Kristina graduated with BA (Hons) in Dance (Contemporary) in 2009 and then went on to do the MA in Contemporary Dance Performance with Verve.
“NSCD taught me how to work hard, especially as I had only started dancing 2 years prior to joining NSCD. It gave me the good basic training I needed. The staff/teachers in my time were truly inspiring and I wanted their dance careers. Originally from London, moving to Leeds gave me the courage to travel and to be away from my home town. Andile was my hero and inspiration. It was brilliant having the old Pheonix company so close as they were my inspiration and I joined their company class as many times as I could during my training. Verve 09 gave me the opportunity to work with Filip Van Huffel, which is why in 2011 I joined his company Retina based in Antwerp, Belgium.”
Kristina was initially a keen athlete before discovering dance at the age of 16.
Since graduating she has worked as a professional dance artist for companies such as Tavaziva Dance, Arthur Pita, Retina Dance Company, Henri Oguike Dance Company and ACE Dance and Music. Kristina has been a company dancer for Akram Khan Company since 2011, and is currently intensely training in Indian Kathak. She initially joined the company for “in the mind of igor” and the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. In 2014 she worked on the revival of Akram Khan’s Kaash, the first full-length piece ever performed by the company in 2002.
Alongside touring with Akram Khan Company, Kristina is also building her own education company Alleyne Dance with her twin-sister Sade, who also studied at NSCD. They have taught both nationally and internationally and are currently working with establishments such as The Brit School, Vocab Dance Company, London Studio Centre and UK Centre for Advanced Training schemes. In 2014 they led workshop sessions at Vienna’s ImPulsTanz Festival and in the summer of 2015 they began a round of international summer intensive workshops starting at The Henny Jurriëns Stichting Foundation in Amsterdam.
