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.

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. 118 illustrations.

"Vera Krasovskaya, who knew Vaganova intimately and was a direct eyewitness to many of the described incidents, provides a window into the personality and thinking of this great teacher and brings her own unique insight into the world of classical ballet during the era of Tsarist Russia and the early Soviet years."--BOOK JACKET.

A New Classic for Today's Dancer The Ballet Companion is a fresh, comprehensive, and thoroughly up-to-date reference book for the dancer. With 150 stunning photographs of ballet stars Maria Riccetto and Benjamin Millepied demonstrating perfect execution of positions and steps, this elegant volume brims with everything today's dance student needs, including: Practical advice for getting started, such as selecting a school, making the most of class, and studio etiquette Explanations of ballet fundamentals and major training systems An illustrated guide through ballet class -- warm-up, barre, and center floor Guidelines for safe, healthy dancing through a sensible diet, injury prevention, and cross-training with yoga and Pilates Descriptions of must-see ballets and glossaries of dance, music, and theater terms Along the way you'll find technique secrets from stars of American Ballet Theatre, lavishly illustrated sidebars on ballet history, and tips on everything from styling a ballet bun to stage makeup to performing the perfect pirouette. Whether a budding ballerina, serious student, or adult returning to ballet, dancers will find a lively mix of ballet's time-honored traditions and essential new information.

In addition to biographical information on Agrippina Vaganova, this work describes and discusses where the teaching method came from, and how Vaganova took this information and distilled it to its essence and then organized it in a codified, rational way.

'School of Classical Dance' is the official textbook of the Vaganova School in St. Petersburg, and takes the student and teacher from the basic concepts of the syllabus to the most complex exercises taught at the end of the eight-year course. A thorough and logical presentation of the classical vocabulary, from its basic forms to advanced variations, is followed by a sample lesson for a senior class. The eight-year syllabus of the Vaganova School, now adopted by almost all Russian ballet schools, is then given in full. The authors were both long-time teachers at the Vaganova School. "A book which is to be treasured, one of the great technical manuals of our time" - the Dancing Times.