Founders
Fusun Alpakin Naska
Director of Music Department / Violinist
Mrs. Naska is a native of Turkey, she started playing violin age of eight as a student of well-known composer and violinist Ekrem Zeki Ün and Prof. Yusuf Güler Aksöz. After she graduated Istanbul State Conservatory, in 1988, she worked for 10 years in Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Orchestra as assistant-concertmaster. In 1994-96 she studied chamber music (specifically string quartet) with Prof. Piero Farulli (the viola player of famous Italiana Quartet) in Italy. As a member of Istanbul String Quartet, she performed in Turkey and Italy in several concerts. In 1999, she moved to the United Stated and since then, she has worked in Civic Orchestra of Chicago for 3 years, The Classical Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and New Philharmonic Orchestra as assistant second principal. In 2003, she received her master of music degree in violin performance from Chicago Colleges of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where she studied violin under tutorage of Mr. Cyrus Forough. Mrs. Alpakin also teaches in De Paul University Community Music Division and People's Music School as a traditional and Suzuki certified violin instructor. In 2005, together with her husband Altin Naska she founded S.P.A.C.E., Southport Performing Arts Conservatory & Entertainment.
Altin J. Naska
Director of Dance Department / Choreographer / Ballet Master
Mr. Naska is an internationally known award winning choreographer, dancer, and master teacher, with over two decades of performing experience in Europe and the United States. He was a soloist with Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and Istanbul City Theater in Turkey, also; soloist with Tirana State Opera and Ballet in his native Albania where he graduated from the Albanian Academy of Ballet and studied choreography at the Tirana Institute of Arts.
In Chicago, Mr. Naska has performed and toured nationally and internationally with Thodos Dance Chicago, Mordine & Company to name a few, and has guest in several suburban productions of "Nutcracker" and "Cinderella". He has choreographed for the Dutch National Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Thodos Dance Chicago, and The Stars of Dance Chicago Touring Group where, he serves as the Artistic and Touring Director. Mr. Naska is recognized for his fusion of ballet and modern techniques and is embarking on numerous groundbreaking collaborations with local and international artists including, Dance Chicago 2006 The Dutch National Ballet Project, Dance Chicago 2005 Istanbul Dance Theatre project, Dance Chicago 2004 Tirana Show Dance Project, Moskow Ballet 2007 The Great Russian Nutcraker and S.P.A.C.E's 1st International Exchange Program with South Korea's Chung-Ang University, Dance Department. He has taught master classes and workshops all over the world and U.S. In 2003, Mr. Naska was honored with Albania's highest artistic achievement award for his choreography and outstanding professional career overseas. Mr. Naska is the Director of the Dance Chicago International Exchange program, Director of Dance Chicago New Talent Workshop and Performance Showcase, Artistic Director of Chicago Dance Theatre, and Co - Founder / Artistic Director of Southport Performing Arts Conservatory & Entertainment, (S.P.A.C.E.)
