INSTILLING A LOVE FOR BALLET

Our Mission at Russian School of Ballet

At the Russian School of Ballet (RSB), our goal is to instill a love of dance in each student, while helping each individual to achieve his or her unique ballet dream. We offer classes for boys and girls from age three through pre-professional training.

All of RSB’s highly-qualified instructors employ the Vaganova ballet method, which has been refined in Russia over 300 years and has produced many of the world’s finest classical dancers. Each level in this comprehensive program is a building block to advance students’ training in a scientifically structured, safe, and nurturing way, which takes into account the unique anatomy, physical and cognitive development of each student.

Russian School Of Ballet Parkhurst 071 179 6394

Professional Ballet Training at Russian School of Ballet

Skills that last a lifetime

We know that not all students will pursue a career in classical ballet. Regardless of the student’s ambition, the grace, artistry, discipline, hard work, confidence, and healthy habits they develop at Russian School of Ballet will remain with them for a lifetime and enhance their performance in other areas of their lives.

RSB students are offered numerous performance opportunities and regularly participate in professional productions, eisteddfods, and prestigious domestic and international competitions. Our students have also been accepted to a number of highly acclaimed summer programs, including the Paris Opera Ballet, Nederland’s Ballet Academy and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

A unique benefit the RSB offers students, are our regular Workshops and Intensives, where we invite expert guest teachers from Russia, who help our students perfect their form, improve their technique and achieve their dreams. In addition, these Workshops and Intensives also keep our Resident Faculty of Teachers at the Russian School of Ballet in a continuous state of learning and improvement – keeping our standards high and our training at a world class level.

THE VAGANOVA METHOD OF BALLET TRAINING

The Vaganova Method is a ballet technique and training system developed by the Russian teacher Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951). This system derived from the teaching methods of the old Imperial Ballet School (today the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet) under the Premier Maître de Ballet Marius Petipa throughout the mid to late 19th century, though mostly throughout the 1880s and 1890s. It fused the romantic style of the French ballet and dramatic soulfulness of the Russian character with the athletic virtuosity that characterizes the Italian school. It was Vaganova who perfected and cultivated this form of teaching the art of classical ballet into a workable syllabus. Her Fundamentals of the Classical Dance (1934) remains a standard textbook for the instruction of ballet technique. This technique is one of the most popular techniques today.

The training system is designed to involve the whole body in every movement, with equal attention paid to the upper body, legs and feet. Vaganova believed that this approach increases consciousness of the body, thus creating a harmony of movement and greater expressive range. As a dancer, Vaganova was lauded for her strong jumps and elegant technique, but she wasn’t an emotionally expressive dancer. This criticism influenced the marriage of intricate footwork and artistic expression that encapsulates her technique.

RESIDENT TEACHERS

Yana Auger

Yana has been teaching dance for over 25 years. She graduated with a distinction in Dance Teaching, Choreography and Art School Management from Novosibirsk College of Arts and Culture in 1990. In 2011, Yana attended a Classical Ballet Teacher’s Seminar at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, St.Petersburg, Russia. From 2012 to 2014, she went on to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow,

Anatoly Babenky teaching at Russian School of Ballet Johannesburg

Anatoly Babenko

Anatoly received his professional ballet training and graduated from the Kiev Ballet Academy, in 1978. Following graduation, he worked first at the Rubina’s Jewish Ballet Theatre, later joined the Shevchenko National Theatre of Opera and Ballet, in Kiev where he performed in many ballets as a principal dancer, while touring with the company to Japan, Germany, Italy, France, India etc

Stefania Du Toit

Graduated with a Distinction from The Cape Academy of Performing Arts where she received her diploma in Performing Arts and other related studies. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and was a member of the Cape Dance Company.

Karmia Postma

Karmia Postma has been dancing since the age of 6. She has trained in ballet, contemporary and spanish dancing. Ballet is her main focus and she has been to Latvia in 2013, Miami 2015 and Kazakhstan 2017 on invitations for ballet training in the Vaganova method.

Talisa Pillay

Ms.Pillay began her dancing at the age of 5 through L’Academie de Dance, an RAD based school, making it to the Intermediate level before having to stop. She started dancing again in August 2017 at the Russian School of Ballet,

GUEST TEACHERS

Elena Kukseva

Elena Kukseva is a highly respected ballet mistress who holds a teaching certificate from the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since 2014, Elena is a regular guest of Russian School of Ballet, teaching at holiday Workshops

Alexei Illin teaching at Russian School of Ballet Johannesburg

Alexei Ilin

Russian-born Aleksei Ilin is an internationally recognized ballet instructor and master who has traveled the world, passionately imparting the knowledge and understanding of dance to those whose career path has crossed his.

WHY PARENTS AND STUDENTS CHOOSE THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL OF BALLET

The production each year is not simply a “studio concert”.. it gives each child the opportunity to experience what a true ballet performance is all about, from the preparation to the end result. This is a unique experience at RSB

Karen Doyer

For me it all comes down to the teacher and the way they interact and inspire my child. Alisa is a great ballet teacher, especially with the little ones. My daughter is constantly inspired to be a great ballerina, and for me this is the reason why I contacted and attend RSB.

Shaira Naidoo

Yana is a dedicated and caring teacher who has put immense personal time and effort into researching sport and growth injuries specific to dancers. She uses this training and knowledge to assist her dance students to exercise, and recover from injuries that are a natural part of any committed dancer’s training and career. She is the only instructor I have ever come across who puts in this level of dedication for her students.

Debby Dyball