I have just returned to Russia for another year of study at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. I spent the past two months in the United States, first dancing in New York at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive and then resting and relaxing at home in Colorado.
I flew directly from Saint Petersburg to New York, arriving very jetlagged and with several suitcases full of clothing meant for winter in Russia, not summer in New York. (I was in possession of exactly one pair of shorts). I was tired, disorganized, and a little toasty, but happy to be there.
Our dance classes began the morning after I arrived - ballet, pointe, character, repertoire, and pas de deux (my personal favorite).
We decided to be adventurous and take the subway all the way to Brighton Beach, since no summer is fully complete without an afternoon spent sprawled in the sand.
We went up to the observation deck in the Empire State Building to have a look at the city after dark.
Twice more I found myself back at Brighton Beach, once when it was so cloudy and cool that we had the whole beach to ourselves and once when it was bright and sunny... perfect weather for getting a sunburn... (I still have bizarrely shaped tan patches on my back and legs where I failed to properly apply sunscreen)...
The beach is the perfect place to hone your pas de deux skills, isn't it? Diego (from Panama) and I decided to practice our no-handed fish lift while we were there.
Visiting Central Park was a must...
...as was a trip to Magnolia Bakery with my friend Yu-Han (from Taiwan).
The Bolshoi Ballet came to Lincoln Center to perform in this year's Lincoln Center Festival, and Yu-Han and I went to see Olga Smirnova and Simyon Chudin dance the lead roles in Swan Lake. Later on, I was able to watch one of the dress rehearsals for Don Quixote. Both were fantastic.
After the show, we waited at the stage door so that we could meet Olga Smirnova...
My biggest part was in the grand adagio from Don Quixote, which I danced with Alexi. We danced almost all of the adagio (there was one other pair who also danced in the adagio, sometimes together with us and sometimes separately) and I also did the fouetté turns in the coda. I borrowed the excellent neon pink tutu from my friend Hannah... I think it goes perfectly with my neon blue warm-up booties!
The performance brought my time dancing in New York to a close on a good note; I got to perform alongside all of the wonderful people with whom I had just spent the summer and it was a really enjoyable experience. At the end, everyone who had just danced came onstage to take a bow.
The teachers then announced the names of a few dancers whose skills they wished to recognize. I am very honored to have been the one that they chose to name as the second-place female dancer. Above, I am standing (on the left side) with the other four students who were chosen.
Below, I'm standing with my friends Daniel (on the left), Misha (on the right), and Alexi (in front) after the performance had finished.
We were in a celebratory mood and, seeing as we were in New York City, went out to get ourselves some authentic NY pizza.
Though I was happy, the end of the summer program meant that I had to say goodbye to the friends that I'd made there. The time had come for each of us to return home, home meaning five different countries just for the seven of us in the picture below.
I headed home later that afternoon - back to Colorado to spend time with my family and friends (and to rest a little bit, too).
I finally got to see my brother after more than six months away from home...
...and I was reminded of just how beautiful Colorado is.
Three airplanes, four cities, and many exhausted hours later...
...I'd arrived in Saint Petersburg to begin my next adventure.
Our dance classes began the morning after I arrived - ballet, pointe, character, repertoire, and pas de deux (my personal favorite).
This intensive was one that I had already attended several times, returning summer after summer because I enjoy participating, so there were several familiar faces in my class in addition to the new ones. After class and on the weekends, I spent time exploring New York City with my friends, both new and old.
The evening of the Fourth of July found me in Times Square, patriotically celebrating with my friends Darcy (who lives in the United States but is originally from England - on the right) and Emma (from Australia - on the left). (Many thanks to Emma for the photo).
We decided to be adventurous and take the subway all the way to Brighton Beach, since no summer is fully complete without an afternoon spent sprawled in the sand.
Twice more I found myself back at Brighton Beach, once when it was so cloudy and cool that we had the whole beach to ourselves and once when it was bright and sunny... perfect weather for getting a sunburn... (I still have bizarrely shaped tan patches on my back and legs where I failed to properly apply sunscreen)...
The beach is the perfect place to hone your pas de deux skills, isn't it? Diego (from Panama) and I decided to practice our no-handed fish lift while we were there.
Visiting Central Park was a must...
...as was a trip to Magnolia Bakery with my friend Yu-Han (from Taiwan).
The Bolshoi Ballet came to Lincoln Center to perform in this year's Lincoln Center Festival, and Yu-Han and I went to see Olga Smirnova and Simyon Chudin dance the lead roles in Swan Lake. Later on, I was able to watch one of the dress rehearsals for Don Quixote. Both were fantastic.
After the show, we waited at the stage door so that we could meet Olga Smirnova...
...and Simyon Chudin.
Later on, the Bolshoi had several performances of the ballet Spartacus. Having been unable to purchase tickets ahead of time because the were already sold out several weeks in advance, I waited in line for three hours on the day of the show and managed to purchase one of the few available standing-room tickets. Waiting in line was well worth it, since I got to see Svetlana Zakharova dance - really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The summer program culminated in a performance in which we had a chance to perform some of the classical variations, character dances, and pas de deuxs that we had learned during the summer.
Janos (from Belguim) and I were having a bit of fun while we warmed up before the show... He's my turnout buddy :)
Below, Misha and I are rehearsing our part in the grand pas de deux from Le Corsaire during an on-stage rehearsal a few days before the performance.
I also danced in part of the wedding adagio from Sleeping Beauty. Here Misha and I (on the left) and Darcy and Alexi (on the right) are practicing the ending pose of that adagio - the no-handed fish lift that Diego and I were practicing while we were at the beach! We were in a rehearsal studio in the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, one of the studios in which we took class this summer and the same room used by American Ballet Theater for rehearsals during their spring season at the Met.
My biggest part was in the grand adagio from Don Quixote, which I danced with Alexi. We danced almost all of the adagio (there was one other pair who also danced in the adagio, sometimes together with us and sometimes separately) and I also did the fouetté turns in the coda. I borrowed the excellent neon pink tutu from my friend Hannah... I think it goes perfectly with my neon blue warm-up booties!
The performance brought my time dancing in New York to a close on a good note; I got to perform alongside all of the wonderful people with whom I had just spent the summer and it was a really enjoyable experience. At the end, everyone who had just danced came onstage to take a bow.
The teachers then announced the names of a few dancers whose skills they wished to recognize. I am very honored to have been the one that they chose to name as the second-place female dancer. Above, I am standing (on the left side) with the other four students who were chosen.
Below, I'm standing with my friends Daniel (on the left), Misha (on the right), and Alexi (in front) after the performance had finished.
We were in a celebratory mood and, seeing as we were in New York City, went out to get ourselves some authentic NY pizza.
Though I was happy, the end of the summer program meant that I had to say goodbye to the friends that I'd made there. The time had come for each of us to return home, home meaning five different countries just for the seven of us in the picture below.
The goodbyes continued throughout the remainder of the evening and into the next morning as we packed up our things and headed to the airport.
During the program, I had the chance to meet several of the students who study in Moscow, Russia, at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy (and practice my Russian!). I said goodbye to them with the promise to come and visit them as soon as I had the chance.
I headed home later that afternoon - back to Colorado to spend time with my family and friends (and to rest a little bit, too).
I finally got to see my brother after more than six months away from home...
...and I was reminded of just how beautiful Colorado is.
All too soon, I found myself saying goodbye again - to the friends headed off to college, to the friends I had to leave behind in Denver, to my family, and to my beautiful state.
On the twenty-ninth of September, I was aboard an airplane headed for Washington, D. C., the first of my stops en route to Saint Petersburg.
Three airplanes, four cities, and many exhausted hours later...
...I'd arrived in Saint Petersburg to begin my next adventure.
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