Vaganova ballet academy 5th grade 1.

[retroalex1]

Wow! I'm going to Governor's School in Greenville South Carolina and my dance company is very proud of me and I hope to come back as good as all of them!

[MikeTeasley3]

Wow.!.!

[jayspenh]

this is just beautiful

[pritty4in4pink]

grade 1 . WOW

[fredrika27]

Hello everyone. My niece must do a report on black dancers in ballet for Black History Month. Does anyone know of a black ballerina from France, the former Russian Republic, Cuba or the UK and her achievements?

[VaveAma92]

This really is amazing. To have not just the flexibility, but also the strength to do that... I feel as stiff as a board.

[antifrownpossum]

I can't believe the flexibility of those backs! Beautiful.

[alineigena]

BRAVO, beautiful girls!

[4everballetdancer]

They are incredible! Thanks you so much for sharing this with us! Are any of them well-known dancers now??

[MegaGram1]

holy cow these girls have amazing flexability!

[JumpingMusic]

I can tell you their story... alot of them are not dancers now... the last girl on the right side have 3 kids now and she is happy with her life. in fact 80% of those girls are not dancing anymore, for a lot of reasons. but they are all my friends, they are my class-mates :)

[ecoledeballetmanille]

Hello JumpingMusic!

Why are they not dancing anymore? Sad because they are all so very well trained.

[raquelsferreira]

they are there to learn the technique. after that, when they get into companies they can dance, and they do it very well.

(sorry for my english :s)

[BalletCava]

@JumpingMusic

The last girl on the right at the barre with the 4 girls or the barre with the 2 girls? They are all so blessed, btw. Which are you? When was this filmed? :) I'd like to visit the Vaganova Ballet Academy some day. Do the students actually stay at the school like boarding school?

[natalek777]

@BalletCava on the barre with 2 girls :)

the last girl on the right on the centre barre is married to Farukh Ruzimatov :)

[BalletCava]

@natalek777 I see, wow, Farukh Ruzimatov is a talent, too! You are the first from the left of the barre with the 4 girls? Was this an actual exam? I'm sure all of you passed with distinction!

[natalek777]

@BalletCava Yes, I'm the first one from the left on the barre with 4 girls, it was an exam.

[huixue]

Lovely! When was this filmed?

[deluxezicke8]

wow...how old the girls???

[writer13426]

about 15 - 16

[shaigurl519]

the 2nd girl from the left of the barre. who is she? where is she now?

[glmiri]

they´re like machines...

[starbuxluvr4eva]

lmao!

[Super1Titi]

You don't know anything about ballet...whatever...o_o

[glmiri]

I do, that´s why I made that comment.

[Yuy87]

OMG, so high arabesques and attitudes!!!!

AMAZING

[LovelyDancer92]

Holy crap they're amazing

[Lunaange]

1:40 is awesome XD didn't know that kids could do that. I guess the barre helps them bend and stay like that

[triinkuusk]

they are first class

[akkid34]

wow! how old are they?

[pinkfosho17]

ouch,

Timeing!

[fashionballetNYC]

I wanna be on pointe and be thin-- like these girls! HELP! I may go on pointe this summer... but I think I am fat-- my teach does too...

[jjustlearn]

its may be just baby fat.. as you get older ,and into your teens it will go away.. but i would suggest to talk to your doctor and get him to put you on a small diet... try to eat vegetables and fruits and lots of water.. just eating right can take off the lbs. keep dancing .and be blessed

[scurvyband]

well done girls :)

[ggggtgtg]

We do vaganova at my school and im on this level.

[firefairy4]

i would love to go to a ballet school. Unfortunatley, i have only been doing ballet for 5 weeks :(

[Kentislandgirl]

yeah, ballet school would be amazing. im in intermediate pointe. but we don't have grades and all of this stuff so i feel really dumb for not knowing,

[rumpleTeazer126]

***(continue here) Then it won't matter that much if you dont have a job as a dancer for a while because you have the other career :D You like that idea? I dont know.. but that wont keep me from dancing.. thats for sure ..

[Kentislandgirl]

yeah. like im taking dance I next year along with possibly the dance team (depending on the sport i choose) and im gonna do our school "dance company". but i chose liberal studies and then im switching my cluster to whatever i choose in tenth grade. but like i could do the health thing and then while im in college continue persuing dancing and getting jobs here and there in dance and mabey teach dance classes.

[pianistnyc]

What year was this?

[writer13426]

5th

[Kentislandgirl]

i would kill to go to a dance academy. but im no where near that good and im already thirteen. (; tear.

[rumpleTeazer126]

SOOO??!!! THERE IS NOOO AGE TO START DANCING!! i mean .. I quit for like 5 years!! and now iim BACK OON!! because i know that i cant live without it!!!! :D!!

[Kentislandgirl]

like i danced for a while when i was little little and i started again like last september to june. just doing beginning ballet. then this summer i took a pre pointe thing. and now im in intermediate pointe. but i dont know anything about like the different styles of dance. like the cechetti and vagnova i have no idea what those mean i just know the style my dance teacher teachs and i dont even know what that is!

[rumpleTeazer126]

ooooh ook thats cool :P why dont u ask her? :D she'll tell you. Those are like.. how they're taught in different academies.. i donno how to explain :O

[Kentislandgirl]

like i know that. but i don't know those methods. and i'd feel really embarassed. and i don't even know if i am good enough for those. like i know i've got to be kind of good. but i can't really compare myself to people in my class because half of them can't even get all the way onto pointe. like i don't get it. idk

[rumpleTeazer126]

oh... btw.. ur fance school.. is a dance "academy" . why dont u find a school that is enrolled to an academy.. like Royal Academy of Dance or Anaheim Ballet. =D Those are pretty cool :D

[Kentislandgirl]

i really don't know much about academies and stuff. i just love dance like more than anything. but my mom's afraid i won't have a stable job as a dancer and that i won't be able to come back and do anything with my life. like i wanted to be a doctor but then i got into dance and that was all i could think about and now im about to go into highschool and we had to pick a cluster and im like torn between performing arts and a health pathway. cause what if my mom's right. its so hard.

[rumpleTeazer126]

i know. I have the exact SAME problem.. I want to be a dancer SOO bad. Im about to go to high school too. I'm going to pick performing arts as what you call it the "cluster" (we call it electives) I dont care wherever I go to, I'll still be dancing.

One friend told me that it was a pretty good idea to study something that is stable for a job while still going to dancing classes and then when you graduate from the career you chose, you can be a dancer, (continue in next comment) ***

[kathandy74]

How can you have such a great extensions?

[GymnasticDancer]

Sorry- how old would these AMAZING girls be? Thanks :P :)

[xxdisneystarxx]

wow, you do completely different stuff to what I do in Ballet!

[Deem09]

WHooow.

[lolitakitten]

This is just beautiful.

[dancer168]

很好!!

[ilyaballet]

16 old

[rosy879]

So, how old are these people?

[wooooThaliaoooo]

wow how old are they???

thats amazing!!

[kmr10101]

Does anyone know where I can see videos of the Vaganova preparatory level? That is, the class they do before they even start Level 1. I know it has alot of time on the floor, stretching, strengthening....and then some very slow bar exercises. Or Level 1 would be good. Thanks.

[natalek777]

well, I have all levels (exams), except for pre-level one, but it's on tape.. I'm waiting when we'll have time to convert it to DVD

[kmr10101]

Wonderful! I am so keen to see the earliest levels. It would be fantastic if you could put them on youtube when you get time. Thank you!

[yyy41]

The Vagnova schoold do not show level one. They keep it a secreat. All of the demenstrations start from level 2. A vaganova dance student. The students in the video should be 12-13years old.

[natalek777]

It's so nice to see myself on youtube :))) Thank you Ilya :) it was a great surprise! :)

[kreneelee08]

which one were you? these videos are amazing! :D:D:D

[natalek777]

I'm first from the left

[kreneelee08]

your so beautiful. great technique.

[natalek777]

Thank you :)

[christeaniebeanie]

you are really good!

[hgjon2]

how old were you when this was taken?

[natalek777]

14 I think

[BalletCava]

wow! you're absolutely brilliant! i really love you students because you all are just perfect! talented, passionate, everything! how old were you then? i really wish i could go to Vaganova Academy one day!

[natalek777]

Thank you, we were 14, if I believe right.

[writer13426]

Wait-- how old were you here? on your profile, it says you're 27, and this video was posted 2 years ago... ???

[natalek777]

well, the video itself is old. I have the same video tape in my home.

[RCreate123]

Well, I have a video tape of Aurelie DuPont in Sleeping Beauty. In the Rose Adagio, her leg goes to 180 degrees - and even beyond 180 degrees! - over and over again.

Thanks for this glimpse into one of the greatest ballet schools in the world. My dd studies Vaganova syllabus here in the U.S. She is only level 3, but I recognize many of the positions and ending poses as unique to Vaganova!

[BalletNikitenko]

They are pointe shoes that have been deshanked and the boxes softened. Wearing those shoes helps strengthen feet. Also, russian ballet schools do not have "pointe class"; they have a section of pointe at the end of the class several times per week in lieu of allegro. (remember, they are in class six or seven days per week) Also, the legs are super strong due to the amount of releve done in barre and in centre.

[picolasa]

bravissime giovannissime kunghissime .......

[SkinnyDancer]

Their leggs are soo long! no one else look like that! obvious its look good.

[babydodo92]

wow bellissimo

[BalletAnnie]

This is ballet, just that their extention are amazing like gymnast as they learn gymnastics. They still wear pointe shoes and they are in a ballet school! Just admire how they dance not arguing on is this ballet.

[19Christi70]

You should NOT wear pointe shoes in class, no matter what level of dance.

[PointeOfNoRetturn]

Yes, you should. If you show up to pointe clas without pointe shoes, 'tis not the best 19Christi70. Although during warmups, it's perfectly fine to use slippers.

[BalletAnnie]

You say we should not wear pointe shoes in class, but you uploaded a video of yourself doing pointe work. Does that mean that you learn pointe work at home rather than in a ballet class? And who say that ballet dancers shouldn't wear pointe shoes in class? I only hear that you shouldn't wear pointe shoes at home without a qualified teacher teaching pointe work!

[19Christi70]

You shouldn't wear them in CLASS not POINTE class.

[BryndisSnae]

what?? i don't understand??!? why not????!! where should you where else should you wear them? on stage? but have to learn first.. IN CLASS right? explain your theory to us..

[connitacoi]

She says you should wear ballet slippers

for regular ballet class and wear pointe for pointe class. She means you should have ballet classes and pointe classes separately, not all in one.

[BryndisSnae]

still makes no sense.. lo you can have a ballet class and pointe class in the SAME class right?:)

[jazzed5678]

No kidding they were told how to do something...these are barre exercises. If you are a dancer how do you not know that?

This would be similar to watching my husband's hockey team practice skating drills, or practicing puck handling. This isn't supposed to be a performance. Really you must be a bit obtuse if you have to have this explained a few times.

[muckwi002]

WOW! how old are they??

[duroc5088]

What? No of course it's not *art* this is class! This is not supposed to be a real performance. This is practice. This is a warm up. They are beautiful, especially for their young age. I am not sure how some can be so critical? It has EVERYTHING to do with classical dance, as a true performance on stage would be nothing without practice at the barre. Whoever wrote that critical comment must know very little about ballet.

[SandraStuy]

arrghh...terrible! okay they have all amazing extension but this ist not art! this gymnastic! this hast nothing to do with classical ballet...! I can't remember that waganova wrote in her book that in attitude the head has to touch the feet!!!???

[panyatna]

lol I know what you mean. But in all fairness would you buy a ballet ticket to see dancers whose extensions only went to 90 degrees?

[jazzed5678]

Sorry Sandra...you must not know a thing about ballet (or the English language for that matter.) The girl's technique is very very good for their age, their body alignment wonderful, and the use of their heads and arms are far superior than most ballet dancers I have seen at this level.

Thank you for sharing a wonderful inspirational part of ballet class that I will share with my own students!

[SandraStuy]

I'm a classical dancer myself and so I would say that I know a bit of ballet!

Yes I admit that those girls have a good technique, someone told them how to do things. But for me this is not dancing at all! As far as I know classical ballet is classified as an art and not as sport, even if the phycial pressure is like that of an athlet.

And yes their extension is amazing but the extension of an rythmic gymnast is amazing too.

[SandraStuy]

...Just take that attitude: without the barre au mileu or on pointe their work is worthless: they have no chance standing in that position on pointshoes. Or could you teach your students to stand on point in that pose??? I dont think so...

[SandraStuy]

Sure today you laugh about a dancer having her legs on 90 degree, but think of all those little soldieres and think of some artists you really admire! I think etoile Aurelie Dupont is as ballerina outstanding and she has not her legs on her head! Yes it is amazing to see that on stage and you make "WOW! High legs!" but what we really want to see on stage is art, the essence of classical ballet, feelings, emotions and humans!

[eloisefig]

its alot easier to lower your leg when you need to than to raise it.  it helps with back strength as well.

I'd love to know where you dance.

[SandraStuy]

sure it is easier to lower than to raise...but I would not teach it! The barre is preparation for the work au milieu and and for me it makes no sense to restart au milieu! When you have a stretching or artistic class: wonderful, do it, show what you can do with your body! but not in ballet!

[littlehouse15]

um, jealous much? lol

[SandraStuy]

jealous??? honestly: who wouldn't...

[eloisefig]

um its called a cambre

[19Christi70]

You have to have the right techneque befor you go obove 90, that is why ballet is so difucult.

[Lidewijke]

When in class, you have to push to your limit. That's what we're taught. Whether you do it on stage, that's something else. I know raising your leg and nearly touching your ear breaks the classical line, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't make my muscles as strong and flexible as possible.

[skatti67]

wonderful!!!!!!

[misspollyannaa]

Their extensions are amazing!