Vaganova Today: The Preservation of Pedagogical Tradition

by Catherine E. Pawlick

“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 . 

296 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2011

Reviews

[Nora Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with a companion book, a biography of Vaganova. The two support each other very well. Vaganova Today is a collection of interviews gathered from prominent dancers, teachers, coaches and reviews and journal articles about whether the curriculum and style of the ballet academy has changed. these provide ample evidence for both sides of the argument pro and con .

















with curr

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here’s my review of this book in Pointe Magazine. https://pointemagazine.com/book-revie...

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vagnova method is the premier method of teaching ballet. The full effectiveness of it can be seen in many of the world's leading ballerinas, including those from Russia, Ukraine, China, Germany, and more and more the USA and Canada.

Vaganova Today collects articles and interviews of prominent dancers, teachers, coaches and reviews focused on how the tradition and pedagogical techniques have changed over the years. It is a very interesting read, but probably more useful for teachers and balletomanes than stude
nts.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ballet is a terribly difficult profession, involving complete self-sacrifice: You cannot eat, you cannot drink you have to sleep a little, at the minimum. You have to have a regime of food and of upbringing and, of course, every day you have to take class and rehearse and prepare new parts." ~Kurgapkina.