Vaganova Today
Vaganova Today
The Preservation of Pedagogical Tradition
“An extensive and thorough compilation of numerous sources with unique insights on Vaganova and her methodology. The author has had access to several important figures in Russian ballet who knew Vaganova and/or her students. Confronting the dilemmas facing the art of classical ballet, Vaganova Today is a thought-provoking read.”—John White, author of Advanced Principles in Teaching Classical Ballet
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. Catherine E. Pawlick danced with ballet companies in the United States before moving to St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lived for six years, observing classes at the Vaganova Academy and rehearsals and performances at the Mariinsky Theatre. Fluent in French and Russian, she has written on dance for the San Francisco Chronicle, Ballet Review, and Dance Europe.
“A must for students and lovers of classical ballet. … Highly recommended.”—Choice
“A riveting read, which attempts to reveal the secrets of the Vaganova system. Anyone intrigued by the greatness of Russian ballet, and the Mariinsky in particular, will absorb this book from a behind-the-curtain view.”—Dance International
“Pawlick’s book leaves us wondering if there could ever again be a figure like Vaganova, so centered on a particular style, and so instrumental in its codification and development.”—Dancing Times
“Shows the Academy from the other end of the barre for the first time. . . . No other book gives a reader the opportunity to see the world of Russian ballet from the perspective of those who create it each day through teaching and coaching dancers for the stage.”—The Russian Review
“”“Provides readers with new insights into standards and best practices in ballet training, as well as important philosophical and aesthetic issues besetting the world of professional ballet in the twenty-first century”“”—Dance Chronicle
“Traces Agrippina Vaganova’s story from her student years in tsarist Russia to her career with the Mariinsky to her work as a teacher and choreographer.”—Dance Studio Life
Catherine Pawlick began studying ballet at the age of six in the San Francisco Bay Area. She performed with regional ballet companies in both California and Washington, D.C. She lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia and is a ballet critic. Pawlick has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Moscow Times, Ballet Review, Dance Magazine, and CriticalDance.com. She also works as correspondent for Dance Europe and Danza i Danza. More of her writing can be seen at http://VaganovaToday.com.
