Russian Ballet

Dancing on pointe is an amazing achievement reserved primarily for female ballet dancers. The skill is so highly specialized and requires such a high level of expertise that it must not be practiced by just anyone. Years of study are

While Classical Ballet got its start in the French Courts, it was quickly brought to other countries where additional techniques and styles were developed. Russian Ballet is greatly influenced by the original imperial style of movement, yet strongly influenced by the work of dancing masters from Italy and England. Russian teachers developed their own technique, style and vocabulary, adding a high degree of athleticism to already existing techniques.

The School of Greensboro Ballet is a Russian ballet based school. The teachers of the directors were all trained by Russian or Russian influenced American teachers. Of particular interest is Tatiana Dokoudovska, teacher of Greensboro Ballet’s Artistic Director. Dokoudovska was trained by Olga Preobajenska who grew up in Russia under the tutelage of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Later she trained with an Italian ballet master, Enrico Cecchetti. After leaving the Maryinsky Theatre, Preobajenska began teaching in Paris. She taught Agripina Vaganova who later became a teacher herself. She developed the ‚”Vaganova Method‚” which is a mixture of all that she learned from Preobajenska plus a special blend of highly athletic movement that became synonymous with the Russian Ballet methods. Greensboro Ballet is proud of its heritage and direct link to the Russian Ballet methodology and is pleased to know that its students are carrying on a tradition of training that makes them able to function at a high level in any ballet school anywhere in the world.