St. Petersburg, 1738 ... In the Winter Palace, by order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, several rooms were allocated in which the children of the palace employees learned the art of ballet. So the first ballet school in Russia was born, which survived to our time under the name of the A. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. For a long time this educational institution was the only center for the training of ballet dancers in St. Petersburg. Everything changed on September 2, 2013. On this day, Boris Eifman Dance Academy opened its doors to the students.
Introduction: the beginning of the story
The idea of creating a new alma mater for contemporary ballet dancers has been brewing for a long time. The development of choreographic art brought new creative requirements to the agenda. Bold experiments, innovative productions, modern plastic - for this we needed ballet dancers who could get out of the classical dance school.
The decision to allocate a site for the construction was made back in 2008. The tightness of the old buildings of the Petrograd side of St. Petersburg set strict limits for designers. The building was supposed to be both compact and spacious. The architectural studio "Studio 44" brilliantly coped with the task.
January 2011 The St. Petersburg governor signs a decree on the creation of a new creative educational institution in the city. Construction work began without delay. In May, Boris Eifman laid the first stone in the foundation of the future school. Two years later, the new building hosted its first students. “Eifman Academy” - along with the official status of a budgetary educational institution, this name is firmly entrenched in the new ballet school.
Attitude to creativity: not only on stage
The man who was able to achieve the creation of a new educational institution during the difficult times of the global financial crisis is the famous choreographer, titled choreographer and theater organizer Boris Yakovlevich Eifman (born July 22, 1946). The lines of the official biography and the list of achievements of this outstanding creative person are impressive. People's Artist (1995), Laureate of the State Prize (1998), artistic director of the Academic Ballet Theater, which bears his name ... By the age of 45, he had compiled an impressive list of awards and regalia. With such baggage it was possible to “rest on our laurels”.
Maybe that would be possible with any other. But not with a man like Boris Eifman. Dance Academy is a logical continuation of his creative biography. Three components of success - hard work, perseverance and talent - led him through life. And the life of the generation of post-war boys was not easy. Little Borya stood out from the general peer system. At the age of 7, he already created a puppet theater, made performances and even sold tickets. And with the proceeds I bought a soccer ball for the yard team. At 24, he performed the first choreographic productions on the professional stage. And in 1977, at Lenconcert, he founded the author’s ballet theater with the name "New Ballet". All his creative life he was looking for something new. The Eifman Academy - from the stage of design to implementation - became a landmark in the creative life of the choreographer.
The house that he built ...
The building itself, which in 2013 accepted the first students, is worthy of a separate description. To say that it meets all modern requirements for the educational process is to say nothing. The training complex, which housed the Boris Eifman Academy, is a true paradise for future artists. The somewhat heavy exterior walls of the building are made in a traditional style of brick, covered with plaster. However, behind them lies more than 11 thousand square meters. m. of inner space penetrated by light and located at different levels. Glass partitions, a complex transition system, a broken internal layout line - a sensation of a transparent polyhedron that plays with all shades of brilliance.
14 classes of various sizes, equipped at the highest level, are designed for ballet classes. The largest of them is used for staging educational plays. Everything feels professionalism and the pursuit of excellence. Even the flooring - the Harlequin stage linoleum - perfectly smooth, non-slip and resilient - is the best dance flooring in the world.
And the Eifman Ballet Academy includes an educational complex for conducting general education classes. There is a boarding school, which is designed for 135 people, a pool and a gym. For the health of students responsible medical center, staffed by specialists and equipped with everything necessary for the provision of medical care.
September 2013 - first call
It is not known who worried more on the day the school year began - the guys who became the first students in the walls of the new school, or its inspirer and creator. Honored guests, organizational bustle and troublesome preparation for the solemn day - all this has fallen into the background. To the sound of music and the applause of the parents and guests of the celebration, students came out - a little shackled and timid. A new stage in life and study began for them. And they will be the first issue that the Eifman Academy will give the way to the big stage. Reviews and reports about the solemn event were not long in coming. City and federal television channels spoke in detail about the opening of a new ballet school.
Training begins with the basics
Any child can start learning dance art, regardless of the financial situation of his parents or their social status. The main requirement is talent and a desire to become a ballet dancer. From the first day of its existence, the Eifman Academy has proclaimed its priority social support for creatively gifted children. The entire educational process is funded by the budget.
Students of two age categories are accepted for training. From the age of 11, you can enroll in a choreographic educational program in the specialty “Art of Ballet”. Graduates receive the qualification of “Ballet Dancer”. In addition, a set of training for children aged 7 years is carried out. This is an innovation in the field of choreographic training, which was introduced by the Boris Eifman Academy. Feedback from experts who have studied the problem of early training in dance art is positive. First graders are gradually preparing for serious classes and learn the world of ballet. An important role is played by the example of high school students.
Educators: A Team For Success
No matter how talented and efficient the project manager may be, it is impossible to establish the work of any educational institution without a team of like-minded people. Highly qualified teaching staff is the key to the success of a creative educational institution and its pupils.
Olga Baltacheeva, a former soloist of the opera and ballet theater named after S. M. Kirov, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1983), stood out in the first composition of the teachers. She accepted the invitation to become a consultant to the admissions committee, and remained at the Academy to teach. Another bright specialist is Nadezhda Tsai. Ballet dancer who devoted 13 years to the stage of the Mikhailovsky Theater. Ph.D. in History of Arts. Talented and experienced teacher.
Today, the teaching staff consists of more than 50 teachers who teach children classical and modern dance, plastic, acrobatics, gymnastics, swimming, and music. And also general subjects - mathematics, Russian and English, and others that are necessary for any student.
I would go to the dancers, let me teach
The life of a student is always on schedule. Eifman Academy is no exception to this rule. Only the daily routine of students is different from the life of their peers. These guys know that the scene of lazy people and loafers does not tolerate.
The first set, which took place in 2013, brought 90 people to classrooms. Although applications for admission to study have submitted more than 5 thousand people. A strict commission carefully looks at everything, including appearance and growth. Doctors give an opinion on the state of health and physical data. And only after this comes the last stage - an assessment of the dance potential of the applicant.
The geography of competitive selection was also to match the scope of Eifman's idea - the whole territory of Russia. From Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Kaliningrad. And more than half of the children from families who could never send their children to paid tuition in the Northern capital. The noble idea of a social educational institution and the full state support of talented children has acquired real features.
Far horizons
Diligence, creativity, talent - this is how you can describe the three postulates on which Boris Eifman's Dance Academy builds its success. And these qualities, teachers are trying to instill in their students.
In one of his many interviews, B. Ya. Eifman complained that it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to look for new artists for his projects every year. There was a gap between the number of graduates of ballet schools and the real needs of theaters. Therefore, graduates after graduation can have no doubt - their talent and skills will be in demand by the rapidly developing choreographic whirlpool. True, the first three years after graduation, young artists will have to work on Russian stages. Such is the fee for budget financing of the educational process.
In the present day
The transparent structure of the information space of social networks provides a clear and objective picture of the life that Eifman Dance Academy lives in. Reviews and comments about the work of teachers, events, speeches - all this is in the public domain. They describe magnificent reporting concerts in which pupils show their achievements and views of talented children. The geography of the search for applicants is extensive and includes cities that are different in number and size - Sestroretsk and Vsevolzhsk are adjacent to Sevastopol, Khabarovsk and St. Petersburg in the viewing schedule.
Another innovation that has entered the practice of the educational institution is the free internship of students of choreographic schools throughout Russia. Teachers conduct master classes and engage in classical and modern dance. At the end of the five-day course, a repertoire is held.
Exhibitions, photo shoots, psychological trainings - you can only envy the busy lives of students and marvel at their energy.
Parental care
There is another category of people who are closely and interestedly watching everything that happens in the walls of a ballet school, these are the relatives of the students. Openness in communication, wide and truthful information about everything that happens in classrooms is a hallmark that the Eifman Academy is rightly proud of. Feedback from parents and their discussions help to understand how relations are built in the context of “family - school”. The general opinion can be expressed concisely - the children at school like it. And this means that the parents are happy. High level of teaching, modern equipment, rich program - the school was able to interest the children and establish a dialogue with parents.
Epilogue continued
Boris Eifman Dance Academy is very young. And not only the period of its existence, because ballet dancers have not yet been released from its walls. The school is young with fresh ideas, original ideas and an approach to the educational process. Perhaps, after many years, graduates will proudly say: "We are Eifman's."
And the life of the school will continue in their achievements. Because, unlike a theatrical performance, the curtain after the epilogue never drops in the choreographic school. Every year new students come to its walls to comprehend beautiful ballet secrets.