Agrippina Vaganova

Agrippina Vaganova (born June 14 [June 26, New Style], 1879, St. Petersburg, Russia—died November 5, 1951, Leningrad [now St. Petersburg]) was a Russian ballerina and teacher who developed a technique and system of instruction based on the classical style of the Imperial Russian Ballet but which also incorporated aspects of the more vigorous Soviet ballet developed after the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Vaganova studied at the Imperial Theatre School in St. Petersburg, where she was taught by a number of legendary teachers, including Lev Ivanov and Christian Johansson. Upon her graduation in 1897, she joined the Mariinsky Ballet, where she became known as the “queen of variations” for her soaring leaps and brilliant footwork. Yet, despite her strong technique and energetic style, her dance career progressed slowly because of the number of talented Russian dancers—such as Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, and Olga Preobrajenska—who were her contemporaries and competition. Vaganova danced the leading roles of Odette-Odile (Swan Lake) and the Tsar-Maiden (The Little Humpbacked Horse), but she was not given official ballerina ranking until 1915, the year before her retirement from the stage. When her years as a performer ended, Vaganova embarked on a second career as a ballet instructor, joining the Petrograd State Ballet School (formerly the Imperial Theatre School) in 1921.

Russian ballet at the beginning of the 20th century was a mixture of disparate influences, combining aspects of the traditional national style with French and Italian elements. Although it was appreciated throughout Europe, the future of Russian ballet was uncertain. The unique Russian style had developed over time, and a systematic method for teaching and communicating it did not exist. Russian ballet was further challenged by the turmoil that followed the Revolution; because ballet had been long associated with the aristocracy, its function as an art form was questioned by some revolutionaries.

During her years as a performer, Vaganova had observed the absence of method in Russian ballet. When she became a teacher, she selected the best aspects of the various styles and integrated them into a coherent system based in classical movement. Her teaching system emphasized harmony and coordination of all parts of the body but particularly developed the spine and neck, enabling her students to maintain a seemingly effortless core of stability while dancing. Vaganova’s new method of ballet instruction would eventually become the basis for all Soviet ballet training. Her efforts in this area were her greatest contribution to the history of dance, as they helped to ensure the survival of Russian ballet and expanded its impact on other dance styles. Many accomplished ballerinas, including Galina Ulanova, developed under her tutelage.

Vaganova was also active as a choreographer, beginning with The Visions of a Poet in 1927. As the artistic director of the Mariinsky Ballet (from 1935 to 1990 called the Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet) from 1931 to 1937, she encouraged both modern dance and revivals of classical ballet, notably Swan Lake (1933). From 1946 to 1951 she taught choreography at the Leningrad Conservatory.

Vaganova’s writings include a widely used textbook published in Russian in 1934; it was published in English as Basic Principles of Classical Ballet (trans. 1946, reissued incorporating all the material from the 4th Russian ed., 1969). In 1934 Vaganova was made People’s Artist of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, and in 1946 she was given the Stalin Prize of the U.S.S.R. Her legacy was confirmed when the Leningrad Choreographic School (formerly the Petrograd State Ballet School) was renamed the Vaganova School in her honour in 1957.