Spring has Sprung, and Exams have Begun!

Happy Spring!
We are all as busy as the bees over here in St. Petersburg! In the last few weeks, things at Vaganova have been getting even more hectic and crazy than before! Now, we enter the most stressful time here; EXAM period!
Let me explain. For those of you who do not know what ballet exams are, every year (and twice a year for the lower level Vaganova classes), we take a ballet exams in which the school's most respected teachers and director, Altynai Asylmuratova, grade us on our technique, artistry, and performance in classes. For us in the senior courses, exams are spread out through a month's time. We take numerous exams; one for each class, which means one for classika (ballet technique/class), duet, modern, character, and acting. This is very stressful, especially for the seniors, seeing as the school makes cuts from the students who do not do well in their exam. The highest you can get in an exam is a 5+; the highest score was given to Diana Vishneva when she studied her under Madame Kovaleva (who still teaches here). Exams are watched by some of the most distinguished and important people in ballet, including directors of schools, companies; Fatayev, the director of Mariinsky, is there every year!

My class, 6/Ia, after finishing our first exam

Last Tuesday, I had my "premiere", as my Modern teacher announced. My modern exam went really well, and it feels so good to get it out of the way. We did it in the school theatre here, and luckily not THAT many people were watching besides the 14 teachers and directors grading it and my parallel class waiting to take theirs. Unlucky for my class, our exam schedule is very spread out. After April 17, many of the classes will be done with all of their exams, while my schedule has not really even begun! Classical exam for me is on April 25, duet on April 27, Character on May 4, and finishing with acting on May 12th. Wish me luck with the rest of my exams!

A few weeks ago, the Mariinsky held it's XII International Ballet Festival. Knowing about this, I got tickets IMMEDIATELY for March 25 when my idol, Alina Cojocaru, and Johan Kobborg would be performing Sylphide! If I have not told you before, Alina and Johan are my idols; my favorite pair! I cry everytime I watch them, no matter what it is, because they are so believable and so moving! Needless to say, March 25 was a date to look forward to for me! Unfortunately, they were unable to come to perform here in St. Petersburg, and there was a last minute cast change. Luckily, there are a surplus of amazing dancers in St. Petersburg, and my friend, Renata, and I were able to watch Novikova perform "Сильфида", which was still beautiful!

A week later, the festival was coming to a close, but first, the theatre was honoring one of our pedagogs at Vaganova, Mr. Gennady Selutsky. This year marked the 55th anniversary of his work with the Mariinsky and Vaganova Ballet Academy. This was one of the most amazing nights of ballet anyone could ever wish to see or to be a part of. SO many stars danced that night; Lopatkina, Korsuntsev, Shklyarov, Somova, Tereshkina, Kondaurova, Kolb, and SO so many more (also, I ran into Leonid Sarafanov (pictured to the right) who was also watching the performance from the wings!)! It is hard to believe I actually witnessed it, let alone from the wings of Mariinsky, where I was able to actually talk to and watch WITH these beautiful professionals, as well as my teachers! Being a part of this memorable night was something I will never forget! I am seriously living every ballerina's dream; dancing with Vaganova, performing at Mariinsky, meeting my idols, living in Russia... I am extremely lucky and blessed. With all of this talk and honor of the long, continuing career of a great teacher, I want to explain why this gala had a special meaning to me, and my connection to Mr. Selutsky.

Recently, I have been getting a lot of questions about my training and how I got to be where I am now. To answer that; a lot of hard work. When I started, I was already 12 years old; a very late start in ballet! I started in Colorado Springs with German and Valentina Zamuel (both trained and graduated from Vaganova). Starting so late, I did not have the advantages many dancers that started young have, in fact, I was at a huge disadvantage. I had no flexibility, no turn-out, and I knew hardly anything about ballet. What I did have; passion, willingness to work hard, and determination (my teacher, Valentina, likes to tell me that I came with absolutely nothing but brains)! I found what I loved, and I was determined to make it! I worked hard everyday. Now, I feel and know that all of those years of hard-work have paid off. I am at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, all the way around the world from home.

Last year, will at Kirov Academy of Ballet, I was a finalist in something called the Kennedy Center Master Class Series. Every time there was a company that came to perform at the Kennedy Center, I got to take a class with that company. This included the Mariinsky. When I took the master class with one of the Mariinsky pedagogs, Selutsky watched. After the class, I was approached by both Gennady Selutsky and another pedagog. They liked my dancing and me very much, and asked me if I was interested in training at Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia. I was in shock that it was really happening, but obviously I did not pass up this AMAZING opportunity. This school was somewhere EVERY aspiring ballerina wants to train. The school where ballet was found; the heart of ballet. The process of being invited to study here is long and complicated, and ultimately up to the director, Altynai Asylmuratova, and the senior teachers of the school, and luckily, like Selutsky and the other Mariinsky pedagog who "found" me, the academy loved me and I was invited to train here at the best ballet school in the world, and in the class of one of the greatest teachers (here is a picture of us in Tatiana Alexandrovna's class, taken in March)!

Continuing to add to the list of outstanding, to die for performances I have seen recently, this week I went to Mikhailovky Theatre's "Don Quixote" with Vasiliev and Osipova! If you follow ballet news, I am sure you have heard about their recent switch from Bolshoi to Mikhailovsky. Although this may be considered a "scandal", I am definitely enjoying having them here in St. Petersburg! I first saw them perform about three or four years ago at the YAGP Finals Gala in NYC when I was competing. They performed Flames of Paris, and I fell in love with the pair and their insane tricks! This week, I was happy I was going to get to see them perform withOUT hundreds of competing dancers screaming and hollering over the music! The performance was SO good, and their dancing and tricks are still as phenomenal as ever! I saw things that you cannot even imagine are possible; Vasiliev's cabrioles are like two separate cabrioles, and he flies through the air! The orchestra could not even keep up with the speed of Osipova's double fouettes, and Ivan press lifted Natalia in arabesque with ONE hand, while he was in arabesque himself! It was unbelievable! These two have so much power and strength that you feel energized just watching them perform; they really keep your attention (that night, we saw Vasiliev fully grope Osipova's chest on stage. Very funny, and, of course, it was part of the ballet!)! Here is a picture of them doing the one handed press. I did not take it, just found it online, but what you cant see is that he is on one leg while in arabesque! PURE STRENGTH!

My rehearsal in Rep. Zal with V. Ivanova & N. Scheglov

With little free time, I am trying to get out of the academy as much as I can. The weather in St. Petersburg is getting warmer (slowly but surely), and I love spending time outside in this beautiful city! St. Petersburg's famous White Nights are coming up, and the sun stays out later and later every day! The end of the school year is just around the corner, and I am realizing how limited my time is here until it becomes summer! I am taking and soaking up every moment; every class, every correction, every laugh with my friends, and everything else! Exams might be stressful, but I am truly enjoying this time! The countdown until my classical exam begins now; 10 days, and then after that, my schedule becomes one long slur of events until the end of the year! The Hermitage performances begin May 11th with the international gala (which Russians perform in, also), I will finish my last exam the day after, and then May 16th and 18th we have two more performances in the Hermitage! From this time and on, I will most likely be having praktika and repititsya every night of the week. I am rehearsing a few parts right now, but no one knows who will be officially dancing in the shows until after exams. Altynai will be making decisions after we each show her what we have rehearsed, as well as based on who she likes  exams! Please, wish me luck, and I hope to return in my next blog with good news!
Until next time,
Xoxo
Tatum  




Thank you for your 55 years, Mr. Gennady Selutsky!

More photos from the gala, as well as from everyday life at the academy, are available on the "Gallery" page of this blog! Please take a look to see some behind the scenes pictures at Mariinsky! Also, please check out and subscribe to my YouTube account, shoper05, as I will be posting Vaganova videos and a video from this gala shortly! Thank you for your support and for following me!

Bright lights, Big Cities, Beautiful people, and Back from Break

If the rest of this year continues the way the first two months of 2012 have, then I am in for a treat.

The last time I blogged, I was just about to begin the first performances of Nutcracker at the Mariinsky. Vaganova was full of stressed dancers, teachers, and dorm "babushkas" that were ready for the holiday and winter "kanikuly" (vacation) to begin, but before that could happen, we had two Christmases to get through, a New Year to start, and all of the performances to finish.

My Christmas has never really been "average". Last year, we spent Christmas day looking for my dad's lost glasses in Pueblo, CO- not something that you would think would be enjoyable, but something SO "typical" of my family (and it actually turned out to be a great day of fly fishing, taking photos, and playing with the dog in the snow). No matter what my family does,though, it is always SO much better than "average" Christmas, but we always find a way to enjoy our snow, fireplace, family, and great family traditions like Christmas brunch or our traditional family Christmas Eve gifts.

мои девочки (my girls in my class)

Like I said in my last blog, this year I spent my Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Mariinsky Theatre rehearsing. The company had their own performance that day, so we rehearsed on Mariinsky's rehearsal stage, and it was the first time we had the live orchestra there! After a tiring day, I rushed back to the school and began to cook- for over 20 hungry dancers. Out of that, I have developed an appreciative attitude and admiration for every single mother whose home I have been to for dinner parties or get togethers at as I grew up; it is NOT easy to cook and entertain for that many, yet my mom has always made it look so easy...
The party was great. I was so happy to have all of my Russian friends there to celebrate "Western" Christmas (December 25) with me, and we had such a great night of eating, dancing, and laughing.

 "Snowflakes/ Snejhinki" with Atynai & Udalenkova

New Years was nothing special (for me at least), and I was just more disappointed I was not in Boulder with my family for our traditional start to the New Year. What came the rest of that week was what is REALLY exceptional. Our first Nutcracker performance was on the second day of the New Year, and that was a day I will never forget, yet hardly remember. It was so surreal, being on Mariinsky stage. It is something that you only DREAM about as a ballerina, and especially a student!  It felt so unreal that first performance, and it was not until the second or third performance that I actually began to realize where I was and what I was doing; living the dream! Unfortunately, the 10 days of performances went bye WAY too quickly for me. Before I knew it, it was already over.
Performing on Mariinsky stage is something I will never forget, and hope that I have the opportunity to do again! I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about what it felt like being in the wings. There is no way to describe that feeling, other than saying that it is overwhelming; overwhelming joyful, nerve-racking, and a real adrenaline rush, but once on stage, I know and feel that I really belong there. I would stay on stage forever.

Through Vaganova and Mariinsky, the stars of ballet are born. I am so honored and thrilled to have shared a stage and experience with them, and hope to join them someday. (And to share a dressing room with them... speaking of which, backstage Mariinsky is every dancer's dream! I talked and met so many people; Fateyev, Vishneva, Tereshkina, Kondaurova, Obratsova, Korsuntsev,...) The picture to the sides, I am with two of the world's most beloved, famous ballerinas; Altynai Asylmuratova, to the right, is Vaganova Ballet's artistic director (my "principal"), and to the left, Diana Vishneva, current principal dancer with Mariinsky (and guest with companies worldwide).

So happy to see my baby brother!

After the performances, it was time to go home. I was so excited that I barely slept at all the night before or the 18 hours it took to get there. When I touched down in Colorado, I was the only one clapping, and had the BIGGEST smile on my face the whole time. Even the "cowboy" directing the customs line was confused why someone could be so happy and energetic after that long of a flight.

When I first got home, I finally had my family Christmas celebration I had been waiting so long for, and I think that we now have that reputation of being the crazy family that leaves out their Christmas tree and decorations for WAY too long after it is all over...SO worth it.

Amsterdam- Such a great time with my Momma

I spent about three or four weeks at "home", and they flew bye! Even though I was on vacation, I was traveling like crazy those weeks, flying to New York just days after getting home, returning home, and then to Amsterdam, and a week later , I flew to DC. I enjoyed every part of break, and especially all of the fun memories I made on these short trips to different places with my family.

 While actually in Colorado, I was so lucky to be able to "relive" the old days. I was able to attend EVERY one of my brother's and friend's basketball games, hang out with my friends after school, take dance class at my old studio; be a "normal" high school teenager. I was even invited and able to go to my school's Sadies dance/ Casino night with all of my friends, which was so much fun!

 I have traveled more than a lot of kids my age, and I cannot be more grateful and aware of how rare and wonderful that is. I have met so many people, had so many new and exciting experiences, and seen what there is in this world. I have never taken anything for granted, and especially my loved ones, but now I realize just how wonderful my friends truly are! They are really some of the most genuine, intelligent, funny, kind, TRUEST friends anyone could ever have. It is true that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but I know I have the truest friends when even at this distance, I feel so close to them. There is not one day that goes bye that I do not think about and miss them, but I am so happy to have grown with them and know they are always there for me to support me on this amazing journey!
I cannot say enough how blessed and grateful I am to have such a wonderful, loving, and supportive family and friends.

It was SO sad to have to say goodbye to my loved ones until summer, but I know this last part of the year is going to go SO quickly. I have already been back in Russia at Vaganova for 2 weeks, and it seems like I just got here. I immediately jumped back into classes and rehearsals, and it is all starting to feel like routine again. I am lucky because I was asked to rehearse with the Russians, along with the international rehearsals we have; that means I am rehearsing 5 out of 6 days in our work week (Yes, Saturdays are working days here, including academics).

I was so happy to see all of my Russian friends and my class again, and especially happy to realize how much I was missed, hehe! In arriving, I also got to meet two of my new suite-mates; Izzy, who is from England and lives next door to my room in our suite, and Cleo, my new roommate from Norway. They are both so sweet and kind- I think the rest of the year is going to be pretty great with them around :)

(L to R) Udalenkova, Desnitsky, and Asylmuratova

Here, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such passionate people; people that know how I feel about my art, appreciate the importance, the hard work, and I especially feel blessed to be apart of a class that this appreciation and respect for one another overrides the competitiveness that generally accompanies ballet.

Exams for our classes are approaching very quickly, and the pressure is already building. Right after exams we will be taking part in multiple performances at the Hermitage Theatre here in SPB, which I am SUPER excited about! Hopefully we will find out more about that in the upcoming weeks... and I promise to be more on top of updating everyone on everything! (To the right is a picture of my teachers that was taken at the performance a previous year. My classical ballet teacher is on the left, Desnitsky, a coach, in the center, and the director, Asylmuratova is on the right. I cannot wait for it; I love performing!)

From Russia with Love, xoxo
Tatum <3

It Takes a Strong Heart, Healthy Body, and Passionate Soul

здравствуйте,
I hope that everyone is having happy holidays and getting into the spirit! This time of the year is all about being thankful, and I sure am!

Like I said in my last post, one of the perks of being in the academy is the free tickets that we get to the theatres here. On November 17, I was lucky enough to get tickets to see probably one of the most anticipated performances of the Mariinsky and ballet world, and that was Balanchine's "Jewels". This was a huge performance at the Mariinsky because of the cast. The stars, which included Uliana Lopatkina, Alina Somova, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Vladimir Shklyarov, and Ekaterina Kondaurova, all performed together in this single performance. It was amazing to get to see all of these primas on one stage, in one night and one performance.

They say it is a small world, and that is definitely the truth. That week, it just so happened that my mentor and dear friend Nikoloz Makhateli's son, David Makhateli, Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, came to watch my class. It was nice to finally meet him in person! If you have not heard of, or do not know the Makhatelis, then you are missing out. They are a genuinely beautiful family, inside and out!
Events like these make me realize more and more every day just how common it is to have ballet stars or legends just come visit the school, or to watch a class. It takes some getting used to, seeing people like Asylmuratova, Duato, or David Makhateli walking around on a normal day!

Thanksgiving in Russia is, obviously, non-existent. Ever since I was a baby, I have had Thanksgiving outside of the US. Every year, my family takes a trip with my "aunts" and "uncles" and their families to places like the British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, or Mexico, so having Thanksgiving outside of America was nothing new for me. My roommate and I celebrated together, even though she is Canadian, and made ourselves an adorable Thanksgiving dinner. It was a lot of fun, and actually ended up being the most "American" Thanksgiving I have had; usually the meal is lobster or crab!

With Sasha

The day after Thanksgiving was probably one of the most memorable days! The week before, I was approached by the staff here and told that I was going to be representing the school in a BBC special. I would need to do an interview and be filmed dancing for it in the following week. I was really excited, but nervous too, because being a dancer, I am used to expressing myself THROUGH dance, not words. Also, the BBC correspondent emailed me saying that since the academy is under construction, they legally could not film me here for the dancing clip they needed, and so the Mariinsky had given them permission to film me rehearsing IN the theatre! I was so excited! I was asked to meet the BBC crew backstage on the 26th, so I left Vaganova right after my morning dance class, and we started to film. It was so cool to get to go backstage for the first time. The producer explained to me that the segment was about the theatre; it's past, its present (the principal dancers there now), and the future (I was honored that I was representing the FUTURE of the Mariinsky!) My favorite part of filming was getting to talk to Daria Pavlenko in her dressing room. Before and during the interview, she said some things and gave me some advice about dancing and the strength of your heart as a dancer, that I will never forget! I also got to talk with her husband, Alexander "Sasha" Sergeev in his dressing room, and walked across the Mariinsky stage for the first time! It was so cool to walk on stage with all of the set for "Giselle" set up!

Daria and Sasha performing in "Giselle"

After we watched the first act, the crew filmed me around the theatre; walking and looking at the program and the stage, etc. After that, we did my interview. I was not prepared at all for this, because they had told me we would be doing it the NEXT day, but I calmed down and just spoke from the heart. They asked me about what it was like to be in the "world's most prestigious ballet school", why I love ballet, what are my dreams for the future, etc. By the time we finished, it was already really late, but we still needed to film my rehearsal on stage. We started heading back there, but the coordinator of the theatre told us that we could not film anymore because the theatre would be closing and they needed to clear the stage. I was really disappointed, and Inga, the producer informed me that not having that clip would mean having to change the whole segment, cutting me out and making it purely about the "present" of the company. I was really disappointed, of course, but I am still grateful for the whole experience, and honored that they choose me to represent the Vaganova!

The past few weeks have been really hectic, but what else is new. Since I last wrote, we have been having more and more rehearsals for our upcoming performances of Щелкунчик. Like I said in my last blog post, I was cast in the performance, and am in "снежинки," or "Snowflakes." While almost everyone back home is already finishing, or done with their performances, our rehearsals are only beginning. We started rehearsing with only 2 lines at a time, which was difficult because first of all, everyone knew the choreography from watching year after year, and second because I was the only international student. Luckily, I can understand Russian pretty well, and I caught on and learned the dance quickly.
The dance consists of 32 girls in four lines. We are expected to know literally EVERY space, so if someone is not there, we can step in. I have rehearsed every row. It is a difficult dance, but really beautiful when we finally put it together. I swear, there is something about the teachers, students, and the training at the academy that is just remarkable. The first time we put all four lines together in Snow, it looked ready to go on stage (but not by the Vaganova standards YET, of course).


Last week, I got to dance on the Mariinsky stage for my first time. It was an incredible and unforgettable moment. There is a perception that being on this stage, in one of the most beautiful, legendary theatres, is like a dream. Let me tell you, it is that and MORE. When I am on stage, no matter where, I love it. I love the feeling it gives me. It reminds me why I do what I do. It makes everything worthwhile; the hard work in class everyday, the hours you spend trying to improve that one step, the aches and pains... it is ALL worth it to be on stage and dancing. To me, rehearsal is time to work, and my first rehearsal on the Mariinsky was work, of course, but during my hard-work, I felt this passion and this love at the same time. Even with Altynai correcting us on the loud speaker, or Desnitsky yelling out corrections, I felt... overwhelmed by the theatre. I am not sure that is the right word to describe my feelings (or the pit in my stomach), but I am not sure there is even a word TO describe it. It was an incredible first experience! I am SO excited to rehearse there a lot more, and perform there in less than 2 weeks!

At the "гран-при"

Most of the my past month and a half has been work with little free time. I have not been able to go to nearly enough ballets as I would like, or really relax at all. My days have been purely dance; starting early in the day and ending late at night, and then school work in attempts to complete my courses before I go home for break in January. It has been both physically and mentally tiring, so when I was able to see some of my good friends from Bolshoi a few weeks ago, I was both thrilled and relieved for the distraction! It was ECSTATIC to see them! I had missed them so much, and although we didnt get to spend much time together while they were in St. Petersburg, (they were competing in the Mikhailovsky Grand Prix for a few days here) it definitely revived me, my energy and my attitude! I love them, and I cant wait to see them again soon! ( я надеюсь)!

Artur, Kostya and me <3 Ya uzhe ochen skuchayu!!!

                                                            Even though it has been over two months, I often I find myself still surprised at the level of training and dancing of the students here! Their talent, their flexibility, their stage presence, their technique... it is hardly believable. There are things that happen here that I SWEAR just would not happen anywhere else. I do not think any other students are this dedicated or hard-working. Last week, our teacher had to watch and grade ballet exams, along with the other teachers, while we were supposed to be having class. You know that you are in an exceptional school when the students STILL take a full ballet class by themselves, even though there is no teacher, and no one to catch you if you decide just to skip. I am not talking about doing combinations at barre, changing exercises to fit your needs, wearing warm ups...it was a class exactly like any other day. Where else but Vaganova do the girls repeat the lesson from the day before, with a pianist, and in full exam ballet uniform, trying our hardest, even without a teacher. Where else but Vaganova can you pull-off running a performance for the first time as a whole on the Mariinsky stage, and somehow it still looks nearly flawless. (And where else but Vaganova do even the construction workers know how to dance ;D If you havent already, check out my video on Facebook, and get a preview into one of the school's studios!)

After a long day. Photo by Lera Chaykina

 Rehearsals are getting longer and harder as the performance dates approach. Our bodies are beginning to give in to the amount of physical and mental stress we have, but still, everyone is continuing and pushing ourselves and each other everyday. With rehearsals, schoolwork, and little sleep, I can hardly believe that Christmas is almost here! I will not be home for Christmas, and I can hardly talk about it without getting sad and upset, but I also know that my Christmas will be waiting for me when I get home to my family in January, and that makes me so excited! I am also really glad that I will have rehearsals and performances to keep me distracted from the fact that it will be my first Christmas away from my family (as well as Skype ;P). I am sending all of my love and happiest holiday wishes to all of you back home, or wherever you may be for Christmas this year! I hope you all have a fantastic day and holiday season with your loved ones! As for me, I will be spending the day doing what I love...rehearsal at Mariinsky all day (at least Nutcracker music will help get me in the mood. So magical!)
The events and opportunities I have been presented with the last month, along with the encouragement and love of family and friends (old and new) have kept my body, mind, passion, and heart strong through this demanding time.
Stay strong and carry on! ;)


 С Рождеством и с Новым годом!!!!!


Xoxo,
Tatum <3

It Happens Once in a Lifetime!

Hi everyone,
So sorry it has been such a LONG time! As most of you know, I have just transitioned into the next chapter of my life, and am finally making the time to blog.
By now, most everyone knows that I am no longer with Kirov Ballet Academy in Washington, DC. It was a bittersweet decision. It was hard to leave such a huge part of my life behind, but I know that everything that I learned and the relationships there will forever be with and apart of me.

Outside of the Academy on the famous Rossi street

Currently, I am living in St. Petersburg, Russia. I was INCREDIBLY honored to receive an invitation to train at the world renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy (Академии Русского балета имени А.Я.Вагановой), and I am now a full-time student here! It was a big BIG step to take, but I have now been here for about 6 weeks (I left October 1, after having a blast with my friends at my old high school's homecoming), and I now know that I really belong here! For those of you who do not know much about ballet, some brief information about the school and history. In ballet, there are different ballet techniques/styles that you can train in (Vaganova, Balenchine, Cecchetti are three major ones), and the most "classical" is the Vaganova method, started at the academy and by the founder of the school, Agripinna Vaganova. This method of Russian Ballet is studied all over the world; the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Kirov Academy, among many others. Graduates of the school include the world's most famous dancers; Baryshnikov, Nureyev, Pavlova, Ulanova, Makarova, Grigorovich, Folkine, Chabukiani, Lopatkina, Somova, Vishneva, and Balanchine, to name very few. Needless to say, I am honored and grateful beyond belief to be here!


My dad flew out with me, and we had about 26 hours of traveling! It was exhausting, to say the least, but my fatigue did not stop my nerves! I could hardly believe that I was going to Russia, let alone one of the, if not THE world's most famous, and most prestigious ballet schools! When we arrived at the academy, it was so dark and foggy that I could barely tell it was the real thing, and the only thing I really deciphered was the statue of Ulanova outside of the dorms. It did not really hit me until the next morning when I walked outside to the famous light yellow Rossi street that I was even in the academy. That first day was the most surreal thing that I think that I have ever experienced! I walked down Zochego Rossi, in RUSSIA with my dad. I meet Altynai Asylmuratova, saw Selutskiy, walked into the famous Rep. Zal (реп зал, the famous studio that you see in documentaries with Vaganova's picture) and watched Sitnikova's graduating class. And then, I took my first class from Mme. Tatiana Alexandrovna Udalenkova in the VAGANOVA BALLET SCHOOL! And my dad was there to greet me when I was done. He was here the first week to help me get settled, which was great! It was so much fun to explore the city with him, and pretty humorous to hear him try to speak Russian ;P. It was sad to say goodbye, but I am so grateful that he got to spend at least a little time here!




Since then, I feel like I am now a part of the academy. First, I was super grateful that everyone was really kind and willing and eager to help me. Unlike my past experiences, there really is MINIMAL english speaking here (there are only 5 of us in the whole school; 2 are Russian)! My roommate is from Canada, but she is Russian, and was/is so helpful! The girls in my class were all very welcoming and helpful as well, and I am happy that I became friends quickly with them! I study under the first course of grade 6. It is very confusing, and take a lot of explaining to understand the courses here, but I am extremely EXTREMELY happy with my class. My teacher, Mme. Udalenkova, has been a teacher at the academy for many years, and was the teacher of many greats, including Ekaterina Kondaurova. Her class is very difficult, but I enjoy it every day, and am so happy to have such a caring, but tough teacher!

реп зал

I also am finally starting to find my way around the school without getting lost! That may sound silly, but the school is HUGE! It is just like Hogwarts; old, beautiful, and a BILLION staircases! And this is only HALF of the school. The other wing is under construction right now, so we will see how I manage that when it reopens in December! I am going to start timing how long it takes me to get from my room to some of the studios... it is really a journey every time!


My days here are long but rewarding. My schedule consist of ballet "classika" everyday (including pointe class), and a rotating schedule of partnering, acting, modern, and character. Before that begins, however, I also take a Russian language class. There are only two of us in this class, so I hope that I will be fluent soon!.. or at least close! Usually, my day starts at 10:45 and ends around 8:30, although that differs everyday (once we finished at almost 10:30... 12 hours straight of dancing). Everyday, after all of my classes are done, I am still smiling. It feels great to work hard and be doing what I love, and although I do not have the typical "teenage" life anymore, I am where I want to be, and I would not trade my life for anything!

Coming here, I was starting later than the rest of the school, which had begun the year in September. I knew that it would be difficult to just jump in, and I was also told that coming late, I would not have some of the priviledges that the other students had. I would not be taking a proper placement class, as well as the fact that Nutcracker (щелкунчик "shelkoonchik") casting and rehearsals began before I arrived, so I was told I would most likely not be in the show.
The show for the end of the year began my first week here (the show is not until May!), so I have rehearsals for that twice a week. I am rehearsing Gamzatti's, as well as "Diamond" in Sleeping Beauty (there are 5 of us rehearsing for that part, 3 from the graduation class). Last week, however, my teacher told me after class that I will be dancing in the Snow scene from Nutcracker! I was SO excited! We began rehearsals yesterday, and already got through the whole dance. Performances start in December, and we are going to be performing in the Mariinsky Theatre (!!!!!), as well as touring!

The Mariinsky Theatre

First of many trips to the Mariinsky

Speaking of Mariinsky, one of the perks of being a Vaganova student, besides the obvious (BEING here), is the free tickets we get to the Mariinsky! We get free to tickets to any shows we want to go see at the Mariinsky theatre and the Mikhailovskiy Theatre. I spend a lot of my weekends watching ballets, and I know how many people would KILL to have tickets whenever they wanted to watch Vishneva or Lopatkina! I AM SO LUCKY!

Got to see my FAVORITE ballet, "Giselle", for my first time at the Mariinsky

My time here has been AMAZING to say the very least! Sometimes I wake up and forget where I am, and when I realize, it STILL does not always feel real! It is truly a dream come true to be studying here; I have worked so hard for this, but I could not have gotten where I am today without all of you who support and help me! So 'thank you', to all of my teachers in the past and present, to my family for EVERYTHING, my friends, and anyone else reading this.
I have truly been given the opportunity of a life time!
... I am forever grateful!

and I promise I will be blogging more often from now on,.... there is far too much that I have not mentioned, and a lot that I can barely put into words, but please continue to follow me as I "dance around the world"!
Xoxo,
Татум <3


Also, if you are close to me, then you know that I am very superstitious, and I love making my wishes ;P. Today, like my life, is very rare, and only happens once in a lifetime. Today is 11.11.11. This blog post  is posted at exactly 11:11 on 11/11/11. Happy wishing!

 

Special dedication to my beautiful Annette Buvoli. First of all, because I am blogging at Vaganova... AH! And the second reason is obvious; the day!Always been there for me, and I miss you so much! <3

The Bolshoi Way (Final week- week 6)

Before I knew it, it was the sixth and final week of my Bolshoi summer. It was crazy how fast time had gone, and there was still so much we all wanted to do, so this last week, we tried to fit it all in!

On Monday, our ballet class was taught by my friend, Anton taught out ballet class (he taught technique until Wednesday) and class was really great! It was also good because there were a TON of Russian students that took it the final week! After class, we had Russian language class, but it was fun because we got to take a class trip to the University, and also took a hike through a park to get to and from there. We had fun getting to learn outside of the classroom!

All of the group on our class trip with our Russian teacher and friends

On Tuesday we had our last character class, and we got to dance every piece we had learned throughout the whole 5 weeks before. It was a lot of fun! After that class, we all had interviews about the program and about the results of the six weeks. I think we all did pretty well!


On Wednesday we had our last class with Anton, and a repertoire class with a new teacher we had never had before. It was kind of strange that we had him only once, and for the first time the last week. For Russian class that day, we got to go on a trip to the Kremlin. I had already been, but it is definitely one of the things you MUST see in Russia, so it was good that the other girls that hadn't seen it already got to go! After or trip, my friends Margo, Kyra and I went to one last trip to the Grishko store and to the Christ Our Savior church! It is so beautiful there!

Thursday's class was taught by our teacher, Syrova, who had taught us a few times in the previous weeks. She also taught repertoire, and I really liked the class! After, we got ready for a special dinner on the cruise boat again. This time, we were not going as long, but we still had fun, and it was a great way to say "goodbye" to Moscow. It was pretty emotional to see the beautiful views and things in the city all lit up, and knowing it was almost time to leave! Also, it was very sad because when we got back, it was our last night with our Russian friends, Artur and Nikita.


Friday was our last day. For ballet, we had our first teacher, Otrova, who also taught our repertoire class along with Sizova. One of the academy teachers that taught in NYC the first 3 weeks of our summer came to watch. We also got to dance a lot of different variations in class, and after that, Nikita and Laurie, and Artur and I got to do Corsaire Pas de Deux, and then took a lot of partnering pictures. It was a good ballet day! After that, we had to say goodbye to our friends, and then go to our last Russian language class. The night, we all wanted to stay up as long as possible and hang out together, which was a ton of fun!

Our flight home the next day was short, and it was time to say goodbye. It was sad that this amazing summer was ending, but I was so excited to get home to my family for some time!

Thank you RAF, NSLIY, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy for giving me the most unforgettable summer!

From Moscow,
Tatum <3

On the hill looking over the whole city of Moscow

Kremlin

Dinner Cruise

Moscow Nights

The beautiful Christ our Savior church

In Red Square

Partnering the the Bolshoi studios

Miss you!

NSLIY Bolshoi Way Summer 2011