Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet
Encyclopedia
The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet
in Saint Petersburg
, Russia
. The school was previously known as the Imperial Ballet School, becoming the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute during the Soviet era. Today, there are a number of variations of the school name, however, the official title in current use is Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.
Established in 1738, the academy is named after the renowned pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova
, who cultivated the method of classical ballet training that has been taught at the school since the late 1920s. Graduates of the school include some of the most famous ballet dancers, choreographers and teachers in history and many of the world's leading ballet schools have adopted elements of the Vaganova method
into their own training.
The Vaganova Academy is the associate school of the Mariinsky Ballet
, one of the Worlds leading ballet companies. Students of the school are successful in achieving employment with ballet and contemporary companies worldwide, such as the Bolshoi Ballet
, The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre
and the Mikhailovsky Ballet.
on 4 May 1738 with the French Ballet Master
Jean-Baptiste Lande as its director. The first classes occupied empty rooms in the Winter Palace
in St Petersburg and the first students were twelve boys and twelve girls. The purpose of the school was to form Russia's first professional dance company, which lead to the formation of the Imperial Russian Ballet, the school becoming known as the Imperial Ballet School. The Imperial Russian Ballet is the direct predecessor of today's Mariinsky Ballet
, which remains one of the worlds leading ballet companies to this day, with the Vaganova Academy as its associate school.
Nearly all the early teachers at the school were from Western Europe, including Franz Hilferding and Giovanni Canzianni. The first Russian teacher to join the school was Ivan Valberg. After the spread of ballet in Europe, the development of the school was influenced by a number of other teachers and methods, including Christian Johannson, a student of August Bournonville
, and the Italian methods of Enrico Cecchetti
, Pierina Legnani
and Carlotta Brianza. Other renowned 19th century dancers and ballet masters who taught at and were influential in the development in the school include Charles Didelot
, Jules Perrot
, Arthur Saint-Léon
, Lev Ivanov
, Marius Petipa
and Mikhail Fokine.
Since 1836 the school has been situated at 2 Rossi Street in St Petersburg. Following the upheaval of the Russian Revolution of 1917, St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad
after the communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin
. The Imperial Ballet School was dissolved by the Soviet Government
and later re-established on the same site, as the Leningrad State Choreographic School. The Imperial Russian Ballet was also dissolved as a result of the revolution and was re-established as the Soviet Ballet. The company was later renamed the Kirov Ballet following the assassination of the Bolshevic revolutionary Sergey Kirov
in 1938. Despite later being given the current name Mariinsky Ballet, the company is still commonly known as the Kirov Ballet by the majority of Western audiences and the company still use the title Kirov Ballet when touring internationally.
Vaganova's students would become some of the most famous ballet dancers of all time and in recognition of her achievements, the school was named in her honour in 1957, six years after her death. There are a number of variations in the name of the school, but the official title in current use in the English speaking world is Vaganova Ballet Academy.
.
The audition process is divided into three sections.
, The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre
.
, the Order of Vernadsky (Second Degree), and an award for the preservation of Russian culture.
is a graduate of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. She danced professionally with the Kirov Ballet (today's Mariinsky Ballet), achieving the rank of prima ballerina. As a dancer she was widely considered to be an exceptional artist, with perfect technical schooling. Her noted roles include Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty
, the dual role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake
, the title role in Raymonda
, Nikia in La Bayadere
, Kitri in Don Quixote
, the title role in Giselle
, and Medora in Le Corsaire
. She also danced as a guest artiste with The Royal Ballet in London and with Roland Petit
's Ballet National de Marseille. After retiring from the stage, she attended the school of pedagogy at the Vaganova Academy, and was subsequently appointed as Artistic Director of the Academy, with a commitment to preserving the Vaganova method of classical ballet, whilst also searching for new and creative ways of producing the professional ballet dancers of the future.
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The school was previously known as the Imperial Ballet School, becoming the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute during the Soviet era. Today, there are a number of variations of the school name, however, the official title in current use is Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.
Established in 1738, the academy is named after the renowned pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova
Agrippina Vaganova
Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova was an outstanding Russian ballet teacher who developed the Vaganova method - the technique which derived from the teaching methods of the old Imperial Ballet School under the Premier Maître de Ballet Marius Petipa throughout the mid to late 19th century, though...
, who cultivated the method of classical ballet training that has been taught at the school since the late 1920s. Graduates of the school include some of the most famous ballet dancers, choreographers and teachers in history and many of the world's leading ballet schools have adopted elements of the Vaganova method
Vaganova method
The Vaganova method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Russian dancer and pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova . Fusing elements of traditional French technique from the romantic era, with the athleticism and virtuosity of the Italian school, the method is designed to work the body...
into their own training.
The Vaganova Academy is the associate school of the Mariinsky Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet is a classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies...
, one of the Worlds leading ballet companies. Students of the school are successful in achieving employment with ballet and contemporary companies worldwide, such as the Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies, however it only achieved worldwide acclaim by the early 20th century, when Moscow became the...
, The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
and the Mikhailovsky Ballet.
History
The school was established as the Imperial Theatrical School by decree of the Empress AnnaAnna of Russia
Anna of Russia or Anna Ivanovna reigned as Duchess of Courland from 1711 to 1730 and as Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740.-Accession to the throne:Anna was the daughter of Ivan V of Russia, as well as the niece of Peter the Great...
on 4 May 1738 with the French Ballet Master
Ballet Master
Ballet Master is the term used for an employee of a ballet company who is responsible for the level of competence of the dancers in their company...
Jean-Baptiste Lande as its director. The first classes occupied empty rooms in the Winter Palace
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from 1732 to 1917, the official residence of the Russian monarchs. Situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and...
in St Petersburg and the first students were twelve boys and twelve girls. The purpose of the school was to form Russia's first professional dance company, which lead to the formation of the Imperial Russian Ballet, the school becoming known as the Imperial Ballet School. The Imperial Russian Ballet is the direct predecessor of today's Mariinsky Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet is a classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies...
, which remains one of the worlds leading ballet companies to this day, with the Vaganova Academy as its associate school.
Nearly all the early teachers at the school were from Western Europe, including Franz Hilferding and Giovanni Canzianni. The first Russian teacher to join the school was Ivan Valberg. After the spread of ballet in Europe, the development of the school was influenced by a number of other teachers and methods, including Christian Johannson, a student of August Bournonville
August Bournonville
August Bournonville was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. August was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nephew of Julie Alix de la Fay, née Bournonville, of the Royal Swedish Ballet.August was...
, and the Italian methods of Enrico Cecchetti
Enrico Cecchetti
Enrico Cecchetti was an Italian ballet dancer, mime, and founder of the Cecchetti method. The son of two dancers from Civitanova Marche, he was born in the costuming room of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome. After an illustrious career as a dancer in Europe, he went to dance for the Imperial Ballet in...
, Pierina Legnani
Pierina Legnani
Pierina Legnani was an Italian ballerina, a terre-à-terre virtuosa extraordinaire, considered one of the greatest ballerinas of all time.-Career:...
and Carlotta Brianza. Other renowned 19th century dancers and ballet masters who taught at and were influential in the development in the school include Charles Didelot
Charles Didelot
Charles-Louis Didelot was a French dancer and choreographer. The son of Charles Didelot, the dance mastor of the King of Sweden, he studied dance with his father, who was an instructor in dance at the Swedish Opera, and debuted as dancer in the theatre of Bollhuset in Stockholm 1786.He then...
, Jules Perrot
Jules Perrot
Jules-Joseph Perrot was a dancer and choreographer who later became Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia...
, Arthur Saint-Léon
Arthur Saint-Leon
Arthur Saint-Léon was the Maître de Ballet of St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet from 1859 until 1869 and is famous for creating the choreography of the ballet Coppélia.-Biography:...
, Lev Ivanov
Lev Ivanov
Lev Ivanovich Ivanov was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet....
, Marius Petipa
Marius Petipa
Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa was a French ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer. Petipa is considered to be the most influential ballet master and choreographer of ballet that has ever lived....
and Mikhail Fokine.
Since 1836 the school has been situated at 2 Rossi Street in St Petersburg. Following the upheaval of the Russian Revolution of 1917, St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
after the communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
. The Imperial Ballet School was dissolved by the Soviet Government
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
and later re-established on the same site, as the Leningrad State Choreographic School. The Imperial Russian Ballet was also dissolved as a result of the revolution and was re-established as the Soviet Ballet. The company was later renamed the Kirov Ballet following the assassination of the Bolshevic revolutionary Sergey Kirov
Sergey Kirov
Sergei Mironovich Kirov , born Sergei Mironovich Kostrikov, was a prominent early Bolshevik leader in the Soviet Union. Kirov rose through the Communist Party ranks to become head of the Party organization in Leningrad...
in 1938. Despite later being given the current name Mariinsky Ballet, the company is still commonly known as the Kirov Ballet by the majority of Western audiences and the company still use the title Kirov Ballet when touring internationally.
Vaganova
Agrippina Vaganova brought perhaps the most important developments in modern Russian Ballet. She graduated from the former Imperial Ballet School in 1897 and danced with the Imperial Ballet, retiring from the stage early to pursue her teaching career following the Russian revolution. As the Soviet Government had not yet re-established the school at that time, Vaganova began her teaching career at the privately owned School of Russian Ballet eventually joining the new Leningrad State Choreographic School in 1920. Vaganova was to become possibly the most renowned ballet teacher of all time and is most noted for authoring "The Principles of Classical Dance", which outlines the training system which she created and which heads the list of numerous works produced by teachers of the school.Vaganova's students would become some of the most famous ballet dancers of all time and in recognition of her achievements, the school was named in her honour in 1957, six years after her death. There are a number of variations in the name of the school, but the official title in current use in the English speaking world is Vaganova Ballet Academy.
Overview
The Vaganova Academy has over 300 students. Like other similar institutions, competition for a place at the school is very fierce with over 3,000 children auditioning each year, 300 of these being from St. Petersburg. Approximately 60 students are selected annually, with some 25 eventually graduating from the school having completed the full course of training. The school employs approximately 75 dance teachers, 30 piano teachers, 40 academic teachers and 40 accompanists. The Director of the school is Leonid Nadirov and the Artistic Director is former Kirov Ballet dancer and choreographer Altynai AsylmuratovaAltynai Asylmuratova
Altynai Asylmuratova is a former Soviet and Kazakhstaniprima ballerina with the Kirov Ballet/Mariinsky Theatre and a guest artist all over the world. Asylmuratova was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakstan, and after graduation from the Vaganova Choreographic Institute she joined the Kirov Ballet in 1978...
.
Auditions
Auditions for the school begin in June and children must be at least 10 years old to apply.The audition process is divided into three sections.
- Aptitude: to assess the candidate's proportions, height of jump, degree of turnout and general appearance etc.
- Physical: an examination by a specialist medical practitioner to assess the physiological possibilities of the candidate
- Artistic: to assess the candidate's musicality, rhythm, co-ordination and artistic talent
Training
All students at the school begin by studying a programme of dance training, secondary school level education, French language and piano lessons. As they progress through the school, the programme becomes more intensive, with new subjects being added to the curriculum as the students become more advanced. In the first year, students study classical and historical dance progressing to character dance in the fourth year and pas de deux and mime in the sixth year. At the end of the 8th year of training, all students dance in a graduation gala at the Mariinsky Theatre. The most successful students may be offered a contract with the Mariinsky Ballet company, with the majority seeking employment with ballet companies in Russia and worldwide, including leading companies such as the Bolshoi BalletBolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies, however it only achieved worldwide acclaim by the early 20th century, when Moscow became the...
, The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
.
Vera Dorefeeva
Vera Dorefeeva is a graduate of the Leningrad Pedagogical Institute and in 1987, was appointed Deputy Director of the Leningrad Academic Choreographic School (today's Vaganova Academy). In 2004, she was elected Principal of the school and would established an annual conference for the preservation of the Vaganova method of classical ballet. She has also established cultural exchanges with ballet schools in Germany, France, the Netherlands, USA, Ireland, Greece, Japan and Italy, as well as developing a long term strategy to secure the future of the Vaganova academy as an educational establishment for students of extraordinary talent. She is author of fifteen books and research works on ballet pedagogy and has been honoured with a number of awards, including the Veteran of Labour MedalVeteran of Labour Medal
The Veteran of Labour Medal was a medal of the USSR. It was established by a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 18 January 1974...
, the Order of Vernadsky (Second Degree), and an award for the preservation of Russian culture.
Altynai Asylmuratova
Altynai AsylmuratovaAltynai Asylmuratova
Altynai Asylmuratova is a former Soviet and Kazakhstaniprima ballerina with the Kirov Ballet/Mariinsky Theatre and a guest artist all over the world. Asylmuratova was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakstan, and after graduation from the Vaganova Choreographic Institute she joined the Kirov Ballet in 1978...
is a graduate of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. She danced professionally with the Kirov Ballet (today's Mariinsky Ballet), achieving the rank of prima ballerina. As a dancer she was widely considered to be an exceptional artist, with perfect technical schooling. Her noted roles include Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty
Altynai Asylmuratova
Altynai Asylmuratova is a former Soviet and Kazakhstaniprima ballerina with the Kirov Ballet/Mariinsky Theatre and a guest artist all over the world. Asylmuratova was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakstan, and after graduation from the Vaganova Choreographic Institute she joined the Kirov Ballet in 1978...
, the dual role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, the title role in Raymonda
Raymonda
Raymonda is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa, with music by Alexander Glazunov, his opus 57. First presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on in St. Petersburg, Russia...
, Nikia in La Bayadere
La Bayadère
La Bayadère is a ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. La Bayadère was first performed by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on...
, Kitri in Don Quixote
Don Quixote (ballet)
Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...
, the title role in Giselle
Giselle
Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...
, and Medora in Le Corsaire
Le Corsaire
Le Corsaire is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem The Corsair by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to the music of Adolphe Adam, it was first presented by the ballet of...
. She also danced as a guest artiste with The Royal Ballet in London and with Roland Petit
Roland Petit
Roland Petit was a French choreographer and dancer born in Villemomble, near Paris, France. He trained at the Paris Opéra Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets.-Biography:...
's Ballet National de Marseille. After retiring from the stage, she attended the school of pedagogy at the Vaganova Academy, and was subsequently appointed as Artistic Director of the Academy, with a commitment to preserving the Vaganova method of classical ballet, whilst also searching for new and creative ways of producing the professional ballet dancers of the future.
Famous Graduates
- Altynai AsylmuratovaAltynai AsylmuratovaAltynai Asylmuratova is a former Soviet and Kazakhstaniprima ballerina with the Kirov Ballet/Mariinsky Theatre and a guest artist all over the world. Asylmuratova was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakstan, and after graduation from the Vaganova Choreographic Institute she joined the Kirov Ballet in 1978...
- George BalanchineGeorge BalanchineGeorge Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
- Mikhail BaryshnikovMikhail BaryshnikovMikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
- Vakhtang ChabukianiVakhtang ChabukianiVakhtang Chabukiani was a Georgian ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher highly regarded in his native country as well as abroad. He is considered to be one of the most influential male ballet dancers in history, and is noted for creating the majority of the choreography of the male variations...
- Alexandra DanilovaAlexandra DanilovaAleksandra Dionisyevna Danilova was a Russian-born prima ballerina who became an American citizen....
- Natalia DudinskayaNatalia DudinskayaNatalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya was a Russian prima ballerina who dominated the Kirov Ballet in the 1930s and 1940s.Dudinskaya's mother was Natalia Tagliori, a ballerina coached by Enrico Cecchetti. Trained by Agrippina Vaganova, Dudinskaya matriculated from her school in 1931. She danced all the...
- Mikhail Fokine
- Yuri GrigorovichYury GrigorovichYury Nikolayevich Grigorovich is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographer who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years....
- Tamara KarsavinaTamara KarsavinaTamara Platonovna Karsavina was a famous Russian ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was most noted as a Principal Artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev...
- Irina KolpakovaIrina KolpakovaIrina Kolpakova is a Russian ballerina.For many years, she was the prima ballerina of the Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in St. Petersburg...
- Mathilde KschessinskaMathilde KschessinskaMathilda-Marie Feliksovna Kschessinskaya She was known in the West as Mathilde Kschessinska or Matilda Kshesinskaya.- Life :Kschessinska was born at Ligovo, near Peterhof. Like all her Polish family, to whom she was known as Matylda Krzesińska, Mathilde performed at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre...
- Nicolai Legat
- Ulyana LopatkinaUlyana LopatkinaUlyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatkina is a principal dancer at the Kirov Ballet/Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. She studied at the Vaganova Academy with Natalia Dudinskaya. Upon graduation Lopatkina joined the Kirov/Mariinsky Theatre Ballet in 1991, and was promoted to principal dancer in 1995...
- Natalia MakarovaNatalia MakarovaNataliya Romanovna Makarova is the legendary Soviet-Russian-born prima ballerina. The History of Dance, published in 1981, notes that “Her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her as the finest ballerina of her generation.” She has also won awards as an...
- Galina MezentsevaGalina MezentsevaGalina Sergeyevna Mezentseva is a Russian ballerina, with a career as professional classic dancer from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. She was the first of the crop of tall Kirov ballerinas with long and thin lines, introducing a new aesthetic...
- Vaslav NijinskyVaslav NijinskyVaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
- Rudolph Nureyev
- Valery PanovValery Panov-Early career :Valery Panov was born in 1938 in Vitebsk, Belarus. He studied in the choreographic school named for Agripinna Vaganova in Saint Petersburg. Today it’s The Academy of Russian Ballet...
- Anna Pavlova
- Olga Preobrajenskaya
- Farukh RuzimatovFarouk RuzimatovFarukh Ruzimatov is a ballet dancer, the Artistic Director for ballet in Mikhaylovsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg. He was formerly the Principal Dancer and Assistant Artistic Director of the Kirov Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg....
- Sofya SkyaSofya SkyaSofya Skya is a Russian ballerina and actress.She attended Vaganova Ballet Academy and moved to Hollywood, California in 2007 to pursue a career in acting....
- Marina Semenova
- Konstantin Sergeyev
- Alla SizovaAlla SizovaAlla Sizova is a twentieth-century ballet dancer, best known for her work with the Kirov Ballet. She was the preferred dance partner of Rudolph Nureyev before his defection, and Nureyev is rumoured to have said in his later years that Sizova was the only thing that could conceivably entice him...
- Yuri SolovievYuri SolovievYuri Vladimirovich Soloviev was a premier danseur of the Kirov Ballet, born in Leningrad, Russia. He was a contemporary of Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov, partner of Natalia Makarova, Alla Sizova, and others....
- Olga SpesivtsevaOlga SpesivtsevaOlga Alexandrovna Spessivtseva was a Russian ballerina whose brilliant stage career spanned from 1913 to 1939. She was one of the outstanding classical ballerinas of the 20th century.-Biography:...
- Galina UlanovaGalina UlanovaGalina Sergeyevna Ulánova is frequently cited as being one of the greatest 20th Century ballerinas. Her flat in Moscow is designated a national museum, and there are monuments to her in Saint Petersburg and Stockholm....
- Anastasia VolochkovaAnastasia Volochkova-Background:Volochkova was born into a middle class family in Saint Petersburg. Her father was a table tennis champion and coach, and her mother was a tour guide. Volochkova has been married once, and she has a daughter, Ariadna, born in 2005...
- Diana VishnevaDiana VishnevaDiana Vishneva is a prima ballerina with both the Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, and American Ballet Theatre in the United States. She was born in St. Petersburg and was trained at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute and upon her graduation in 1995, joined the company of the Mariinsky Theatre...
- Rostislav ZakharovRostislav ZakharovRostislav Vladimirovich Zakharov was a Russian choreographer, dancer, ballet and opera director. He was a professor of Russian Academy of the Arts in Moscow...
- Svetlana Zakharova
- Igor Zelensky
- Varvara P. MeyVarvara P. MeyVarvara P. Mey is a former prima ballerina, ballet instructor and author. Mey was one of the students of the russian ballet dance method founder, Agrippina Vaganova. She graduated from Vaganova in 1929, and then started her dancing career. She danced at the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, Russia for...