top of page
Meelis Pakri Ballet Master, Harid Conservatory, Judge at California Dance Classics Dance competition

Meelis Pakri is originally from Tallinn, Estonia. He is a graduate of Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg, Russia. Between 1986 and 2001 Pakri danced as a principal dancer with Estonian National Ballet and Colorado Ballet and was a guest artist with Macedonian National Theatre Ballet, Skopje, Yugoslavia, Martha Graham Dance Company and International Ballet Festival in Havana, Cuba.

During these years, Pakri danced lead roles in all major classical ballets, as well as in neoclassical and modern repertoire by masters such as G. Balanchine and M. Graham. At the age 22, Pakri began his teaching career, when he started teaching men’s technique and partnering classes at The Tallinn State Ballet School in Tallinn, Estonia.

Upon retirement from stage Pakri has served as ballet master for Colorado Ballet and Houston Ballet and as a teacher at The Royal Ballet Upper School in London, England. He is a frequent guest teacher at various schools in Japan, Italy, England and United States. He is also a guest teacher for Estonian National Ballet. Pakri has served as a Judge for Japan Grand Prix and continues to judge as well as teach for Youth America Grand Prix. At present, he is teaching on the faculty of The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida.

bottom of page