Vaganova Ballet Academy
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The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is one of the most well known schools of Ballet in the world. It is located in St. Petersburg, Russia and was was Russia's first school of theatrical dance. It was the subject of a 1977 documentary film, which received an Oscar nomination, entitled The Children of Theatre Street, narrated by Princess Grace of Monaco.
[edit] The History of The Vaganova Ballet Academy
The school was founded by emperial decree on May 4th, 1738 by Anna of Russia, and was known as the Imperial Theatrical School. Over time the school became known as the Imperial Ballet School, a title it retained until the 1917 Russian revolution. It was the initiative of the French ballet master and teacher, Jean-Baptiste Lande. Twelve girls and twelve boys began to study "the foreign steps" on one of the upper floors of the Winter Palace.
The early teachers were from Western Europe. At first Lande himself, then later Franz Hilferding and Giovanni Canzianni. The first Russian teacher to emerge from the school was Ivan Valberg, who produced many notable ballets and whose teaching prepared the way for the great Charles Didelot.
Didelot came to St. Petersburg in 1801 and took over the direction of the ballet. He taught at the Imperial Theatre School for over twenty years, spending two long periods in Russia (1801-1811, 1816-1837), producing many ballets, and raising the standard of ballet education. Following Didelot, more teachers of the French School came to St. Petersburg, including Jules Perrot, whose ballets Giselle and La Esmeralda (ballet) are still performed today, and Arthur Saint-Leon, who produced Coppelia and The Little Humpbacked Horse. And then in 1847, a teacher arrived who was to profoundly influence the school: Marius Petipa.
The French influence on the Imperial Ballet School was enhanced by the teaching of Christian Johansson, Swedish by birth and a pupil of August Bournonville. Johannson taught at the school for over 30 years from 1860, bringing refinement to the classical style in a clear and codified form. One of his pupils was Pavel Gerdt who became a famous dancer and teacher.
But it was the appearance of three Italian dancers which amazed St. Petersburg audiences. The sheer virtuosity of Enrico Cecchetti, Carlotta Brianza and Pierina Legnani, with their brilliant pirouettes and the astonishing speed of their footwork, brought new vigour to the Russian Ballet. The blending of Johannson's Franco-Russian style with the exhilaration of the Italian school became the foundation of what would become the Russian style.
Michel Fokine had a strong influence of the Imperial School, where he created several ballets. He was a great innovator. He believed that natural movements were the fundamentals of ballet forms. One of these ballets, Chopiniana (renamed Les Sylphides by Sergei Diaghilev) is still performed regularly by the school. Fokine's ideas about choreography were met with some resistance from the conservative establishment of the Imperial Theatre, but he found great support from Diaghilev, with whom he produced many of his most famous ballets including The Firebird and Petrushka. In the years following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the teaching traditions of the school in Russia progressed greatly. The work resulting of the great teacher Agrippina Vaganova began a new era in ballet education.
Vaganova had graduated from the school in 1897, and began teaching in 1921 at the now re-named Leningrad State Choreographic School. Her book Fundamentals of the Classical Dance(1934) became the standard textbook for ballet technique all over the world, as it remains today. And her most famous pupils, dancers like Marina Semenova,Alexey Yermolaev, Galina Ulanova, Vakhtang Chabukiani, Natalia Dudinskaya, Konstantin Sergeyev and Irina Kolpakova - became the pride of the Soviet Ballet. Agrippina Vaganova's role in the development of the school cannot be overstated, and in 1957, six years after her death, it was renamed The Vaganova Ballet Academy, in her honor. Not only did the school produce legendary dancers, but also future choreographers. Fedor Lopukhov, Vassily Vainonen, Rostislav Zakharov, Leonid Lavrovsky and Leonid Yacobson were all famous graduates. Other famous choreographers who graduated from The Vaganova Ballet Academy include George Balanchine, who graduated in 1921 along with Alexandra Danilova, Yuri Grigorovitch, the former director of the Bolshoi Ballet, and Oleg Vinogradov, the former director of the Kirov Ballet and the current director of The Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C.
St. Petersburg has also influenced the development of the Bolshoi Ballet. Nina Timofeyeva, Svetlana Adyrkhaeva and Ludmilla Semenyaka all began their ballet careers in St. Petersburg and later established themselves as leading figures of the Bolshoi stage. In the late 50s and 60s three graduates of The Vaganova Ballet Academy, who went on to achieve international fame and recognition, began their professional dancing careers on the Mariinsky Stage: Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Each year Vaganova graduates replenish the ranks of the leading theatres of Russia: dancers like Galina Mezentseva, Tatiana Terekhova, Altynai Asylmuratova (the current Artistic Director of Vaganova Ballet Academy), Farukh Ruzimatov, Konstantin Zaklinsky, Uliana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva, Igor Zelensky, Svetlana Zakharova, Andrian Fadeyev.
[edit] The Vaganova Ballet Academy today
Since 1836 the school has been situated on Rossi Street (formerly Theatre Street), and today has over 300 students. The competition for a place at the school is fierce. Each year hundreds of children, around 9 years of age, are selected and auditioned by the school's examining board for admittance into the school. Of these approximately 60 will be accepted for the 1st Grade. Usually about 25 students will actually complete their studies and graduate.
To be eligible for entry, pupils must have finished their primary school education (9-10 years old). Auditions are held during the month of June and are divided into 3 stages. The first stage deals with the child's physical aptitude for dance: his or her bodily proportions, height of jump and degree of turnout, among other criteria. The child's general appearance is also taken seriously into account. The second stage is an evaluation by a medical specialists who determine the health of the child, which is considered as important to the future dancer's career as a beautiful physique. The third stage is to assess the child's musicality, rhythm, coordination and artistic talent. Having successfully passed these three stages, the pupil begins an eight year course of study.
From the first year the curriculum consists of dance training, general secondary school education, French language lessons and piano lessons. As they progress through the school, the pupils master a more intensive and varied programme in their dance subjects. In the first grade the pupils study classical and historical dance. In the fourth grade they have lessons in character dance and in the sixth grade they begin to study pas de deux and mime. The staff of the school consists of around 75 dance teachers, 30 piano teachers, 40 teachers of general education and 40 pianists.
Regular performances on the stages of the Mariinsky and the Knipper Theatre, as well as gala performances and frequent concerts on the stage of the school theatre, give pupils invaluable performing experience. At the end of the 8th grade, the students have their graduating examinations on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The most talented graduates will be offered contracts at the Mariinsky, and the other graduates will have the opportunity to fill vacancies throughout the theatres of the Russia. 1988 marked the school's 250th anniversary.
