Julia Dance Academy
Julia’s Dance Academy is a family-friendly dance studio in Norman, Oklahoma that was founded in 2009 by Peter and Yulia Zhmutski.
Yulia Zhmutski
(Founder & Ballet Instructor)
In 2009 Yulia Zhmutski was recognized in countless American magazines and newspapers. She won two top dance awards from “Destined-2-Dance” in the Fall of 2009 – The Most Technical Ballet Instructor and The Best Foreign and Cultural Dance. She has been featured on several magazine covers and performed at numerous major art, film, and dance festivals and venues. The U.S.-Russia Civil Society Institute has recognized Zhmutski as the Most Promising Modern Ballet Artist of 2009. In January of 2010, Zhmutski was elected to lead the organization of American Ballet Society as its president. Also in 2010 Yulia received Artist of the Year Award from the “Russian American Business Magazine.”
Peter Zhmutski
(Founder & Stretching)
Peter Zhmutski was born in the former Soviet Union. He studied & mastered the crafts of music, sports, languages, acting, film, television, & professional writing. Zhmutski came to USA in ‘98 having completed an 8-year music degree & holding a diploma from the Linguistic Gymnasia. After receiving his BA in Communication from PSU, Zhmutski opened ‘PZ Production” a film
production company in ‘02. He directed & produced over a dozen award winning film projects & acted in more than 20 films.
Zhmutski moved to Oklahoma in ‘03. He received his Master of Professional Writing diploma from OU where he also taught film & video courses.
Aside from the film business, Zhmutski produced 15 original individual music CDs & scored 16 films.
He was invited to develop projects for different production companies across the US. From ‘07-’09 he developed projects for Hollywood companies in CA.
He returned to Oklahoma with his wife Yulia Zhmutski & their daughter Julia to open Julia’s Academy of Dance!
Catie Tramel
(Ballet Instructor)
Catie Tramel is a native of Colorado and studied Vaganova technique under German Zamuel, Oleg Dedogryuk, and David Taylor. She danced as a Company Apprentice with the Oklahoma Festival Ballet for four seasons. Catie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Education in 2014. She is an energetic and amiable ballet instructor with a keen interest in developing the self-aware dancer. Catie coaches students to have gumption and pursue excellence within each student’s custom-designed anatomy in order to promote correct technique and prevent injury. Catie has performed throughout the Southwest in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas, and internationally in Indonesia.
She taught for Zamuel Ballet School as a ballet and modern dance instructor and for Julia’s in ballet and stretch/conditioning. While working on her undergraduate capstone, Catie worked extensively with OU students and professors to perfect good teaching practices. She has choreographed and performed original works and taught workshops over international dance forms, stage makeup, ballet, and modern dance. In her free time, Catie loves spending time at home with her husband, Matthew, and laughing at her failed Pinterest experiments. You’ll have to ask her for her Slow Cooker Chicken Chili, though. It’s a fail proof recipe.
