Elena Tupyseva

Executive Director

Bio

Elena Tupyseva is an innovative, dedicated and proven leader with over 20 years of experience in managing performing arts organizations and projects. Born in Moscow (Russia), she has been a producer, curator and arts leader in the field of contemporary dance and ballet since 1999.
Tupyseva earned a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management, Royal Roads University, 2022, a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts Management, State Academy of Theatre Arts, Russia, 2005 and a Master’s Degree in Law, State University of Oil and Gas, Russia, 1998
Tupyseva became co-founder and director of the Contemporary Dance Centre TsEKh (Moscow) in 2001. Primary projects included the International Contemporary Dance Festival TsEKh and the International Contemporary Dance Summer School. From 2000 to 2021, Elena was a Russian partner of the European Dance Network Aerowaves.
Tupyseva then moved on to become Artistic Director and CEO of the Theatre Ballet Moscow, a city repertoire contemporary dance and ballet company, from 2012 to 2022. She was selected for this position by the Moscow Department of Culture to build a new artistic profile for the company. Under her artistic direction, the company commissioned more than 30 new ballets (full length and one act) created by Russian and international choreographers. The new ballets were created by Juanjo Arques (Netherlands), Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Netherlands), Robert Binet (Canada), Jeroen Verbruggen (Belgium), Ihsan Rustem (UK – Switzerland), Chris Harring (Austria), Ivan Perez (Netherlands – Germany), Arthur Pita (UK) and others. The company performed not only at the conventional stages but also collaborated with museums and galleries such as Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum, Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art and others. During 2020, the company launched several online projects and performances. The company was nominated six times to the prestigious Russian Theatre Award Golden Mask and two productions won the prize for best dance production of the year.
In 2022, Tupyseva was appointed Producer of Dance Umbrella of Ontario based in Toronto, where she and her colleagues served independent artists by assisting with management services – from non-profit finances and production to administration and marketing.
Tupyseva’s entrepreneurial skills and flair played a huge role in setting up and leading independent arts organizations and various artistic projects throughout her career. Her artistic curiosity, coupled with strategic thinking, talent development, human relations, networking, and inter-cultural communication skills, have paved the way for successfully executing numerous ballet, dance and multidisciplinary projects on local, national and international levels.
In 2005, Tupyseva graduated from the Department of Producers of the Russian Academy of Theater Arts (GITIS). She had an internship at the National Dance Centre DanceEast in the UK. From 2010 – 2013, she was a Fellow of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington DC, USA). Since 2019, she has been a Fellow of ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts (NY, USA). Tupyseva is currently a member of the International Society for the Performing Arts Conference (ISPA), USA.