Teacher Seminars

VAGANOVA TEACHER SEMINARS AND PROGRAMS

taught by 
Mansur Kamaletdinov, Master Ballet Teacher
Former Principal Dancer, Teacher, Ballet Master, Choreographer and 
Acting Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet.

2012 17th Annual International Vaganova Summer Programs
for Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced & Pre Professional Students and Teachers

July 9 – 14 and  July 16 – 21, 2012
Week One: Beginner & Intermediate / Week Two: Advanced & Pre-Professional

August 6 -11 and August 13 – 18, 2012
Week One: Beginner & Intermediate / Week Two: Advanced & Pre-Professional

We are pleased to announce two intensive Vaganova Summer Programs for 2012, taught by Mansur Kamaletdinov, Ballet Master.  The Vaganova Summer Programs and Seminars are designed for committed dancers of an intermediate, advanced or pre-professional level as well as teachers and aspiring teachers looking for the tools to teach original Classical Ballet choreography.

This year, instead of separate Classical, Character and Teacher Seminars, Mansur will hold Intensive Programs on the above dates.  Each program is held in the form of a Master Class and Teacher Seminar and is open to beginning students, ages 8-10, intermediate students, ages 11-13, and advanced and pre-professional students, ages 14-19, as well as for teachers and future teachers of Classical Dance.

Mansur Kamaletdinov has been the director of the Vaganova Summer School and his Master Class Program since founding it in 1994. Mansur’s mission is to preserve and pass on the legacy of Classical and Character Dance: unique and vanishing art forms that can only be kept alive through the passing on of this knowledge to dedicated dancers. With over sixty years of experience, Mansur is a lifeline from the origins of this art form to today’s passionate students and teachers.

The Vaganova Summer Program focuses on the perfection of all basic movements of classical dance. Study of technique, pointe, variations, character and the development of artistry and virtuosity are the basis of the Vaganova Summer School. Emphasis is placed on the student’s individuality and the development of their understanding of music and the performance of roles from these classical ballets. Mansur also teaches the history of Russian ballet and its founders; the history of music and composers such as Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Prokofiev; familiarity with theatrical designers such as Benoit, Bakst and Korovin; and great Russian dancers like Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky and others.

The curriculum for the 2012 Vaganova Classical & Character Variations program includes repertoire from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, Nutcracker, Don Quixote and Laurencia.

All attendees of the Vaganova Summer Program will receive a complimentary CD of the music for the repertoire covered in class.

Please join our mailing list to the right for more information and updates. As always, feel free to e-mail us atinfo@russianballet.net or call (412) 343-1926 with any questions.

FOR TEACHERS
The Vaganova Summer Program will cover teaching methodology and performance of classical dance.  Musical education is priority for future professional teachers and future professional performers of ballet. As dance is music, ballet language is poetry and poetry is also music.  Mansur will discuss the methodology of musical instruction – movement and rhythm as well as the character of the musical composition.  For teachers, priority is the correct explanation of movement.  Discussions will include the character of movement, correct musical accents and most importantly, the ability to explain a complicated movement in one quick phrase.  This is an extraordinary and unique opportunity for ballet teachers to tap into over 50 years of teaching experience as well as the opportunity to learn from one of the few surviving dance professionals who studied directly under Agrippina Vaganova.

The Vaganova Summer Program allows attendees to see the actual teaching and learning process. Over the course of the two weeks, attending teachers will see this process bear fruit as the dancers learn and perfect the repertoire under Mansur’s expert teaching technique.

The Vaganova Summer Program is a unique and rare opportunity for teachers for a number of reasons. Mansur studied with Alexander Shirayev, who was Marius Petipa’s assistant, and thus provides an unbroken link from the original creators of this art. Mansur’s knowledge of the original classical repertoire comes directly from teachers, dancers, ballet masters and choreographers who themselves worked directly with Petipa, Fokine and other greats. Mansur also worked directly with Vakhtang Chabukiani and learned his repertoire directly as it was being created. As a Ballet Master at the Bolshoi, where he worked for over 15 years, Mansur taught his students Classical and Classical Character choreography in its original, unadulterated form before it began to be altered. Furthermore, Mansur is possibly the last living authority on Character Dance, having studied with Shirayev who codified the art form during Petipa. Many of Mansur’s students, such as Vladimir Vasiliev and Maris Liepa became international superstars of ballet. Many also became outstanding and renowned teachers in their own right.

We encourage you to take advantage of these programs which will greatly enhance your teaching and give you the tools to teach original choreography as it was intended to be performed by its creators.

Please join our mailing list to the right for more information and updates.  We look forward to meeting you and feel free to e-mail info@russianballet.net or call us at 412-343-1926 with any questions.

Teacher Tuition

Teachers
$850 for one week
$1,150 for two weeks
*Note: Teachers may bring one student to attend the program free of charge*

Aspiring Teachers (see registration guidelines below)
$650 for one week
$850 for two weeks

Teacher Registration
Registration is currently open and all interested teachers of classical dance are welcome to attend.
To register, please send an email to info@russianballet.net with the information below.
To reserve your space in the program we recommend early registration.

Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
School
Bio or CV (as an attachment)
Name of student accompanying you, if applicable

Please mail your 20% deposit in the form of a check or money order made payable to Mansur Kamaletdinov along with a cover letter to:

Mansur Kamaletdinov
Vaganova Summer School
1425 McFarland Road #601
Pittsburgh, PA 15216

Feel free to e-mail or call us at 412-343-1926 with any questions.

Aspiring Teacher Registration
Aspiring teachers under 19 years of age who are interested in learning classical ballet teaching technique are welcome to attend Teacher Seminars, as students and demonstrators, at a discounted rate. This is a great opportunity to learn classical and character variations. Please email us with your information if you would like to be considered.

FACILITIES
The Vaganova Summer Program will be conducted at the Joy School of Dance in Crafton, PA, located on the Blue Belt and approximately six miles from downtown Pittsburgh, a city which offers many cultural opportunities.

Joy School of Dance
68 East Crafton Avenue
Crafton, PA  15205

Link to Mapquest

LODGING
Please e-mail us for a list of local hotels offering special rates.

Join our mailing list to receive updates and announcements. As always, please feel free to e-mail or call us at 412-343-1926 with any questions.