For more than 30 years, the Vaganova Dance Society has worked to familiarize regional dancers with the Russian training method.
Devised by Agrippina Vaganova, a Russian dancer and pedagogue, it fuses elements of the French romantic style with the athleticism, virtuosity and grace of the Italian Cecchetti technique.
As the society approaches its 30th anniversary in Edmonton, it hosts a massive gala showcasing the technique’s beauty and strength. Love of Passion of Dance is on Nov. 15 and 16 at Meyer Horowitz Theatre.
The gala features four Saint Petersburg soloists, three from Salt Lake City Ballet, 10 children from the Youth Ballet School of National Ballet Opera Bucharest and representatives from Edmonton’s Viter Ukrainian Dance.
About 130 regional ballet students studying the Vaganova technique, including 13 from St. Albert’s DanceCo, are also given the opportunity to share the stage with these world-class artists.
Janice Winter, society treasurer and a Vaganova instructor, notes 14 dances are slated for performance.
“Some are from Nutcracker, Ramona, Onegin, Don Quixote and Swan Lake. And there will be four pas de deux. Each of the pas de deux will be five to 11 minutes,” Winter said.
For DanceCo’s aspiring ballerinas, performing with Russian soloists is similar to young hockey players skating a game with Edmonton Oiler Connor McDavid.
The DanceCo lineup, costumed in red pancake tutus, perform a classical ballet scene from Don Quixote based on Miguel de Cervantes famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha.
Nevaeh Saidler, 13, spends about 20 hours each week studying at DanceCo. For this dance, students were instructed to think of the dance as a celebration similar to a wedding.
“It’s very exciting, very high energy, but elegant,” said Saidler. “What makes this special is that different dancers from different places are here to join in the celebrations.”
While dancers make it look easy, Rowan Stephens, 14, a student at the St. Albert dance studio for 11 years, has faced a few challenges adapting to the Vaganova method.
“It’s a style I haven’t done before. I mostly did character ballet when I was younger. This is my first year doing classical and there’s a lot of focus on technique,” said Stephens.
Society founder and artistic director Maria Mitrache-Bokor arrived in Edmonton in 1978. A former prima ballerina with Bucharest National Operetta, she was trained in the Vaganova method.
Mitrache-Bokor initially taught the Russian method through dance studios. However, a decade later, she founded the society to introduce the technique to a broader range of dancers through workshops.
“The dancer is essentially physically strong, yet is supple and expressive throughout her whole body,” said Winter.
Show tickets are $28 plus charges. Additional master classes are Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are four levels and are open to the public. $20 for a one-hour master class, $25 for a two-hour master class. Visit www.ticketfly.com.
