Our teachers

Liezl Austria

Terpsichora Ballet owner and founder Liezl Austria is dedicated to teaching her students the Vaganova Method of classical ballet in its purest form. Students training with Liezl learn ballet as she did at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This world-renowned ballet school teaches Agrippina Vaganova’s method for learning classical Russian ballet, which produces a distinctive, high-quality of movement as seen in the graduates of the Vaganova Ballet Academy, which include, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The clarity of the step-by-step Vaganova Method, and the exceptional dancers it creates, are why Liezl teaches her students this style of ballet. 

Liezl was born in the Philippines and started her nearly 20-year career as ballerina when she moved to San Francisco, California at the age of 13. Liezl’s first ballet mentor was Augusta Moore, who recommended Liezl also train with mentors Yehuda Maor and Alba Calzada.

In the United States, Liezl performed with the Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers, American Repertory Theater Ballet, Pacific Dance Theater, BalletMindDance, Avenue Dance Project, Mark Foeringer Dance Project and the Robert Henry Johnson Dance Company. Internationally, Liezl has performed on tour in Holland, Aruba, in Germany. In 1989, while Liezl was still performing, she began studying the art of teaching dance with Augusta Moore who was in instructor at both Dance Mission and Dancer Stage in San Francisco, California. As a student in her class, Liezl showed a natural talent for ballet instruction. Moore recommended Liezl as a ballet instructor to Alonzo King LINES and in August 2001 she started working at LINES.

Augusta Moore was an important mentor for Liezl, and soon Liezl was so proficient at teaching ballet that Augusta hired her to teach with her ODC. Augusta took Liezl under her wing and encouraged her to seek out more advanced training in teaching classical Russian ballet. Liezl wanted to learn a ballet teaching style that was orderly, clear, and effective. So, Augusta recommended Liezl study the Vaganova Syllabus.

In 2006, Liezl began her study of the Vaganova Syllabus with John White in Pennsylvania, learning the syllabus courses 1, 2, and 3.. White taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet with his wife and former ballerina Margarita de Saá White. John and Margarita met while dancing professionally in Cuba for the Nacional Ballet de Cuba. While performing in Cuba, John received extensive training on teaching the Vaganova syllabus from visiting Russian ballet masters. John is known as an authority on the Vaganova Syllabus and has authored two books on the subject. The experience changed Liezl’s life and the way she looked at ballet. Liezl continued her studies with White the following year, taking Vaganova syllabus levels 4, 5 and 6. John taught nearly 700 teachers at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet and abroad.

Liezl’s next step was to take training from the source at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Between the years of 2010-2019 Liezl attended annual demonstrations of the Preservation of the Vaganova Method at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia. In 2016, Liezl began the Teacher Re-Training program at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, studying under her mentor, Pedagogue Irina Badaeva.

Vaganova Ballet Academy instructor Irina Badaeva a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater who performed roles including Giselle, Odette/Odile from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora, Kitri from Don Quixote Irina is known for her artistic interpretation of the Dying Swan. 

Liezl also studied with Pedagogues Bashlovkina, Galina Pavlovna and Komolova, Ludmila Ivanovna. Liezl was the only student in the program in 2016 and traveled from California to Russia twice that year to purse training at the Vaganova Ballet Academy.

The Teacher Re-Training program at the Vaganova Ballet Academy is highly selective—the class is limited to a maximum of five students and the lessons are taught entirely in Russian. Liezl had the approval of the instructors but, at the time, she didn’t know the language. So, Liezl began studying Russian so she could learn from the masters at the Vaganova Ballet Academy and pursue her dream of owning and teaching at her own ballet studio.

Liezl has traveled to Russia 11 times since her first trip there in 2010. She has completed the Junior (1, 2, 3) and Middle level (4 and 5) method courses at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg in June 2019, studying under the Head of Education Pedagogue Gribanova, Maria Alexandrovna. She was certified in June 2019.

On September 8, 2020, Liezl realized her dream and opened the Terpsichora Ballet School in San Francisco, California. Liezl and her school are “committed to teaching the Vaganova Method of classical ballet.” Terpsichora Ballet School teaches young students who aspire to be professional ballet dancers, as well as students of all ages who want to have a professional level of training.

For Liezl, creating an environment where students can learn and achieve their full potential is of utmost importance. Her teaching style is no-nonsense with heart—her warm personality and years of experience as a professional ballerina and ballet instructor are evident in every class and private lesson. 

Liezl understands the hard work and commitment it takes to create beautiful and artistic movements that appear effortless.

“Ballet is not easy,” Liezl says. “It’s hard work. There’s pain involved in the training. You have to make your body do these unnatural things. I know it’s hard, so I try to be nurturing and I try to teach the method in a more loving way.”

Above all, Liezl cares deeply for her students and wants them to achieve their dreams. “I care, so I want to make sure my students have the information.” Liezl says. “I want to make sure that my students are doing it correctly, so they get better.”

Since Terpsichora Ballet School opened in September 2020, Liezl’s students have gone on to major in dance and train at schools including the Boston Conservatory of Dance, London Contemporary Dance, New York University’s Tish School of the Arts, the University of California-Irvine, and Marymount University.

Students at Terpsichora Ballet School will have clear milestones because step-by-step Vaganova Method is made to create professional dancers. The Vaganova Method is also virtually injury free if learned and practiced correctly.

“Anything worthwhile takes time,” Liezl said “It’s a process of learning.”

Monique Tajiri-Goldwater

Monique was raised in Japan and France. At the age of three, she began her training in ballet and Japanese traditional dance. She has studied Yoshimi Yo (Beijing National Ballet /Vaganova style) and she has received professional training from the Rosella Hightower International Ballet School in Cannes, France.

She debuted at the Avignon Opera Ballet and later moved to the Normandy Opera Ballet as a soloist for both classical and contemporary repertoires. Later, she moved to the United States to dance with the Los Angeles Ballet. In 2002 she moved to San Francisco where she developed a passion for Duncan dance under Mary Sano and Butoh with Ledoh. Monique’s notable appearances is a performance at the San Francisco City Hall Rotunda as a leading member of Mary Sano and Her Duncan Dancers. 

Since Monique joined Ledoh Salt Farm in 2004, she has performed include at Asian Art Museum in SF,the International Dance Festival SF, and the International Butoh Festival in Bangkok, Thailand.

She has been featured as a special artist in performances of “Madame Butterfly” for both the Golden Gate Opera and the California Opera since 2004. 

Monique’s passion and love remains ballet. From 2004 she taught at Mercy High School for 16 years and for some schools in SF.She has been especially active in teaching classical ballet within the Bay Area’s Japanese community. After a long-term friendship with Liezl that has spanned over a decade, Monique is excited to now be teaching with Terpsichora Ballet School.