Artistic Staff & Board of Directors

Ballet dancers and cast taking a bow on stage after a performance in front of a decorated Christmas tree, with a grand backdrop, chandeliers, and an audience.
Children dressed in ballet costumes performing on stage during a dance recital, with an audience of children and adults watching.
Group of ballet dancers performing on stage in colorful tutus with a decorated set background.
Three ballet dancers dressed in pink tutus perform on stage with colorful, whimsical backdrop featuring pink, purple, and blue hues, and decorative elements resembling a fantasy castle and candy theme. The stage is decorated with pink and white polka
Two ballet dancers dressed as cats stand on stage during a performance. The female dancer wears a white tutu, cat ear headband, and white gloves, while the male dancer is in a black and white costume with red boots. The stage features a painted backd
Ballet dancers in colorful costumes performing on stage with regal backdrop.

Artistic Staff

Kathleen Noblin, Executive Director & FounderFounder Kathleen Noblin has been the primary force in the organization and in the development of professional ballet in Ventura County since the early 1990s. Since that time, she has produced over thirty full-length ballets for VCB and its predecessor Channel Islands Ballet Company.Active in the arts in Ventura, she served on the City’s Cultural Plan Steering Committee to define objectives for the arts in the city. She has also directed VCB performances for City of Ventura sponsored events, including several Art Walks, the Earle Stanley Gardner Mystery Festival, the “Arts Explosion” series, and many others.Kathleen’s brainchild, the Therapeutic Dance program for children in foster care, allowed dozens of underserved children the opportunity for creative expression through dance at no cost. Her goal, if proper funding can be obtained, is to be able to continue the program and offer the same opportunity to physically challenged or disabled students in our area.As a lifelong dancer, Ms. Noblin had the expertise to recruit and hire an outstanding staff of professional instructors and performers from around the world. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles as a dance minor with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She studied ballet with Doris Niles, Stanley Zampakus, Olga Fricker, Mara Lysova, and Peter Schetters, and danced with the Channel Islands Ballet Company from 1975-1988.In 2008, Kathleen received the City of Ventura’s Mayor’s Arts Award for Arts Educator.

  • Kathleen Noblin has been the primary force in the organization and in the development of professional ballet in Ventura County since the early 1990s. Since that time, she has produced over thirty full-length ballets for VCB and its predecessor Channel Islands Ballet Company.

    Active in the arts in Ventura, she served on the City’s Cultural Plan Steering Committee to define objectives for the arts in the city. She has also directed VCB performances for City of Ventura sponsored events, including several Art Walks, the Earle Stanley Gardner Mystery Festival, the “Arts Explosion” series, Art Walk, and many others.

    Kathleen’s brainchild, the Therapeutic Dance program for children in foster care, allowed dozens of underserved children the opportunity for creative expression through dance at no cost. Her goal, if proper funding can be obtained, is to be able to continue the program and offer the same opportunity to physically challenged or disabled students in our area.

    As a lifelong dancer, Ms. Noblin had the expertise to recruit and hire an outstanding staff of professional instructors and performers from around the world. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles as a dance minor with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She studied ballet with Doris Niles, Stanley Zampakus, Olga Fricker, Mara Lysova, and Peter Schetters, and danced with the Channel Islands Ballet Company from 1975-1988.

    In 2008, Kathleen received the City of Ventura’s Mayor’s Arts Award for Arts Educator.

Marina Fliagina, Associate Artistic Director and ChoreographerBorn in Russia, Marina Fliagina graduated with distinction from the Perm State College of choreography in Russia. She was admitted to the Moscow State Theatre Kremlin Ballet where she worked with renowned Vladimir Vasiliev and Ekaterina Maximova and has performed roles in every famous classical ballet, touring internationally with the Russian Imperial Ballet, Moscow Classical Ballet, and the Moscow Festival Ballet.In 1998, Marina joined State Street Ballet as a dancer and became Ballet Mistress in 2000. She continues to dance character roles in ballets. Currently, she is an instructor at Ballet Academy Ventura, and has served as Associate Artistic Director and Choreographer since 2005.

  • Born in Russia, Marina Fliagina graduated with distinction from the Perm State College of choreography in Russia. She was admitted to the Moscow State Theatre Kremlin Ballet where she worked with renowned Vladimir Vasiliev and Ekaterina Maximova and has performed roles in every famous classical ballet, touring internationally with the Russian Imperial Ballet, Moscow Classical Ballet, and the Moscow Festival Ballet.

    In 1998, Marina joined State Street Ballet as a dancer and became Ballet Mistress in 2000. She continues to dance character roles in ballets. Currently, she is an instructor at Ballet Academy Ventura, and has served as Associate Artistic Director and Choreographer since 2005 and Artistic Director since 2024.

Black and white portrait of a smiling man in a suit and tie, holding a conductor's baton.

  • Hailed by 805 Living magazine as the “Maestro of the Central Coast”, Brian Asher Alhadeff makes his debut as Principal Conductor of Ventura County Ballet in the 2024 production of the Nutcracker. An extremely versatile conductor, he has been the Principal Conductor of State Street Ballet Santa Barbara and Civic Ballet San Luis Obispo since 2012; and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Lompoc Pops Orchestra since 2015. Maestro Alhadeff has held the position of General and Artistic Director of Opera San Luis Obispo since 2011. Alhadeff has also held conductor positions with the Albanian National Radio and Television Orchestra, Filharmonie Hradec Kralove, Marina Del Rey Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Tulsa Ballet, South Florida Opera, Long Beach Opera, Ballet Tucson, Bourgas Opera Ballet, and Prague State Opera, in addition to many other orchestras and opera companies throughout the U.S. and Europe. Off stage, he consults for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education producing year-round educational outreach, and is on the music faculty of Cuesta College. Alhadeff studied conducting at the Peabody Conservatory and Janacek Academy of Music. His conducting degrees include a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola Marymount University, Masters of Music from California State University Los Angeles, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from UCLA.

Board of Directors

Linda Amaral, President

Cheryl Sills, Vice President

Lizzie Daymond-Oas, Secretary

Denise Grimm, Treasurer

Amy Aguilar

Sunshine Cheek

Alyssa Poelstra

Claudia Santana

Amy Watts

Contact Ventura County Ballet Board of Directors at board@venturacountyballet.com

Strategic Plan

Board AUXILIARY

Melinda Hoyt

Cynthia Loughman

Pam Reinig

Eileen Riddle