Vaganova A.Y., (1879-1951), ballet-dancer

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VAGANOVA Agrippina Yakovlevna (1879, St. Petersburg - 1951, Leningrad), ballet-dancer, pedagogue, choreographer, People's Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1954). Upon graduating from the Petersburg Drama School, where she had studied under P.A. Gerdt, she danced at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1897-1916. Gave brilliant variations on many ballet performances, and played the roles of Queen of Water (The Little Humpbacked Horse), and Lady of Dryads (Don Quixote, both by A.A. Gorsky). By the end of her career - having acted the leading parts in M.I. Petipa and L.I. Ivanov's Swan Lake, Gorsky's The Little Humpbacked Horse, Giselle by Petipa - she achieved the title of ballerina. In 1920, Vaganova started teaching at the Russian Ballet School under the guidance of A.L. Volynsky; from 1921, she was a teacher of the Petrograd (Leningrad) Choreographic School (see Academy of Russian Ballet). She integrated her stage experience with her predecessor's lessons and created her own teaching method (expounded on in her book Basic Principles of Classical Ballet, Leningrad; Moscow., 1934; several editions), which put emphasis on newer developments and technique in classical dance. Among her students were M.T. Semenova, G.S. Ulanova, O.G. Iordan, T.M. Vecheslova, N.M. Dudinskaya, F.I. Balabina, A.Y. Shelest, N.A. Petrova, N.A. Kurgapkina, O.N. Moiseeva, I.G. Hensler, A.E. Osipenko, and I.A. Kolpakova. The Choreographic School was named after Vaganova in 1957. In 1931-1937, Vaganova was an art director for the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre's ballet troupe, where she choreographed Petipa and Ivanov's ballet Swan Lake (1933) and J. Perrot's Esmeralda (1935). She was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1946. In 1937-51, Vaganova lived at 4 Dzerzhinskogo Street (today Gorokhovaya Street, memorial plaque installed). Buried at Literatorskie Mostky.

References: Богданов-Березовский В. М. А. Я. Ваганова. М.; Л., 1950; Агриппина Яковлевна Ваганова: Статьи. Воспоминания. Материалы. Л.; М., 1958; Красовская В. М. Ваганова. Л., 1989.

G. N. Dobrovolskaya. Abaza Alexander Aggeevich
Balabina Feya Ivanovna
Dudinskaya Natalia Mikhailovna
Gerdt Pavel Andreevich
Gorsky Alexander Alexeevich
Hensler Irina Georgievna
Iordan Olga Genrikhovna
Ivanov Lev Ivanovich
Kirov (real name Kostrikov) Sergey Mironovich
Kolpakova Irina Alexandrovna
Kurgapkina Ninella Alexandrovna
Moiseeva Olga Nikolaevna
Osipenko Alla Evgenievna
Perrot Jules Joseph
Petipa Marius Ivanovich
Petrova Ninel Alexandrovna
Semenova Marina (Maria) Nikolaevna
Shelest Alla Yakovlevna
Stalin (real name Dzhugashvili) Iosif Vissarionovich
Ulanova Galina Sergeevna
Vaganova Agrippina Yakovlevna
Vecheslova Tatyana Mikhailovna
Volynsky (Flexer) Akim Lvovich
Gorokhovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 4
Богданов-Березовский В. М. А.Я. Ваганова. М.; Л., 1950
Агриппина Яковлевна Ваганова: Статьи. Воспоминания. Материалы. Л.; М., 1958
Красовская В. М. Ваганова. Л., 1989 Theatre College
Mariinsky Theatre
Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet
Mariinsky Theatre
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis