CeliB

They are definitely performing Nureyev - DS is cast in the corps and they are rehearsing non stop.

Warm up boots - unisex and definitely used by all the big boy dancers I know. In fact (in case your boy thinks they are too girly) my brother (officer in the parachute reg - about as macho as you can get) was highly put out that I couldn't find a pair in his size online as he kept nicking DSs which were slightly too small for him (DS has v small feet for his height).... Bloch do them and the grishko shop apparently ships worldwide free and has a wide range of colour and designs http://grishkoshop.com/category-warm-up-shoes DS also likes leg warmers (you can get some fab stripy ones around in bright colours) and 3/4 length jogging bottoms (good for warming up and relatively cheap as any sports shop does them and they are very much what dancers of both gender wear). Other recent requests have been for warm up suits and various (to my eye peculiar) unitard type things but your DS may be a bit young for all that malarky... There are some interesting ballet books around if he is a reader- DS always liked books about his favourite dancers although he was a bit older I guess. And DVDs of ballets that feature men in more prominent roles??

I just wanted to add a note to say my DS didn't start vocational training until age 14, and prior to that hadn't done much more hours per week than your son is doing now (one or 2 ballet classes a week, maximum around 2 hours total, no other dance). So boys can get away with being a bit older and this takes the pressure off a little (maybe?!). Would it be worth looking first at Easter/Summer schools (where scholarships are awarded) - he could then get a better sense of what vocational school might be like (I think it's pretty hard to know if you only do a few lessons a week- that's why we sent DS to a summer school). You do also need to think about whether it is dance or ballet specifically that is his dream when looking at vocational schools... There's lots of info on this forum to help...

In the last few years I have become a complete convert to airbnb. Last time we visited DS in St Petersburg we got a lovely one bed appt right in the centre in a very cool district, about 5 min walk from the Vaganova, for £80 a night (as compared with the hotel we usually stayed in which is the one on top of the Vaganova and would have cost more like 200). DS got an apartment in central Paris to stay with his girlfriend for £30 a night. He stayed in a lovely room in an shared apartment in central Moscow when he had to be there for a week for his medical, cost £60 a night... The advantage of airbnb even if the same price as a budget hotel is you get a kitchen- not only is it nicer to be able to cook your own food it saves a small fortune on having to eat out. And you have so much more privacy than a hotel (no matter how nice, I personally hate feeling like there are people breathing down my neck- I never really relax in a hotel) Just worth a look maybe...

if you keep an eye on the melmoth blog at http://melmoth.blog/ she has promised that if the VBA doesn't post a dubbed version she will provide a rough translation at a later date..

Wow how fascinating, some great rehearsal footage. I am going to make DS sit down with me and watch it and tell me what they are all saying (he's back on wed to sort his final work visa), especially at the end where the judges are clearly discussing the exam! Thanks for posting so much 🙂

Elya often attended the boys class towards the end of last term. And there are often additional people in Tiska's classes especially if it's a Saturday class (some company members come and take class every now and then). In fact I'm sure I spotted Pasha (in the Royal blue t shirt, tho' the films a bit fuzzy so it's hard to tell- but would make sense as the students would be expected to wear regulation uniform and Pasha is at Mariinsky now...)

and conservatoire has also been posted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zskmr0cRGZ4

very sensible advice from legseleven which is pretty much what I was going to say - but just to add that at 9 yrs old my DS wasn't doing any ballet at all! or any other form of dance either... so even if she does want to do youth ballet later and doesn't do more ballet classes right now she can perhaps catch up when a bit older? I know it's hard not to get overwhelmed by the huge amount of classes and hours some children do and this may suit them and what they enjoy (and are able to timetable) but it doesn't necessarily mean that is what is needed to achieve a particular level....

how lovely. many congratulations (especially to her supportive family)

late to the discussion but I'm sure i have said several times DS got turned down for JAs twice. So whatever they are looking for doesn't necessarily predict future success since DS has now secured a contract with the Bolshoi...

He starts as soon as he can organise his work visa- probably late sept. Although he can go there and do class in the meantime (vaganova have sorted him a multiple entry visa to go back and forth to sort out paperwork). Yes have met Tsiska many times and been for dinner with him and a bunch of the other teachers and various ballet dignitaries after the boys exam in April ... also we were invited to the graduation today at St Catherines Palace (I have never seen so much gold leaf in one place honestly makes Buck Palace look like a garden shed) and were so happy to see DS collect his cetificate to a roof raising cheer... and he and the famous 5 were so feted - such a joy to see them all so happy...

Until DS started wearing hand made shoes he swore by grishko split sole canvas. Style 5 I think. Just dance stocks them. Very arch hugging which was why he liked them so much (his arch is enormous)... also extremely hardy - I personally noticed they lasted much longer than any others he has had and the canvas feels significantly thicker. ..

So straight from the horses mouth- next year tsiska is teaching grad boys year 2 (the current year 1) so that he will have them for 2 years before they leave. A few of them have started joining the famous 5 already (apparently the the newbies are absolutely dying and have to sit out some of the combinations- its interesting for the graduating class as it ahows them just how far they have come...) DH and I just had the rare privellige to sit in on Tsiskariszes very last class of the year (elya was also in class). What an experience!

No I don't know whether Tsiska is teaching a class next year. . I know there are lots of calls for him to teach a girls class when we were there but he just smiled enigmatically!! - I can ask DS if he knows. I suspect Tsiska decided to teach a boys class to cement his position as a top teacher and Director - he definitely cherry picked the most promising students and then drove them to a level of perfection never yet seen at the Academy. I don't think they have ever before had a class where every person achieves a grade 5 (in the parallel class which was bigger I think there may have only been one, in the girls classes one or 2 - which is more usual). As I said all 5 boys were offered Mariinsky contracts and 3 offered Bolshoi in addition. The Vaganova is definitely associated with the Mariinsky but (like Royal) I don't *think* it's exclusive- they do have dancers there from other backgrounds don't they? Although whether they get places as entry level graduates I don't know (I get limited info from DS who usually answers my questions with a vague wave of the hand and a 'dunno')

ha ha- well that was DSs estimate from the stage, I guess he underestimated by a bit!!! he posted a pic of rehearsal in which he was flying across the stage in a perfect cabriole - I loved the fact his sister looked over my shoulder and sniffily said 'that's my bl**dy t shirt he's wearing, how dare he keep nicking my clothes'. Good to know someone will be bringing his feet firmly back to the floor after all the glory!!!

Trained at the schools I think rather than dancing with the companies MAB - Vaganova /Kirov associated company would be the Kirov Theatre - now post USSR has now gone back to the old name of Mariinsky Theatre IMO the place a teacher was trained is at least (more?) important than where they danced, as that teaching is what they are passing on to their students, and it doesn't come better than the Vaganova and Bolshoi...

That's nice to hear. DS called me immediately after it had finished- both overjoyed at the fantastic reception (from a packed 1000 seat auditorium) and also really sad that it is his last performance with the Academy. He danced one of the Pierrot's in Fairy Dolls and then the male solo in the Bournonville Conservatoire (with only a 20 min break- his legs nearly fell off). Also in the repertoire were Prokofiev Classical Symphony and Paquita (Egor and Elya leading). There are some beautiful photos on the Acadmey's facebook page (of all the performances, not just the Kremlin one) I particularly like this one of Tsiska touching up DSs makeup I can't recall if I said on another thread but all the boys from his graduating class were offered contracts by Mariinsky, and 3 of them were offered Bolshoi as well.

My daughter put on an inch or 2 between 15 and 18. My sister grew an inch in university. So there is plenty of time for more height growth. I would note that all the ballet dancers DS has associated with have been an average size (not sure about weight as muscle is heavier so if you are a dancer you really shouldn't pay so much attention to how heavy you are, weight isn't a good measure of body fat in athletes). His ex girlfriend (who is now a professional dancer with a really top European company and an exceptionally talented dancer) was 5' 6" and wore the same dress size as me (12). His current (Russian) dancer friends are a range of sizes and heights and the 2 top girls the graduating year (one has a contract with the Bolshoi and one with the Mariinsky) are NOT noticeably super lean. At 14 it is important to eat normally and not worry so much. I appreciate you say you don't have any mental health problems but it is surprisingly easy to spiral into a poor relationship with food that can dog you for the rest of your life- and that can happen to perfectly normal girls with no underlying problems. From what you say you do sound a bit too overcontrolled at the moment. So don't let your worries get any worse....

So after quite a while I am able to confirm that DS will be taking up a contract with the Bolshoi Theatre. It was a tough decision (he did get a formal offer from Mariinsky and his best friend is staying at Mariinsky). The logistics and paperwork are prodigious and complex which is why we have put off announcing until now - as he has only just had a meeting with the managing director of the theatre to confirm the paperwork/insurances/medical exam etc required for his work permit etc. Happily he will be going with 2 friends from Vagaova (Elya, which I can post as I believe from another thread she has officially confirmed this) and one of the other boys who I won't name in case it isn't 'out there'. He is finally starting to believe its really happening and getting quite excited. Even better he can come back to the UK whilst the paperwork is being processed so we may have a whole summer with him home Thought I should post as so many people asked to know.....x

I would say that DS was similar to Lucinda's DD partly because he didn't really do ballet at a particularly advanced level until 14 - so up to 14 probably did swimming more than anything (although also at various times did tae kwondo, fencing, cycling to get about, diving and a bit of gym- his ballet was never more than 3-4 hours a week and he didn't do any other kind of dance). The sport he has mainly kept up with is swimming - he's never really lived anywhere where running was a realistic option and anyway has rather (special snowflake alert) delicate feet which are prone to injury... He was delighted to track down a swimming pool soon after arriving in St Petersburg (even having to endure being randomly made to join a swim team's training session by the Russian coach didn't deter him!) and now swims once or twice a week when he has time (often he is in rehearsal from lunchtime until 8 or 9pm so doesn't honestly get that much free time in the week...). I have fairly consistently nagged him about cross training after reading various articles about dancer stamina and injury rates (probably posted by Dr Dance tbh!), It would be useful to follow on this finding with research about which kinds of sport are compatible. I have often heard for example that gymnastics and ballet require such different technique and musculature that after a certain point it's 'one or the other'. It is easy when you hear this kind of thing to end up worrying that your DC shouldn't be doing sports because they may be detrimental- perhaps this is behind a lot of kids giving up sport unnecessarily. Plus- and I commend your daughter's diligence and tenacity Lucinda- but many kids would find it prohibitively hard to do more than one thing (if doing it at elite level) because of the time required...

It's an interesting issue the whole social media thing isn't it? DS has always stoutly resisted any pressure to promote himself (DSs father, being in the media, always seems to think DS should be more visible!). When I discussed it with him DS was very much of the opinion that it was foolish to be hyping yourself at a young age as then you would have a massive expectation to live up to. He considers that it won't really improve your professional chances and would be highly embarrassing if you didn't live up to the hype. Also this would put additional pressure on your own self esteem eg if everyone else was saying they thought you would be a principal in 5 sec flat then you would feel a failure 'just' to be in the corps.... As DS said, time enough to promote yourself when your dancing is genuinely brilliant, not when it is only 'has the potential to become brilliant.', since potential and outcome (as we all know) are 2 very different animals!

my DS attended Prague Masterclass last year. He stayed with DH (who had an apartment there as he was making a film in Prague) so I can't comment on the accommodation but in general the logistics and organisation of the course were exemplary. I don't think his opinion of the masterclasses should be taken as relevant as he wasn't really in the correct headspace for it (he had applied when at a very different place career wise)- which is not to say he thought the teaching was bad, just that he didn't attend all the classes and wasn't very engaged with it (he was far more keen to be mucking around on the Roman army camp film set!!).

well if he's still dancing when he hits teenage growth then expect your fridge and bread bin to empty on a daily basis (normal teenage boys are bad enough, a teenage dancer boy is a one person plague of locusts).

my DS wears padded thong type. since around age 12 from my memory. never worn the integral one- gave up wearing leotards in favour of t shirts/tops at around 14. The huge advantage is that you can get 100% slim fit cotton t shirts at a fraction of the cost of a leotard so it doesn't matter so much when they get lost or turn grey... only the dance belt bit is the specialist bit....