Throwback Thursday and Vaganova
The daughter of an usher at the Maryinsky Theater in Russia,
Agrippina Vaganova was exposed to ballet at an early age. She was born in 1879 and attended the
Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg.
She graduated in 1897 at age eighteen and joined the Maryinsky corps de
ballet. Critics called her the “Queen of Variations” because her solos were
performed so beautifully. She soon
caught the eye of choreographer Marius
Petipa.
After performing for many years, she gave her farewell performance
in 1916 and began the teaching career that would make her far more famous than
her successful performing career. Over
the years she developed a precise system of teaching ballet - the Vaganova Method.
In 1931 she became the Artistic Director of the Kirov Ballet
and staged her versions of Swan Lake and Esmeralda. She held that directorship until 1937, but
always continued to teach and train a long series of famous ballerinas.
When Vaganova died in 1951, her teaching method was
preserved. In 1957 the school was
renamed The Vaganova Ballet Academy,
and today her method is well known. It
is a respected method of training in many countries, including the United
States.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #53:
“Vaganova was a
great Russian teacher who developed the Vaganova method of ballet technique.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep
your balance, you must keep moving.”
― Albert Einstein
― Albert Einstein
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