In the early 1900‘s, Agrippina Vaganova, determined to create an educational program based on her knowledge of Dance which she learned at the Russian Imperial Ballet Academy (now named the Vaganova Ballet Academy), which including the methods of Cecchetti, Bournonville and the French method. She systemized and developed them into a unique and comprehensive methodology of the Classical Dance. The Vaganova Syllabus is a scientifically detailed ballet teaching program. It is generally recognized as the most comprehensive of all ballet teaching methods and one that ensures the universal standard of excellence in ballet. A fine example of this is in the constellation of world-wide acclaimed Ballet Stars – graduates of the Academy. Only graduates of schools that teach according to the Vaganova method can later acquire this teaching method. Several graduates of this Academy, including our teachers Victoria Mironova, M. Ed. and Elena Dmitrieva, M. Ed. have brought their knowledge of the method to Canada.

The method emphasizes coordination of the arms and legs. It says that everything the student or artist does is subordinate to the unified rules and laws of nature. Vaganova made brilliant discoveries about the positions of the torso, back, arms, shoulders, head, and coordination of all movements. The students are taught the precise and detailed techniques of every step, an instrumental clarity of performances, and not only the basic but all the tying movements in their smallest particulars. The artists are taught to dance with the whole body, not only with the legs, which formula is the foundation for the uniqueness of the Russian school. It helps to achieve a stage truth, which is the choreographic truth, with a grade of conditionality that creates choreographic realities.

Vaganova taught not to draw the audience‘s attention to the positioning but demanded invisible transformation of one movement into another. The technique results in more lyrical upper body movements and increased strength, precision, and agility, as well as harmonic plasticity and expressive arms, a noble and natural position of the head, obedient flexibility and strong aplomb of the torso. For example, the attitude can be sorrowful and joyful, solemn, drooped, excited, flying, falling and impetuously ascending.

Vaganova opposed any kind of canonization of the movements, once found, but internally modified the same movement, acquiring greater expressiveness. The method rejects “a serial production” of the dancers. It stresses the importance of understanding the individuality of each student. It develops their personal characteristics according to the physical parameters of each student. Then, there is no alike artist of the ballet.

The best student of A. Vaganova – a ballerina and teacher of world-wide acclaim Nataliya Dudinskaya worked with Vaganova for 30 years, knew her teaching methods in detail and taught herself from 1951 till 2000. The Founder and Artistic Director of the Academy Victoria Mironova, M. Ed. inherited the method directly from Nataliya Dudinskaya, who regarded Victoria Mironova as one of her best students.