South Mississippi Ballet Theatre

Arkadiy and Katya Orohovsky

Husband and wife team Arkadiy and Katya Orohovsky have worked together for many years. Arkadiy grew up in Kiev, Ukraine where he trained at the Kiev State Choreographic School. After graduation, he joined the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet where he toured throughout Europe, North America, and Japan. He danced soloist and principal roles such as the Prince in Cinderella, Siegfried in Swan Lake, and the Prince in The Nutcracker. After coming to the United States in 1994, he danced as a principal dancer with Ballet El Paso. He joined Houston Ballet in 2000 where he continued to perform soloist and principal roles in the classical repertory as well as in ballets by George Balanchine and Ben Stevenson. Mr. Orohovsky is sought after by schools throughout the United States as a guest artist and master teacher.

Katya grew up in Hattiesburg and started her dance training with Yvonne Bergeron and Henry Danton at Pine Belt Ballet. She continued her training in such notable schools as The Kirov Academy and Nutmeg Conservatory for the arts. She has danced as a guest principal artist with her husband throughout the United States, performing such roles as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Swanilda in Copellia. Mrs. Orohovsky is noted for her outstanding ability to coach young dancers in the classical ballet repertory as well as staging the full-length classics.

Together, the Orohovsky's have staged numerous ballets in the Hattiesburg area as well as giving their students the opportunity to participate in FestivalSouth. In the 3 years the Orohovsky's have been in Hattiesburg, their students have won numerous awards at Youth America Grand Prix, the premier international student ballet competition, as well as receiving scholarships and acceptances into the country's most prestigious ballet academies.