Isabella, I can't stop from being amazed by you and your channel. That you trained as a Vagonova student in Russia is amazing enough. But for a world of young dancers to benefit from that is quadruplely amazing. Your channel is so professional. Your atmosphere and background always have a simple elegance. And you have such an ease in talking to us I honestly feel that I am sitting with you over tea and hearing all that you say. There is such detail and such caring and depth in how you speak to us and what you want to render to young dancers. I am from an era when everything was mysterious and unknown. People brought up with youtube can't fathom what it was like. At 19 years old, in 1978, before perestroika, I was in Moscow and Lenningrad with impressario Olga de Smoak's ballet group. I was an avid balletomane and my best friend and I were desparate to see a vagonona class on the legendary Theater Street. We dare not even dream such a thing. But there we were in Russia - a miracle dream to be there - and we were swept away by our deep love for ballet. Even saying those words does not convey the sacredness we felt about Russian ballet. Our passion was so irrepressible that somehow we got brave beyond our own imaginations and went into ths school. Russians whom we befriended were very careful about talking to us because everywhere was bugged. We were always afraid of being taken away. We threw away our Hedrik Smith book. Somehow we entered the building, barely breathing. An elderly woman was at the desk. We didn't speak Russian and she didnt speak English. We pleaded our case. We said we had come all the way from America to worship at the temple of Russian ballet, do you think we could just go in and see a class for 15 minutes? We were very dramatic in our request. We were pantomiming and talking at the same time. We were trying with our whole bodies to be understood and trying for a miracle. The Russian woman was adamant not to let us in. But we kept trying and kept pleading and begging and kept pouring our hearts out. But she wouldn't let us in. We turned away in utter defeat. We were crushed. We couldn't even believe we were on the hallowed grounds of Theater Street. So, so close we had come. It hurt deeply. But alas, it was a closed world we couldn't enter, but a closed world which was deeply entrenched in our hearts. I still remember the complete crush of that incident. It would have meant more than anything else in the world if we had been given the most extraordinary gift of being able to go in. We knew from the beginning there was hardly a dot of a chance they would let us in but we had tried with all of our might. Our despair was deep. To think that 45 years later I am so intimately watching the Vagonova school and hearing commentary, and thoughts and experiences from Isabella about it all is still beyond belief. I just can't believe it. In my era nothing was open. Everything was closed to you and unknown. This channel and Isabella are an incredible gift to me. An absolute gem. I would also like to say that I was also in Moscow and Lenningrad in 1981. A beautuful dancer named Margeurita Perkun died tragically. I think from a car crash. It was so shocking. She was this incredibly young and simply beautiful dancer. Very unique and memorable. If I remember correctly her devoted and devastated husband performed a ballet performance to her. (In the vein of what great Russian figure skater Ekeratina Gordeeva did for her husband Sergei.) His performance for his wife was incredibly gorgeous and deeply moving. If I remember correctly I think there was a flowing scarf in the piece. I'll never forget it.
So inspiring! What a satisfaction to be able to perform such complex, artistic and beautiful exercises! What impressive progress! It seems that the experience at Vognova was simply unforgettable and very enriching!!! Thank you very much for sharing
Just curious, was there a foreigners’ class separate from Russian students’ class? Also were there lots of drop outs yearly? Or is it common for some students to be only there for set of years? (Perhaps to move on to different specialized schools?) Lastly, was there a choice for you to join Royal Ballet after Eifman?
What is the procedure of student placement for center? Is it the teacher who decides? Does your position on the floor ever change? So the best are always in front and the lesssr dancers are always in back? Who does the filming?
Thanks again for the wonderful video! May I ask about the plies in vaganova style? My teacher always...always ask me to do overly exaggerated deep plies, almost grand plie, before EVERY SINGLE pirouette. But in the video, none of you did that type of super deep plie before just usual en dehors pirouettes when you are moving in the center. Is it just different schools of ballet? Do I need to prioritize the deep plie and reduce my turns? I found it much more difficult to keep up with the music if I had to do super deep plie every time before I turn... Thank you! 😊😊
I don’t think they ever made us do a crazy big plié before pirouette - just a normal demi plié. Obviously when teaching you can over exaggerate things to form a habit such as a “good demi plié” but it shouldn’t be so deep you can’t turn! as you can see we just do a normal plié 🙂
I trained for one year with a teacher who taught "bad" Vaganova, meaning he taught the poses and the steps and the terminology etc., but obviously didn't have a clue about the concept behind the method. He always made us do deep demi-pliés before turns and jumps. I'm a natural jumper, but during that year, I almost lost my jump. I also got really bulky thigh muscles. Luckily, I was able to change schools, but it took me a few months to get my jumps back.
Are these exams more like a performance or are they graded? Im just curious because sometimes there’s girls with solos but wouldn’t they want everyone to be evaluated on them equally?
You are so gorgeous I gasped :o. Im just wondering, have you done ankle strenghtening in the meanwhile? Sometimes it looks like your standing foot is rolling inwards.
My shoes were just so hard at this pointe and this was over 10 years ago. The next year my ankles were way stronger as I became much more aware of them. I'd watched this, and seen my errors so gave it more attention after that!
@@balletwithisabella Thanks!!! I’m travelling from Sydney to Oxford on a monthly basis. Hopefully will have the pleasure taking your class one day in London.
@@balletwithisabella Really???????? I am from St-Petersburg, and I knew about their YEARS (not grades, by your American description that confuseshem with ballet grades for amateurs) and was friends with some graduates before you were born.
@@MishaSkripach Hi Misha, This is how the word was translated into English/ American. we had grades/ years ( whatever you want to call it ) I had American friends there so we called it grades amongst us. Grades don't automatically mean amateur! - I am aware the Russian literal translation is Class and Years. Thanks for your comments.
@@balletwithisabella Sorry, I am not Misha. My name is Elena/. Have you heard of British "grades" ballet system that they sell internationally? This is what I mean - in Britain the year is called "year ..." , but "grades" are reserved term for those amateur commercial ballet exams, this is what the confusion stemming for - the British English.I understand that in America the word "grade" is perfectly normal. Maybe, you are unaware of that British exam system, I will try to find a link
@@MishaSkripach I'm aware what you are saying and I know the grades you refer to but I don't automatically think all grades reference to the amateur grades. I mean we are talking about Vaganova here so I don't think people are confused. This isn't amateur! 😅 I am sorry you don't like the use of the word grade.
Thanks so much for all the support! I love these walk throughs and they mean so much to me! Leave your comments ❤️❤️
So enjoyed the dedication and the hard work then and now, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Isabella, I can't stop from being amazed by you and your channel. That you trained as a Vagonova student in Russia is amazing enough.
But for a world of young dancers to benefit from that is quadruplely amazing.
Your channel is so professional. Your atmosphere and background always have a simple elegance. And you have such an ease in talking to us I honestly feel that I am sitting with you over tea and hearing all that you say.
There is such detail and such caring and depth in how you speak to us and what you want to render to young dancers.
I am from an era when everything was mysterious and unknown.
People brought up with youtube can't fathom what it was like.
At 19 years old, in 1978, before perestroika, I was in Moscow and Lenningrad with impressario Olga de Smoak's ballet group.
I was an avid balletomane and my best friend and I were desparate to see a vagonona class on the legendary Theater Street.
We dare not even dream such a thing. But there we were in Russia - a miracle dream to be there - and we were swept away by our deep love for ballet.
Even saying those words does not convey the sacredness we felt about Russian ballet.
Our passion was so irrepressible that somehow we got brave beyond our own imaginations and went into ths school.
Russians whom we befriended were very careful about talking to us because everywhere was bugged. We were always afraid of being taken away. We threw away our Hedrik Smith book.
Somehow we entered the building, barely breathing.
An elderly woman was at the desk. We didn't speak Russian and she didnt speak English.
We pleaded our case. We said we had come all the way from America to worship at the temple of Russian ballet, do you think we could just go in and see a class for 15 minutes?
We were very dramatic in our request. We were pantomiming and talking at the same time. We were trying with our whole bodies to be understood and trying for a miracle.
The Russian woman was adamant not to let us in.
But we kept trying and kept pleading and begging and kept pouring our hearts out.
But she wouldn't let us in. We turned away in utter defeat. We were crushed. We couldn't even believe we were on the hallowed grounds of Theater Street.
So, so close we had come. It hurt deeply.
But alas, it was a closed world we couldn't enter, but a closed world which was deeply entrenched in our hearts.
I still remember the complete crush of that incident.
It would have meant more than anything else in the world if we had been given the most extraordinary gift of being able to go in.
We knew from the beginning there was hardly a dot of a chance they would let us in but we had tried with all of our might.
Our despair was deep.
To think that 45 years later I am so intimately watching the Vagonova school and hearing commentary, and thoughts and experiences from Isabella about it all is still beyond belief. I just can't believe it.
In my era nothing was open. Everything was closed to you and unknown.
This channel and Isabella are an incredible gift to me. An absolute gem.
I would also like to say that I was also in Moscow and Lenningrad in 1981. A beautuful dancer named Margeurita Perkun died tragically. I think from a car crash.
It was so shocking. She was this incredibly young and simply beautiful dancer. Very unique and memorable.
If I remember correctly her devoted and devastated husband performed a ballet performance to her. (In the vein of what great Russian figure skater Ekeratina Gordeeva did for her husband Sergei.)
His performance for his wife was incredibly gorgeous and deeply moving.
If I remember correctly I think there was a flowing scarf in the piece.
I'll never forget it.
So inspiring! What a satisfaction to be able to perform such complex, artistic and beautiful exercises! What impressive progress! It seems that the experience at Vognova was simply unforgettable and very enriching!!! Thank you very much for sharing
You bring tears to my eyes, Isabella you are just amazing and I love to hear you reflect on everything
Hetty!!! Thank you so much ❤️💜
Double fondu relevé was very well understood and executed. Lovely.
Thank you for the great video. You are so inspiring and motivating! ❤
Thank you so much! ❤️
Where are all the girls now?
Sorry to hear about those who passed away ❤️
Good question! Most are Mariinsky, some are at Stanislavsky or have gone to a company closer to their home town.
I think that you were one of the bests in your promotion. So beautiful attitude in renversé
Can you talk about how Russian technique teaches back placement and general coordination?
Just curious, was there a foreigners’ class separate from Russian students’ class? Also were there lots of drop outs yearly?
Or is it common for some students to be only there for set of years? (Perhaps to move on to different specialized schools?)
Lastly, was there a choice for you to join Royal Ballet after Eifman?
10:48 is one of my favorite part of the exam. It’s so dramatic.
Yes!
What is the music for the grande adagio at 12:00? It’s beautiful
What is the procedure of student placement for center? Is it the teacher who decides? Does your position on the floor ever change? So the best are always in front and the lesssr dancers are always in back? Who does the filming?
I'm so sorry. How did they pass away?
I was wondering that too 😢
Thanks again for the wonderful video! May I ask about the plies in vaganova style? My teacher always...always ask me to do overly exaggerated deep plies, almost grand plie, before EVERY SINGLE pirouette. But in the video, none of you did that type of super deep plie before just usual en dehors pirouettes when you are moving in the center. Is it just different schools of ballet? Do I need to prioritize the deep plie and reduce my turns? I found it much more difficult to keep up with the music if I had to do super deep plie every time before I turn... Thank you! 😊😊
I don’t think they ever made us do a crazy big plié before pirouette - just a normal demi plié. Obviously when teaching you can over exaggerate things to form a habit such as a “good demi plié” but it shouldn’t be so deep you can’t turn! as you can see we just do a normal plié 🙂
@@balletwithisabella Thanks so much Isabella! Reassured to hear that from you. ☺️☺️❤️❤️❤️
Super deep plie is a myth, my friend
@@AllieHutchins thank you for confirming this 😭😭 I stopped doing that today and was so much more stable with multiple turns ❤️❤️
I trained for one year with a teacher who taught "bad" Vaganova, meaning he taught the poses and the steps and the terminology etc., but obviously didn't have a clue about the concept behind the method. He always made us do deep demi-pliés before turns and jumps. I'm a natural jumper, but during that year, I almost lost my jump. I also got really bulky thigh muscles. Luckily, I was able to change schools, but it took me a few months to get my jumps back.
Are these exams more like a performance or are they graded? Im just curious because sometimes there’s girls with solos but wouldn’t they want everyone to be evaluated on them equally?
What was your injury and how did you get it?
You are so gorgeous I gasped :o. Im just wondering, have you done ankle strenghtening in the meanwhile? Sometimes it looks like your standing foot is rolling inwards.
My shoes were just so hard at this pointe and this was over 10 years ago. The next year my ankles were way stronger as I became much more aware of them. I'd watched this, and seen my errors so gave it more attention after that!
Oh gosh! She’s beautiful - what is the Korean girl’s name? Kim?
Kyon Chan 🤍
@@balletwithisabella Thanks!!! I’m travelling from Sydney to Oxford on a monthly basis. Hopefully will have the pleasure taking your class one day in London.
@@balletwithisabella Can we find her somewhere? Or is she not involved with ballet anymore?
Who was employed with soloist contracts this year ?
does anyone know the pirouette sone? 6:59
Why do you call it "grade"? It is the year of learning, many people would confuse it with the grades?
There's 8 ( used to be 9) grades in Vaganova. it's just how the syllabus works
@@balletwithisabella Really???????? I am from St-Petersburg, and I knew about their YEARS (not grades, by your American description that confuseshem with ballet grades for amateurs) and was friends with some graduates before you were born.
@@MishaSkripach Hi Misha, This is how the word was translated into English/ American. we had grades/ years ( whatever you want to call it ) I had American friends there so we called it grades amongst us. Grades don't automatically mean amateur! - I am aware the Russian literal translation is Class and Years. Thanks for your comments.
@@balletwithisabella Sorry, I am not Misha. My name is Elena/. Have you heard of British "grades" ballet system that they sell internationally? This is what I mean - in Britain the year is called "year ..." , but "grades" are reserved term for those amateur commercial ballet exams, this is what the confusion stemming for - the British English.I understand that in America the word "grade" is perfectly normal.
Maybe, you are unaware of that British exam system, I will try to find a link
@@MishaSkripach I'm aware what you are saying and I know the grades you refer to but I don't automatically think all grades reference to the amateur grades. I mean we are talking about Vaganova here so I don't think people are confused. This isn't amateur! 😅 I am sorry you don't like the use of the word grade.
What is a raked floor??
If this was the bad leg, I would like to see the good one 👀😅👍
is this the class for foreign students?
no, everyone is Russian apart from 4 of us
I see that you were the tallest in your class. How tall,are you and was this ever an issue for you 🩷