Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet

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VAGANOVA ACADEMY OF RUSSIAN BALLET situated at 2 Zodchego Rossi Street. It was founded as the Dancing School in 1738 on the initiative of J. B. Lande, a French choreographer and teacher, and accommodated in the Third Winter Palace (see Winter Palaces). Among the teachers working at the school in the 18th century were A. Rinaldi, D. Angiolini, and G. Canziani. The school was transformed into the Theatre School in 1779 and renamed as the Imperial Petersburg Theatre College in 1829. It had ballet classes and was first situated in the same place, then in the Bolshoy (Kamenny) Theatre, and later in Borozdina's house at the corner of Nevsky Prospect and Sadovaya Street. Its first students graduated in 1741. Among the graduates who completed the ballet classes in the late 18th century were R. P. Berilova, Y. K. Pleten, A. I. Tukmanova, and E. I. Kolosova, the former three taught by dancer C. Le Pique and the latter under I. I. Valberkh who governed the development the Russian ballet school. High proficiency in teaching was achieved in the first quarter of the 19th century owing to C. Didelot, the teacher of Y. Lustich, M. I. Danilova, M. N. Ikonina, A. I. Istomina, A. S. Novitskaya, E. A. Teleshova, A. A. Likhutina, N. O. Holz, et al. A new building was erected in Ekaterininsky Canal. The college moved to the present-day address in 1836 to share the building with the Board of Imperial Theatres. Among its graduates in the mid-to-late 19th century were T. P. Smirnova, E. I. Andreyanova, L. I. Ivanov, M. S. Surovshchikova-Petipa, M. N. Muravyeva, P. A. Gerdt, E. O. Vazem, E. P. Sokolova, and A. C. Ioganson. M. I. Petipa, C. P. Ioganson, and E. C. Cecchetti started working at the college from 1855, 1879, and 1892, respectively, the former gravitating to the French style, the other to the Danish style, and the latter teaching his students the Italian virtuosity. Despite the multinational teaching staff, the Russian dancing school gradually developed in St. Petersburg. Among students who graduated from the college at the turn of the 19th century were N.G. Legat, V. A. Trefilova, O. O. Preobrazhenskaya, M. F. Kschessinska, A. Y. Vaganova, L. N. Egorova, M. M. Fokin, A. P. Pavlova, T. P. Karsavina, V. F. Nijinsky, and O. A. Spesivtseva. Among teachers were Vazem, Legat, K. M. Kulichevskaya, A. V. Shiryaev, and S. K. Andrianov. Fokin's class was completed by E. M. Lyukom and E. P. Gerdt and L. S. Leontyev's class by B. V. Shavrov. After the October of 1917, the college was renamed as State Petrograd Theatre College, its ballet department transformed into a Choreographical Training School in 1928 and Choreographical College in 1937. A teachers' department was opened in 1934 with Vaganova at the head and a choreography department in 1937 with F. V. Lopukhov at the head. A national department was established in 1934. Among teachers were V. I. Ponomarev, E. N. Heidenreich, and A. V. Lopukhov followed by A. I. Pushkin, L. M. Tyuntina, N. A. Kamkova, E. V. Shiripina, and Shavrov. Among graduates - V. I. Vaynonen, G. M. Balanchivadze (G. Balanchine), A. D. Danilova, P. A. Gusev, N. M. Stukolkina, L. M. Lavrovsky, O. P. Mungalova, N. A. Anisimova, A. N. Ermolaev, V. M. Chabukiani, and K. M. Sergeev. Vaganova who started teaching at the college from 1921 and whose name was given to the college in 1957 developed a system that initiated a new phase in the development of classical dance. Among her students were M. T. Semenova, O. G. Iordan, G. S. Ulanova, T. M. Vecheslova, N. M. Dudinskaya, F. I. Balabina, A. Y. Shelest, N. A. Petrova, N. A. Kurgapkina, O. N. Moiseeva, I. G. Gensler, A. E. Osipenko, and I. A. Kolpakova. The college was evacuated to Molotov (Perm) during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 with I. D. Belsky, A. A. Makarov, B. Y. Bregvadze, Y. N. Grigorovich, and others carried on their studies. Among the teachers working at the college in the postwar period were Iordan, A. A. Pisarev, T. V. Baltacheev, and Belsky followed by Dudinskaya, N. V. Belikova, and G. N. Selyutsky. Among its graduates were S. P. Kuznetsov, A. A. Sapogov, A. V. Gridin, N. V. Timofeeva, K. I. Fedicheva, G. T. Komleva, I. A. Chernyshev, A. I. Sizova, R. K. Nureyev, Y. V. Solovyev, N. R. Makarova, N. A. Dolgushin, N. D. Bolshakova, V. N. Gulyaev, E. V. Evteeva, M. N. Baryshnikov, G. S. Mezentseva, T. G. Terekhova, A. A. Asylmuratova, F. S. Ruzimatov, M. G. Kullik, Y. V. Makhalina, I. A. Zelensky, U. V. Lopatkina, D. V. Vishneva, and D. A. Bryantsev. The college was reorganised as the Academy of Russian Ballet in 1991. The academy has a ballet museum attached to it and includes a department of choreography and a department of ballet studies. A. A. Asylmuratova is now the art director of the academy.

References: Материалы по истории русского балета: В 2 т. / Сост. М. В. Борисоглебский. Л., 1938-1939; Ленинградское государственное ордена Ленина и Трудового Красного Знамени академическое хореографическое училище им. А. Я. Вагановой: Альбом. Л., 1988.

G. N. Dobrovolskaya. Abamelik-Lazarev Semen Semenovich
Andreyanova Elena Ivanovna
Andrianov Samuil Konstantinovich
Angiolini Domenico Gasparo Maria
Anisimova Nina Alexandrovna
Asylmuratova Altynay Abduakhimovna
Balabina Feya Ivanovna
Balanchivadze Georgy Melitonovich (George Balanchine)
Baltacheev Takhir Valeevich
Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolaevich
Belikova Nina Viktorovna
Belsky Igor Dmitrievich
Berilova Anastasia Parfentievna
Bolshakova Natalia Dmitrievna
Bregvadze Boris Yakovlevich
Bryantsev Dmitry Alexandrovich A995
Canziani Giuseppe
Cecchetti Enrico
Chabukiani Vakhtang Mikhailovich
Chernyshev Igor Alexandrovich
Danilova Alexandra Dionisievna
Danilova Maria Ivanovna
Didelot Charles Louis Frederic
Dolgushin Nikita Alexandrovich
Dudinskaya Natalia Mikhailovna
Egorova Lyubov Nikolaevna
Ermolaev Alexey Nikolaevich
Evteeva Elena Viktorovna
Fedicheva Kaleria Ivanovna
Fokin Mikhail Mikhailovich
Gerdt Elizaveta Pavlovna
Gerdt Pavel Andreevich
Gridin Anatoly Vasilievich
Grigorovich Yury Nikolaevich
Gulyaev Vladimir Nikolaevich
Gusev Peter Andreevich
Heidenreich Ekaterina Nikodimovna
Hensler Irina Georgievna
Holz Nikolay Osipovich
Ikonina Maria Nikolaevna
Ioganson Anna Christianovna
Ioganson Christian Petrovich
Iordan Olga Genrikhovna
Istomina Avdotya Ilyinichna
Ivanov Lev Ivanovich
Kamkova Natalia Alexandrovna
Karsavina Tamara Platonovna
Kolosova Evgeniya Ivanovna
Kolpakova Irina Alexandrovna
Komleva Gabriela Trofimovna
Kschessinska Mathilde (Maria) Felixovna
Kulichevskaya Klavdia Mikhailovna
Kullik Margarita G.
Kurgapkina Ninella Alexandrovna
Kuznetsov Svyatogor Petrovich
Lande Jean Baptiste
Lavrovsky (real name Ivanov) Leonid Mikhailovich
Le Pique Charles
Legat Nikolay Gustavovich
Leontyev Leonid Sergeevich
Likhutina Anastasia Andreevna
Lopatkina Ulyana Vyacheslavovna
Lopukhov Andrey Vasilievich
Lopukhov Fedor Vasilievich
Lustich Yakov
Lyukom Elena Mikhailovna
Makarov Askold Anatolievich
Makarova Natalia Romanovna
Makhalina Yulia Viktorovna
Mezentseva Galina Sergeevna
Moiseeva Olga Nikolaevna
Mungalova Olga Petrovna
Muravyeva Maria Nikolaevna (Marfa Nikiforovna)
Nijinsky Vaclav Fomich
Novitskaya Anastasia Semenovna
Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich
Osipenko Alla Evgenievna
Pavlova A.I.
Petipa Marius Ivanovich
Petrova Ninel Alexandrovna
Pisarev Alexey Afanasievich
Pleten Yu.K.
Ponomarev Vladimir Ivanovich
Preobrazhenskaya Olga Iosifovna (Osipovna)
Pushkin Alexander Ivanovich
Rinaldi Antonio
Ruzimatov Farukh Sadullaevich
Sapogov Anatoly Alexandrovich
Selutsky Gennady Naumovich
Semenova Marina (Maria) Nikolaevna
Sergeev Konstantin Mikhailovich
Shavrov Boris Vasilievich
Shelest Alla Yakovlevna
Shiripina Elena Vasilievna
Shiryaev Alexander Viktorovich
Sizova Alla Ivanovna
Smirnova Tatyana Petrovna
Sokolova Evgenia Pavlovna
Solovyev Yury Vladimirovich
Spesivtseva Olga Alexandrovna
Stukolkina Nina Mikhailovna
Surovshchikova-Petipa Maria Sergeevna
Teleshova (Telesheva) Ekaterina Alexandrovna
Terekhova (Berezhnaya) Tatyana Gennadievna
Timofeeva Nina Vladimirovna
Trefilova Vera Alexandrovna
Tukmanova Arina Ivanovna
Tyuntina Lidia Mikhailovna
Ulanova Galina Sergeevna
Vaganova Agrippina Yakovlevna
Valberkh Ivan Ivanovich
Vaynonen Vasily Ivanovich
Vazem Ekaterina (Mathilde) Ottovna
Vecheslova Tatyana Mikhailovna
Vishneva Diana Viktorovna
Zelensky Igor Anatolievich
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city
Sadovaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Zodchego Rossi Street/Saint Petersburg, city, house 2
Материалы по истории русского балета: В 2 т. / Сост. М. В. Борисоглебский. Л., 1938-39
Ленинградское государственное ордена Ленина и Трудового Красного Знамени академическое хореографическое училище им. А. Я. Вагановой: Альбом. Л., 1988 Theatre College
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