#ballet school

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Students at the School of American Ballet, at its original location on Madison Avenue, 1936.

Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt via Life magazine Instagram

[lovelyballetandmore]

[ballet-symphonie]

In defence of tsiskaridze… he came to the school in 2015, which means he’s been rector for the whole time Koshkarova, Valiullina, Kuprina, Karamysheva, Gritsina, Barinova, Zakota, Solomina, Kishnova, Efimova and others were in the first grade. And they are beautiful dancers, like I think we are overestimating the changes happening. In addition to this, the class that Tsiskaridze took over was a “weak class” (I swear these are his own words from an video with Ilya), and they look good in the exam, even though it’s not pure vaganova. However we don’t know they’re day to day classes. We don’t know if during class they do plain vaganova pure exercises, and then tried something new and a bit bonkers just for the exam. I wouldn’t be surprised, and it would explain why the exam isn’t super clean, maybe they don’t do these crazy exercises every day, just they put on a show for their exam, which is objectively more fun to watch, and maybe it’s more fun for them to execute, like the little variation breaks? Bonkers, but fun! We can’t forget how passionate the Russians are about the art of ballet, they are so passionate and they are risk takers!

I'm not inclined to give Tsiskaridze undeserved credit. Of the four you named who are now relevant rising soloists, they all graduated under the guidance of Ludmila Kovaleva, the same woman who is responsible for Olga Smirnova, Kristina Shapran, Diana Vishneva, Maria Khoreva and Ekaterina Borchenko among other prominent dancers. Kovaleva has been producing world-class ballerinas for over 40 years, her teaching prowess and clear ability to transform students into ballerinas was well-known before Tsiskaridze ever stepped into his role at VBA.

I think Tsiskaridze's main abilities lie in coaching and administration. The way he developed Angelina Vorotsova as well as Denis Rodkin is proof of this. Furthermore, the way he's been able to raise the production quality of the VBA performances in terms of the staging, costuming and venue is remarkable, I'm not sure where he suddenly found the funds but he made it happen. In my opinion, based on the quality of his students, I don't think he's nearly as good a teacher- many great dancers aren't.

As someone who graduated from a prominent ballet academy and is now working professionally in a major theater, I can tell you that they absolutely spend significant amounts of their time in class practicing what they did during the exam. You can't suddenly do a full ballet class nonstop if it hasn't been practiced and rehearsed extensively. If they just suddenly decided to do a whole class of crazy combination sporadically or just for the exam, it would be a complete mess.

Furthermore, exams are not for fun, their purpose is not to entertain an audience. If you want to be entertained, go buy a ticket for a performance. The purpose of exams is to demonstrate the student's progress and assess their mastery of technique. It’s about highlighting consistent and structured training that builds discipline, strength, precision, and artistry over time. If the whole class is dancing better in 'normal classes' than in an exam, what does that say about their preparation for high-pressure moments when working for a ballet company. It suggests their foundation might not be as solid as it should be.

Especially in Russia, passing the state exam determines your grades, your diploma, and your ability to work in a state theater. I personally think it's harder to accurately assess the skill of each individual dancer when the exams are overly choreographed with complex formations that showcase some students and hide others. When exams are so critical to a dancer's future cannot simply be viewed as a showcase for "fun" or "flashiness"—they are fundamentally about the demonstration of technical mastery and readiness to join the professional world.

[personaldiary]

My childhood dream ✨️

[degasdyke]

besides diversity, the other huge thing the ballet world needs to normalize is safety first.

the ballet school i’m currently at for the summer had a broken AC system yesterday, meaning that every studio was between 80 and 90 degrees. instead of immediately cancelling classes in the morning, they waited until 2:30 PM when several people had fainted from heat exposure to send everyone home. this included a young girl with POTS, which probably says something even worse about how chronically ill people are affected by the “just push through it” mentality.

do better, @ ballet schools. do fucking better.

[marieandersoneq]

She is the dance

[strazcenter]

ARTISTS WE LOVE: George Balanchine

ARTISTS WE LOVE: George Balanchine #fromtheblog

Ballet. Balanchine. The names are practically synonymous. In fact, it’s hard to imagine the former, in the U.S especially, without the prolific efforts of the latter. It’s also nearly impossible to overstate the importance of Lincoln Kirstein, a wealthy New Englander with a love of the arts. Kirstein provided the framework in which George Balanchine was free to create the innovations for which…

[inthedarktrees]

Ballerinas standing on window sill in rehearsal room at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet

Alfred Eisenstaedt, Life, 1936

[archtechposts]

Aztec Inspiration

Escuela Ballet Folklórico (1968-70) in Mexico City, Mexico, by Agustín Hernández

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Students at the School of American Ballet, 1936. It was then on Madison Ave.; now it's part of Lincoln Center.

Photo: Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine via Life IG

[lovelyballetandmore]

Photo by Cleber Gomes

[ballet-symphonie]

the worse years for how underweight the students at vaganova seem to be their fourth and fifth year. In the upper school, there seems to be a sort of relaxation. I’m not saying they get healthy then, but it seems like there is a little bit more margin for weight. In addition to this I have noticed that they seem to loose weight drastically before exam, while they look slightly more normal during the year. (I’m not saying this is healthy, or normal, it’s just something I’ve noticed).

I believe the standards are the most strict during the 4th and 5th years. If a student can pass through the 4th and 5th years and get into the upper school, the administration currently really tries to not expel students past that point. The transition out of VBA and into 'general' education at that age is quite rough. I believe the school has come to an understanding that it's better to let students scrape by, even if they won't have a professional career. Getting an impressive sounding diploma from VBA even if they have mediocre grades is likely to do more for their futures than mediocre to poor grades from whatever general high school.

And yes, speaking from my own experience as well as many stories I have heard from others who were in a similar level school, there is strong pressure to be in your 'absolute best shape' for exams, which often leads to even more dieting during those periods.

[klassbook]

This step-by-step guide provides tips for choosing the perfect ballet school in Singapore. It suggests identifying goals, researching the reputation and teaching philosophy, inquiring about the curriculum and accreditation, assessing instructor qualifications, observing classes, considering location and facilities, evaluating costs, and gauging opportunities for performances and examinations.

[virtuosicstudyblr]

I love both my med school and dance classes this semester! || lux