Bella Ratchinskaia (born in Vorkuta (Russia) on 22 November 1953) is a classical ballet choreographer and maÎtre de ballet. She attended and graduated with honours at the State Academy of Ballet in Perm. After her studies, she joined the USSR "All-Union Contest" for young dancers and moved to Leningrad (San Petersburg) where she started a classical dance career at the Theatre. In 1972 she began to work as a principal dancer in the company "Choreographical Miniatures" directed by Leonid Yakobson, she performed all roles of the classical repertory and Yakobson's own choreographic creations. She enjoyed critical acclaim during international tours for her interpretation of these roles. In 1976, she took her first steps in creating her own choreography. The approval she received from the Soviet public encouraged her to follow a pedagogical and choreographic career. In the same year she began the renowned Teachers course at The Vaganova Ballet Academy. After graduation with honours and receiving the official title of Pedagogue for Classical, Historical, Character Ballet and Repertoire she began teaching at the Vaganova Academy. During the years while working in the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, another important field of activity was a close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Mongolia, developing educational methods for the training of classical ballet for both students and teachers. Her professional success, was rewarded, in 1989, with the 'Honorary Board and Symbol of Ministry of Culture' of the USSR and Mongolia. At the end of '80s, the Academy initiated international cultural exchanges, among others with Italy, and in 1990 Bella Ratchinskaia was engaged as maÎtre de ballet at Milan's La Scala Theatre and as pedagogue for classical, historical and repertoire at La Scala Ballet Academy directed by Anna Maria Prina. Together with Giuseppe Carbone (director of the La Scala ballet company ), she started "MaÎtre de ballet education course" with the objective of giving classical dancers ending their stage-career, a professional teaching qualification. In the second half of the 1990s, she actively collaborated with theatres and international companies as a training and rehearsal maÎtre for classical ballet also staging her own choreographic productions; in 1996 she produced Ballet Class for Sarasota Ballet Company (Florida, USA) directed by Robert de Warren. Between 1997 and '98 she created numerous classic and demi-charactére choreographic works for Teatro Carcano (Milan, Italy), in '99 she worked as a guest with Compagnia de la Comunidad de Madrid (Spain)