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The Kirov Tradition Comes to America: Washington's Kirov Academy
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11413 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
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4 / 1994 |
3,097 Words |
| Author
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Stephen Henkin
Stephen Henkin is an arts editor for The World & I. |
Classical ballet has been described as the architecture of human movement synchronizing with the movements of artistic evolution, and nothing has embodied this understanding more than the fabled Russian dance tradition. Long the cultural heart of Leningrad (now once again St. Petersburg), the Kirov Ballet tradition has become a pinnacle of human discipline, refined by the various arts over time: a marriage of ancient classicism with gothic mystery and austerity, Baroque embellishments, Romantic otherworldliness, Tchaikovsky's stirring music, Leon Bakst's striking and innovative set design, and a folkloric tradition endowed with gusto and flair. "Scratch a Russian and you find a Tartar," a great ballerina once said, in recognition of the dance embodying the Russian character and soul.
Yet despite Russia's turbulent history, economic crises, and the vagaries of artistic influences, not only has this cultural treasure--the Kirov tradition--survived, but it has crossed the Atlantic and come to flourish at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, a forward-thinking and well-equipped dance school located directly north of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Academy executive director Jeffrey Benson described the goal of this unique institution, which has been recognized by both the American and Russian governments as a leader in the area of cultural exchange.
"I actually see our [academy's] responsibility is not just to teach ballet, but to contribute to the culture of America and North America," Benson noted, adding: "Coming out of the Soviet past, the Kirov has always been something of a mystery--nobody knew how they did that magic. I'm seeing here it's not magic--it's sheer blood, sweat, and tears that gets them to that level [of dance]. Our overall responsibility, I feel, is to broadcast the quality of the aesthetic of this very special art form. And I think our responsibility is to keep the public informed, enlightened, and to broaden the popularity of classical ballet. It's a delightful, pure, noble art form that is good for society."
Founded originally as the Universal Ballet Academy in September 1990, the school is the only institution outside Russia to bear the name Kirov. It is also uniquely situated to have as its artistic director Oleg Vinogradov, who has held the same position at the renowned Kirov Ballet since 1977. With a current enrollment of seventy-seven students, twelve of whom have graduated from the preprofessional program, the academy offers young dancers a variety of programs and levels of instruction according to their degree of proficiency. An internationally recognized faculty trains aspiring young dancers in a
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