Valeri Tchekachev

Valeri Tchekacheva, teacher at the North Coast Classical Ballet​

Affectionately known as Mr. Valeri, Dr. Valeri Tchekachev brings a wealth of dance and choreographic experience to his teaching. Dr. Tchekachev has higher fundamental education in many branches of art and science. Mr Valeri has 30+ years of experience as a professional choreographer and a teacher of classical ballet and other styles and genres of dance. He uses his knowledge and education in his work as Director, Choreographer and Teacher at NCCB.

Born in Russia, he received his ballet training at the famous Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Saint Petersburg, With 25 years of experience as a leading soloist of the world renowned State Academic Ballet Theater of Saint Petersburg Mr. Valeri traveled around the world and performed in 46 countries.He has also appeared in such movies as The Prince and the Pauper , Story of the Soldier, Theme with Variations, Ballet Miniatures, and Nocturne.

Mr. Valeri’s educational background includes diplomas from Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Saint Petersburg, Perm State Ballet Academy, Saint Petersburg University of Performing Arts, Saint Petersburg State University of Business and Management and the 1st Medical Institute of St. Petersburg.

While studying classical ballet at the prestigious ballet academies, Mr. Valeri had a great opportunity to learn from the outstanding world-class teachers, such as Alexander Pushkin (whose students were superstars Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Mr. Valeri was his last student), Ludmila Sakharova (her students N. Pavlova and O. Tchenchikova were the world renowned principal ballerinas), Nikolay Serebrennikov (No.1 pedagogue of Duet and Partnering Dance), Juliy Plakht, Feya Balabina, Tatiana Vecheslova and Kirill A. Shmorgoner.

With all this knowledge Mr. Valeri has formed his unique training system that allows students to quickly master dance skills. He uses his unique teaching style to prepare students for ballet competitions, and helps ice skaters and gymnasts to improve their dance choreography.

Mr. Valeri has produced numerous professional ballet performances: "Titanic" (160 dancers), "Don Quixote", "The Little Prince" (First in the world choreography),"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp", "Scheherazade", "Cinderella", "Alice in Wonderland" and many other ballets, and more than 300 short miniatures and dances.

Over the 13 years of the NCCB school's existence, Mr. Valeri directed over 20 full stage performances and shows: 10 performances of "The Nutcracker" (minus the Covid year) and 11 spring productions of masterpieces of world-renowned classics, such as "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake", "Le Corsaire” and others.

During his career Mr. Valeri has had the opportunity to prepare numerous dancers for national and international competitions. He has had students place in the finals in competitions in New York, Helsinki and Moscow and at the Youth American Grand Prix. His students have also been accepted to many summer intensive programs including The Bolshoi Ballet.

Mr. Valeri brings to North County Classical Ballet the artistic and technical elegance of the Vaganova Syllabus. His expertise and knowledge will prove an asset to any dancer.


Katie Shoffner


Katie Shoffner began her Vaganova training with Mr. Valeri and Mrs. Tatiana Tchekachev at the age of nine. In her almost 12 years with the North County Classical Ballet she had performed numerous principal roles. She danced Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Clara and the Sugarplum Fairy in the Nutcracker, Cupid in Don Quixote, Medora and Gamzatti in Le Corsaire, The Princess, in Princess Isar, Cinderella, Esmeralda, Diana in Diana and Acteon, and Princess Aurora and Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty. She was also very fortunate to dance the role of the white Swan Odette in Swan Lake.

Katie has competed in six Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) ballet competitions and placed in the top 24 in 2015, 2016, and 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

She had the great opportunity to train at the Kirov Academy of Ballet School in Washington D.C. on an artistic scholarship in their junior company.

Since then, she returned to college majoring in Psychology at Cal State San Marcos. After graduation she is looking to further study in the field of Occupational Therapy.

She is very happy to return to assist Mr. Valeri and instill her love for ballet to the next generation of ballerinas at NCCB.