong Disneyland's Festival of the Lion King and choreographed for the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation.
She has worked in Canada teaching Advanced Ballet Technique and performed at fashion shows, dance competitions, and fundraising galas across Hong Kong. With a keen eye on choreography, Lauren is eager to share her artistic sense and direction. Her performance and choreography has been awarded at competitions like Asian Grand Prix and regional dance competitions in Canada. Lauren is also a registered yoga teacher and a lead faculty member at SHIFT Dance.
Ballet Teacher
Ekaterina (Kate)
Ekaterina is a highly accomplished professional dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher from Russia. With a solid educational foundation from the Academy of Dance in Russia and the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy, Ekaterina has honed her skills in ballet, body ballet, stretching, and Pilates.
Her professional journey is marked by performances at prestigious theaters in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as international stages in Italy, France, Germany, England, Spain, Syria, Switzerland, Sweden, and Estonia. Ekaterina's teaching career spans over a decade, with experience in both Russia and China (Beijing, Shenzhen), where she has taught at various dance schools and academies.
Ekaterina's expertise encompasses a wide range of dance styles, including classical ballet, modern, Latin, and jazz. She is proficient in teaching classical dance techniques to students of all levels and is well-versed in the RAD and Beijing Academy of Dance systems. Her passion for dance and dedication to her students make her an invaluable addition to our team.