About
founders
a note from Ballet & Identity founders, Lana David & Elena Alexandra
Throughout our years of work with young people with and without autism, and the staggering theme of disconnection, grew an understanding and desire to provide a way for all people to connect with themselves and their innate qualities through dance & arts.
We have been developing and implementing a unique program Ballet & Identity, which teaches principles that develop core strength, confidence, unlock creativity and empower youth with the ability to succeed in everything they do.
Elena Alexandra
Elena is dedicated to a most important aspect of the human journey: discovering our Identity. Elena is developing educational programs to help youths to realize their identity through practical applications of classical ballet and the arts.
Psychology & Homeopathy
Elena Alexandra received her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA, CMHC) from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1996, she discovered Homeopathy, and on her first day sitting in a homeopathy class she had an epiphany: “this is the real psychology I’ve been looking for!” Elena graduated from Renaissance Institute of Classical Homeopathy, studying with Dr. Luc DeSchepper, MD, PhD. In the early 2000’s Elena taught psychology at the American University of Complementary Medicine in Los Angeles, where she created a unique course integrating homeopathy with psychology called “Personality Profiles”.
Tango& non-profit work
Arts and dance play a major role in Elena’s life. In 2006 she co-founded a non-profit organization Dance Into Unity (now Autism Unites) to raise autism awareness through performing arts.
In 2009 in collaboration with another non-profit Unity in Diversity, Elena created a community program in West Hollywood called “Magic of Tango” where she conducted weekly workshops. In April 2020, the program Magic of Tango of West Hollywood celebrated it’s 10th anniversary.
To understand the essence of tango and apply it for her autism awareness dance productions, Elena took classes and was working on her productions together with the tango Broadway stars, Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo, the couple who were staring in her productions El Corazon del Tango (2006), Tango Adamor (2008) and Through the Heart of Tango (2012) productions.
Through the Heart of Tango
A Documentary about the Art of Connection featuring the star of the Broadway show Forever Tango, Miriam Larici and her partner, Leonardo Barrionuevo.
Elena developed series of dance workshops to connect young people on the autism spectrum with neurotypical youth. One of such workshops was featured in the award-winning documentary “Through the Heart of Tango” (2012) in collaboration with Joey Travolta’s production company Inclusion Films.
In 2013 “Through the Heart of Tango” was accepted into a number of national and international film festivals and featured a number of times on television.
Elena is driven to share the invaluable knowledge she has accrued over the years with individuals, families, and community. She wants to inspire them to take charge of their health, realize their purpose, and become an asset to our community.
Health & Wellness Education
In 2024 Elena and Lana in collaboration with a renowned scientist, Dr. Judy Mikovits developed an online course The Healing Power of Homeopathy based on the teachings of a homeopathic doctor, David Lilley who states that the healing of the body is directly connected to healing of the soul.
The Healing Power of Homeopathy is the online course based on the teachings of Dr. David Lilley who states that “healing the body, in its entirety, necessitates healing the soul.” LEARN MORE…
Youths engagements through Arts
Elena continues to develop Ballet & Identity program, which is the outcome of her previous workshops with young people.
In this video, Elena talks with a skateboard pro, Jessy Jean Bart about shaping young people for success through classical ballet, which could provide a solid foundation for developing skills as athletes and enabling qualities that empower youths in all areas of their life.
Lana David
Lana David spent several decades as a senior systems analyst in IT for a prominent bank in Boston, MA, while tending to her passion of organizing educationally focused cultural events within several communities.
In 1997 she began to study homeopathy with Dr. Luc DeSchepper graduating from the Renaissance Institute of Classical Homeopathy several years later, and has been a scholar of homeopathy since.
Moving from Boston to the West Coast in the early 2000’s, Lana joined the American University of Complementary Medicine in Los Angeles, where she organized conferences with respected homeopaths and was an assistant to the professor of the university’s community clinic.
Lana, and Elena, created the non-profit Autism Unites (Ballet & Identity / Dance Into Unity) in 2006 in an effort to address and attempt to resolve the situation of a severely autistic family member. They have worked with autism, producing large stage productions to raise autism awareness
Through her work in the fields of communication, encompassing science technology and the healing arts, most notably homeopathy, as well as socio-cultural projects, Lana has established a deep understanding of the paramount importance of addressing the roots of our disease through the universal principle called Law of Similars.
Since 2019 Lana has been involved in developing and implementing a unique program Ballet & Identity, which teaches principles that develop core strength, confidence, unlock creativity and empower children of all works of life with the ability to succeed in their chosen field through the powerful tools of ballet and arts where both components are parts of one comprehensive concept focused on a child’s healthy identity development.