Alyona Badalova Founder / President / Director

Alyona Badalova is the Founder, President and Director of non-profit organization Child and Youth Development Center "My Way", a multi - cultural organization that brings communities together through art, dance, music, sports and heritage. 

She has graduated with a Masters Combined Bachelor Degree of Arts in Teaching. Along with this she has a deep understanding and knowledge of working with children, as a former teacher and assistant principal of many years along with working as a program coordinator for children in orphanages and special needs facilities. She also has extensive experience working in leadership and coordinator positions.

Alyona has conducted many concerts, festivals, art exhibitions, and tournaments between different communities. One of her annual projects includes the Silk Road Festival NYC. Alyona uses her knowledge to bring people together,serve various communities, and to best help children learn and reach their full potential. She has been awarded by several agencies for her outstanding work in this field. She is the board member of NYC Peace Museum -"Peace Through Art"

Elena Raffloer Director

Elena Raffloer is a musician, singer, conductor of choir, band - master and vocal developer. She graduated Master's Degree of Arts. Elena thinks that each person is gifted and talented. Using her own methods she helps the children to identify their talents. She expects hard work and tremendous effort from her students. She has an experience working with children - choir as well as developing individual vocal performances. The most rewarding thing for her is to see the result of hard work through her students. Elena stands by the quote: "Never say never" and teaches those around to do the same.

Emin Guliyev Art Director

Emin Guliyev is a well known artist and sculptor of Azerbaijan. He graduated college of art named after Azim - Azimzadeh in Baku, Azerbaijan, and later gr aduated from the State Academy of Art in Tibilisi, Georgia. Emin was a member of the USSR Union of Artists which gave him a vast amount of knowledge and experience. His work was featured along Europe and the Middle East as well as in the first and second e xhibition of the Azerbaijani Diaspora Artists in the U.S.A. He received the recognition award for dedication and service to Azerbaijan in New York, U.S.A. He has been teaching at My Way, ever since it's opening. His unique approach allows for each child t o achive and grow as the artists all children are. He begins by teaching his students with geometric shapes and how all forms consist of them. Emin makes sure to give each child the freedom to make creative decisions in their art work as well as guide them in the right direction for improvement. His main goal is to identify and build on strengths of each individual. What inspires Emin throughout his work is to see the result and success of his students. His favorite quote is " Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun".
- Pablo Picasso.

Aron Arif Zarbailov Soccer Coach

Aron-Arif Zarbailov is a professional soccer coach. Aron-Arif graduated the Institute of Physical Education and has an american diploma to teach children from ages 4 to 14. He has recieved the Master of Sport in USSR for soccer. In 1990 he played for the first team of Neftchi Baku in the championship of the USSR. Aron-Arif played for various professional teams in the first and second league of the USSR championship. He was nominated as one of the best scorers in the second league with 283 goals. From 1994 to 1997, he played in Cosmopolitan League of Russian-Hungarian soccer club. From 2006- 2016, Aaron-Arif was the soccer coach for the veteran team of New York City, as well as a coach of various youth teams. Aron-Arif is currently the Head of the Department of retired soccer players that were immigrants from the former Soviet Union in New York and the soccer coach-consultant for the My Way Soccer Club in Brooklyn.

Maija Rutkovska Dance Instructor

Maija Rutkovska is a Latvian born contemporary dance artist, currently New York resident. Obtained a BFA in Dance from the REMA (Latvia) and an Erasmus Scholar. Professional dancer certificate from Ecole-de-Danse-Du-Marais (Paris, France) and accomplished Professional and Teacher Training program in  Martha Graham School in New York.Selected productions in Europe and USA: Latvian National Eurovision finalist (choreographer and performer), Dance Group “Rituals” Vija Vetra(USA/Latvia ), Des-Nuits-Blanche (Paris), Soloist Dancer at Maher Benham Coyote dancers (NYC), Brighton Ballet Theater, The Hudson Guild Theater, Sance Limites Dance Festival, Amalgamate Dance Festival, Dixon Place, Master Theater, Martha Graham Studio Theater, Queens Museum.

Maija teaching includes contemporary, modern, body conditioning and stretching, yoga classes. Rutkovska has thought internationally. Her main ambition is to develop a dancer's movement and expression quality. Some of Maijas students have successfully entered dance schools (Mark Twain, LaGuardia). 

Sedly Bloomfield Drama acting

Sedly Bloomfield grew up in Brooklyn, where the essence
of his character was stimulated by a unique melting pot of culture. After graduating from Erasmus Hall HS at the age of 17, he attended Lee Strasberg and ran his own dance and acting club in Brooklyn NY. Next he attended the University of New Haven and then completed his education with a degree in communication. Sedly transcends the fascination process of storytelling through acting, especially the way in which he reveals himself in the story using the fabric of his own life and temperament. A Leading Character actor with strong presence, charismatic appeal, caresses the language and has a great sense of ease. He has lent his own personal touch to such stage roles as Oscar Charleston in Cobb, Troy in Fences, Captain Davenport in a Soldiers Play, Othello, Aaron in Titus Andronicus. . . such film roles as Detective Foster, Small Potatoes, Horizon Films, William Calhoun the struggling Father, Jungle Walls, and the not so perfect Dad in Barriers, ABC Films and Television appearances on Torchwood Miracle Day, New York Undercover, The Get Down,

Luke Cage (recurring as Joel Spurlock), Marvel Comics, The Americans, and Gotham.

His passion is film screen work and television, though the theatre, is where his roots began.

Maryna Vysotska Hip Hop teacher, choreograph

Teaching basic hip hop techniques, Creating routines for performance, Organizing
performances for kids of different age, Teaching hip hop technique, Creating hip
hop routines, Working with different aged groups of kids and adults.
Choreographing full routines for gymnasts, Creating set of exercises at the bar,
Working on dancing techniques with gymnasts. Majoring in contemporary forms,
hip hop, somatic classes, contemporary. Judging World Hip Hop Championship as
a shadow judge (representing Ukraine at a judge panel)

Denys Drozdyuk & Antonina Skobina Ballroom

Denys Drozdyuk and Antonina Skobina have been dancing together since 2006.
Denys and Antonina have it as their life mission to develop Ballroom Dance to a
more Artistic level and show that it can contribute in a very positive way to the
United States and global culture.

Denys and Antonina are known as DNA - a name under which they participated on
NBC's TV show "World of Dance" on Season 1 and Season 2. They are also 2-
Time US National Latin Champions, World Championship Finalists as well as the winners of all major
ballroom dance competitions in the United States. Denys and Antonina are also the first and ONLY Ballroom
Dance Duet that performs in the concert dance world. They are the first Ballroom Dancers to ever perform in
many prestigious Dance Galas and Festivals around the world, some of which have never seen Ballroom Dance
before. They are also the first and only Ballroom Dance duet that has ever been awarded a dance residency in
the United States – they received the CUNY Dance Initiative residency in 2020.