Dance 396: Methods of teaching ballet: Vaganova

Vaganova Today by Catherine E. Pawlick "An extensive and thorough compilation of numerous sources with unique insights on Vaganova and her methodology. The author has had access to several important figures in Russian ballet who knew Vaganova and/or her students. Confronting the dilemmas facing the art of classical ballet, Vaganova Today is a thought-provoking read."--John White, author of Advanced Principles in Teaching Classical Ballet Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951) is revered as the visionary who first codified the Russian system of classical ballet training. The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, founded on impeccable technique and centuries of tradition, has a reputation for elite standards, and its graduates include Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, and Diana Vishneva. Yet the "Vaganova method" has come under criticism in recent years.             In this absorbing volume, Catherine Pawlick traces Vaganova's story from her early years as a ballet student in tsarist Russia to her career as a dancer with the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet to her work as a pedagogue and choreographer. Pawlick then goes beyond biography to address Vaganova's legacy today, offering the first-ever English translations of primary source materials and intriguing interviews with pedagogues and dancers from the Academy and the Mariinsky Ballet, including some who studied with Vaganova herself.   Catherine E. Pawlick danced with ballet companies in the United States before moving to St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lived for six years, observing classes at the Vaganova Academy and rehearsals and performances at the Mariinsky Theatre. Fluent in French and Russian, she has written on dance for the San Francisco Chronicle, Ballet Review, and Dance Europe.  

Vaganova by Lynn Garafola (Editor); Vera M. Siegel (Translator)   The only authorized biography about the creator of the renowned Russian ballet curriculum-for the first time in English.   The first English edition of the only authorized biography of Agrippina Vaganova (1897-1951) was originally published in Russian in 1989. It tells the story of one of the most important dance teachers of the 20th century, who created a system of teaching ballet that spread throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond. Vaganova rose through the ranks to become a ballerina in the Imperial Ballet during the last days of Tsarist Russia. After the Revolution of 1917, she became a teacher and transformed the St. Petersburg/Leningrad School of Ballet into a premier institution. She also served as the artistic director of the Kirov Theater. Written by a direct eyewitness to many of the described incidents, someone who knew Vaganova intimately, the biography is a window into the personality and thinking of this great teacher. It vividly recounts the training and individual styles of such world-renowned ballerinas as Marina Semyonova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Galina Ulanova, and Tatiana Vecheslova, and it offers a unique insight into the world of classical ballet during the era of Tsarist Russia and the early Soviet years.    

Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951) by Peggy Willis-Aarnio The enormous wealth of information distilled within the pages of this work provide a unique opportunity for the reader to become acquainted with the breadth of knowledge Dr. Willis-Aarnio has amassed on classical dance. She captures the soul, the passion and fire characteristic of the Russian people.

Pas de Deux by Nikolai Serebrennikov; Marian Horosko (Editor, Revised by) The original book was created for the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg. This expanded edition contains new text, sketches, and photographs that describe 32 new poses and lifts, along with new information about strengthening exercises and balance points. Earlier edition : MD 1788.2 .P37 S4713 1979

100 Lessons in Classical Ballet by Vera Kostrovitskaya The complete 8-year curriculum of Leningrad's famed Vaganova Choreographic School, which trained Nureyev, Baryshnikov, and Makarova, including over 100 photographs. A volume which no teacher, scholar, or student of the dance can afford to miss. This translation by Oleg Briansky.

Classes in Classical Ballet by Asaf Messerer This is one of the most celebrated manuals of classic dance instruction in the world. Messerer has gained an international reputation for his classes in classical technique-models of invention and well-rounded exercise, stressing both precision and fluid artistic control. Nearly 500 photographs of principal Bolshoi dancers illustrate the positions and steps indicated, and an introductory section by Messerer outlines his basic plan and philosophy of teaching.

Principles of Classical Ballet by Agrippina Vaganova Discusses all basic principles of ballet, grouping movement by fundamental types. Diagrams show clearly the exact foot, leg, arm, and body positions for the proper execution of many steps and movements. Offers dancers, teachers, and ballet lovers information often difficult to locate in other books. 118 illustrations.

Days with Ulanova by Albert E. Kahn An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Russian Ballerina ; written with Arnold L. Haskell.

Vaganova Ballet Classes by directed by Altynay Asylmuratova and Vladimir Issaev Features an authentic Vaganova Ballet Class at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy of Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Classical Ballet Lesson by produced, written, and directed by Peggy Willis-Aarnio. Includes a brief history of the Russian teaching method. Demonstrated by prima ballerina Galina Mezentseva, with additional demonstrations (in advanced level) by Elena Shokhina). Also available on VHS: MLL VHS 256 vol. 1-6

Children of Theatre Street This Oscar-nominated documentary, narrated by the legendary Princess Grace of Monaco, tells the story of Russia's famous ballet academy, the Kirov School, that produced some of the greatest dancers in the history of ballet, such as Nijinsky, Pavlova, Nureyev.