Vaganova: A Dance Journey from Petersburg to Leningrad (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780813028316)

The only authorized biography about the creator of the renowned Russian ballet curriculum-for the first time in English. The first English edition of the only authorized biography of Agrippina Vaganova (1897-1951) was originally published in Russian in 1989. It tells the story of one of the most important dance teachers of the 20th century, who created a system of teaching ballet that spread throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond.Vaganova rose through the ranks to become a ballerina in the Imperial Ballet during the last days of Tsarist Russia. After the Revolution of 1917, she became a teacher and transformed the St. Petersburg/Leningrad School of Ballet into a premier institution. She also served as the artistic director of the Kirov Theater.Written by a direct eyewitness to many of the described incidents, someone who knew Vaganova intimately, the biography is a window into the personality and thinking of this great teacher. It vividly recounts the training and individual styles of such world-renowned ballerinas as Marina Semyonova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Galina Ulanova, and Tatiana Vecheslova, and it offers a unique insight into the world of classical ballet during the era of Tsarist Russia and the early Soviet years.

Author: Vera M. Siegel
ISBN-10: 0813028310
ISBN-13: 9780813028316
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Language: English
Published: 06/30/2005
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.52lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.30w x 1.07d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 06/01/2005 pg. 132