CONTACT
3
OUR MISSION
4
WELCOME
5
ARTS AND PERFORMANCES
12
INTO THE VARIATION
20
INSIDE BALLET AND TECHNIQUE
24
PRIORITIZE, ORGANIZE AND NUTRITIONIZE
32
OUR STUDENTS GOALS FOR THE YEAR
36
BALLET ETIQUETTE
40
MEET THE ABA FAMILY
44
ASK THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
48
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table of contents
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Contact
8505 Fenton Street, Suite 206 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel:301-593-6262 Email: contact@akhmedovaballet.org Web page: http://akhmedovaballet.org
Editor in Chief: Jacqueline Akhmedova Managing Editor: Jessica Novakovich
The Akhmedova Ballet Post is a product of the collaborative efforts of the students of the Akhmedova Ballet Academy. We wish to spread our ideas and knowledge to connect with others in this uncertain time.
The Akhmedova Ballet Academy Students created this video to inspire others in this time!
welcome
our mission
ADULT CLASSES
The Akhmedova Ballet Academy’s Introduction to Ballet program offers an excellent introduction to the Russian Vaganova Method for children age 6-8 years of age. This class will develop the strength and flexibility young dancers are required to have for the preparatory and the pre-professional programs. They will learn the foundation of ballet positions and movement through slow and methodical classes. This program is preparing students to be ready to enter into the next level of ballet training. No audition is necessary to join this level. A minimum of 4 students is required to do this class.
ENROLL NOW IN OUR NEW CLASSES FOR SEPTEMBER
INTRODUCTION TO BALLET
The Akhmedova Ballet Academy's Adult Program teaches the basic foundation and technique of the Russian Vaganova Method. Adult students will increase their flexibility and learn to explore artistic expression through movement and music. This class is a wonderful opportunity for adults to learn and appreciate the beautiful art form of ballet while exercising and toning the body.Throughout the hear the students will transition from a beginner ballet class to an intermediate level as their knowledge and ability grows.
PTP Level 3/4
PTP Level 1
The PTP LEVEL 1 Division is a program for talented students age 9-11 years old. It offers aspiring young students the opportunity to train in the Vaganova method with one of our wonderful Vaganova teachers. The program utilizes the Vaganova Method in which some of the greatest ballet dancers such as Nureyev, Makarova, Baryshnikov, Zakharova, Vasiliev, and Smirnova were trained. The PTP 1 program utilizes elementary exercises that develop the student’s mastery of the basic stance of the body and the positions of the feet, arms and head. These foundations of classical ballet will be developed through slow and meticulous classes that prepare the students for progress to higher levels of training. Students will learn the basic technique, posture, barre, proper stretching and strengthening, ballet discipline and etiquette, small dance compositions and contemporary dance. Through these classes the students will develop the skills necessary to prepare themselves for class and most importantly to cultivate a work ethic. Classes are kept small so that dancers receive the finest quality ballet training in a “semi-private” training environment. This level has 2-hour technique classes three times per week, Pilates and Contemporary class once a week. Students will perform at some of our shows during the year at discretion of the teacher and Artistic Director. A minimum of 4 students is required to do this class. Admission to the Preparatory Division is by audition only. Please contact ABA by email or call to set up an audition date.
TRAINING PROGRAM CLASSES
ENROLL IN OUR PROFESSIONAL
Professional Training Program 3/4 is for talented students age 12-14. Professional Training Program utilizes the Vaganova Method in which some of the greatest ballet dancers such as Nureyev, Makarova, Baryshnikov, Zakharova, Vasiliev, and Smirnova were trained. Classes are kept small so that dancers receive the finest quality ballet training in a “semi-private” training environment in which size does not exceed 8 students. This level trains 5 days per week 3 hours per day. This level develops the strengthening of stability in all classical ballet movements both on demi-pointe and pointe. Focus is on the mastery of the technique of beats, tours and larger poses. In this level begins the development of plasticity of the arms and body as the combinations become more complex and advanced. Each student is given an opportunity to learn pieces from the classical repertoire, as well as contemporary group pieces and character dances to be performed at a professional venue on a full-size stage twice a year. Performances in community settings are scheduled throughout the year. Selected students are chosen for national and international ballet competitions. Private instructions are available by appointment. The PTP 3/4 includes: Classical Technique, Pointe, Repertoire, Character, Contemporary, Pilates, Conditioning and Stretching. Admission to the Professional Training Program 3/4 is by audition only.
ENROLL NOW IN OUR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SEPTEMBER
This level develops the strengthening of stability in all classical ballet movements both on demi-pointe and pointe. Focus is on the mastery of the technique of beats, tours and larger poses. In this level begins the development of plasticity of the arms and body as the combinations become more complex and advanced. Each student is given an opportunity to learn pieces from the classical repertoire, as well as contemporary group pieces and character dances to be performed at a professional venue on a full-size stage twice a year. Performances in community settings are scheduled throughout the year. Selected students are chosen for national and international ballet competitions. Private instructions are available by appointment. The Pre-PTP includes: Classical Technique, Pointe, Repertoire, Character, Contemporary, Pilates, Conditioning and Stretching, Ballet History. Admission to the Pre-Professional Training Program is by audition only.
Pre-PTP Level
The Professional Training Program 5/6 (PTP) is designed for the serious ballet dancer ages 15-19 years old. The program utilizes the Vaganova Method in which some of the greatest ballet dancers such as Nureyev, Makarova, Baryshnikov, Zakharova, Vasiliev, and Osipova were trained. The perfection and polishing of the program for the preceding classes, including the mastery of all the basic movements of classical dance. More complex combinations, especially in adagio, allegro and pointe using more complicated musical material. Development of performing artistry and virtuosity. Special work on individual development of each student. Classes are kept small so that dancers receive the finest quality ballet training in a “semi-private” training environment in which size does not exceed 8 students. This level trains 6 days per week 4 hours per day. Each student is given an opportunity to learn classical ballet solo variations, contemporary variation, as well as contemporary group pieces and character dances to be performed at a professional venue on a full size stage. The performances take place each winter and spring. All students are given the opportunity to compete at the Youth America Grand Prix. Selected students are also chosen for international ballet competitions. Private instructions are available by appointment. The comprehensive PTP 5/6 includes: Classical Technique, Pointe, Repertoire, Character, Contemporary, Pilates, Conditioning and Stretching. Performances on professional stages and Performances in community settings throughout the year. Admission to the Professional Training Program 5/6 is by audition only.
PTP Level 5/6
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PERFORMANCES
with sasha
AND
ARTS
Character dance is a category of dance which includes all of the traditional and folk dances from different countries and incorporates it into classical steps. Character is used in almost every ballet and in some operas. In ballets, you can tell where the ballet is based or originated from by the style of the character dances. For example, in Coppelia, the ballet incorporates a lot of Czardas dances and steps showing the setting of the ballet is in Poland.
In Don Quixote, there are many Fandango pieces showing it’s spanish origin. Character dance is also combined with classical ballet often to create “character-ballets”. Some of these include Raymonda and Paquita. This is where throughout the entire ballet character is subtly used even in pointe shoes. Learning character as ballet dancers is very important not only for coordination but also for expression and rhythm.
Character teaches you how to coordinate your legs and arms in ways that are use everyday in ballet. Rhythm and musical interpretation are also learned in character dance and then used in classical ballet. Finally, the ability to express emotions in the slightest movements is also learned in character and translate over to ballet to show artistry.
La Esmeralda is a ballet, which has three acts and five scenes.Notre-Dame de Paris,by Victor Hugo, influenced the making of this ballet. La Esmeralda is about a gypsy girl named Esmeralda, who marries a poet so he doesn’t die from the gypsy king. Later on, Quasimodo is ordered by his master, Clause Frollo, who is the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, to abduct Esmeralda. When Quasimodo attacks and abducts Esmeralda, the King’s Archers come to rescue her. The King’s Archers are led by Phoebus de Chateaupers, who then captures Quasimodo. Because the Archers wanted to punish Quasimodo and Esmeralda was against that, he was touched by her affection. Phoebus then gave her his scarf, given to him by his fiancé, Fleur de Lys. Soon after, Esmeralda arrives at Fleur de Lys’s engagement celebration. There, Esmeralda finds out that Phoebus is her fiancé, as Fleur de Lys sees Esmeralda wearing the scarf she gave to Phoebus. Furious, she decides to cancel the engagement, knowing that her fiancé has fallen in love with someone else, and Esmeralda leaves the celebration with Phoebus. When the two are alone, they declare their love for each other, but they don’t know that Frollo is listening to their every word. Frollo finds a dagger from Esmeralda’s room and stabs Phoebus. Then he calls the officials, telling, and showing, them the dagger and the body. Subsequently, Esmeralda is sentenced to death. The next morning, Esmeralda is supposed to be hang for committing the crime, but, just in time, Phoebus comes out, alive, and tells the truth about what happened. Frollo tries to kill them once again with a dagger, but Quasimodo takes it from him and stabs him to death. The two are finally together again.
INTO
THE
WITH LUCY
VARIATION
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This variation is well known for the tambourine and is often used for ballet competitions. La Esmeralda is also a very hard variation because of the turns throughout the variation, as well as having to balance during the ballones at the end. During the variation, the character portrayed is youthful and bold, as well as ostentatious and ambitious. At all times you need to keep your posture and your confidence. In the beginning, make sure to have a nice plie, with both heels on the floor, when going into the next moves, hold the shoulder blades/ back to make each movement even stronger.
Keep the knees straight for all echappes and the supporting leg. For whatever turn done next, hold your arms and make sure to sustain a turned-out knee. Also, land softly into fourth position and don’t crash down. Then, when you turn, support your elbows, lift up, and stay on top of your supporting leg. When landing, keep the heel on the floor so you don’t wobble. For the next part, also land softly on each, keep the leg right behind you, keep your arms in front, and maintain the character. After, comes the “circle,” which includes tour degages. Once the “circle” is finished, there is a diagonal with ballones. When doing those, the hips have to be straight and the leg has to kick out and be strong. Like everything else, hold your arms and your back to help stay balanced. And finally, end with a big jump, into the ending pose on the floor, with a nice smile, of course!
WITH ISABELLE
TECHNIQUE
BALLET
INSIDE
Pointe work is probably the most characteristic of ballet dancing. The technique refers to how a ballet dancer resides all of her body weight on the fully extended feet wearing pointe shoes. Pointe shoes are the unique type of shoes constructed with a hard box at the front of the shoes and a shank to encase and support dancer’s toes and allow the dancer to stand on her toes for extended period of time. The prototype of pointe shoes was invented in 1795 by Charles Didelot, which he called the “flying machine”, referring to a sort of rope and pulled system that lifted dancers upward and allowed them to stand on their toes. As time goes on, dancers wanted to be able to dance en pointe without the aid of wires. The first dancer to dance in shoes that are closer to the modern pointe shoes was Marie Taglioni in 1832, with a pair of modified satin slippers darned with sides and toes that hold the shape of the shoes.
In the early time of pointe work, it was used to serve a ballet’s narrative, distinguishing mortals from supernatural fairies and sylphs. Pointe techniques, which means dancing on the tips of fully extended feet, is critical for ballet dancers to create the illusion of incredible lightness and to project an amazing sense of daring. Pointe work is essential to the delivery of ballet aesthetics. Nowadays, pointe work has become integrated to all aspects of ballet dancing and has expanded and enabled innovations in ballet techniques. Because the growth of the foot is about complete at age of 11 or 12, many believe this is the appropriate age to start pointe work for ballet dancers. Some people believe the right age for starting pointe work is not determined by the number, but the ability and strength of the feet. It is mostly agreed though that a dancer should wait until she is at least 9 or 10 years old to start pointe work.
The birth of the modern pointe shoes is often traced back to early 20thcentury Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Pavlova had particularly high, arched insteps and slender, tapered feet. To provide some extra support her feet need, she inserted toughened leather soles into her shoes. She also flattened and hardened the toe area to form a box. In 1910, on Pavlova’s first trip to the US, she had her company outfitted in shoes made by the Metropolitan Opera Shoemaker Salvator Capezio, which became the first pointe shoes brand.
Pointe work is essential to excel in ballet but it is a demanding technique that takes enormous hard work and physical preparation. It is important to stretch the muscles in the feet that can strengthen and lengthen the arch. It is also critical to find the pointe shoes that fit particularly well with the dancer’s feet. There are many brands and each brands make pointe shoes of different parameters. It is a worthwhile endeavor to try a large number of pointe shoes until a perfect match emerges. Because pointe work is demanding, dancing on pointe could be prone to injuries and dancers need to pay particular attention to their safety.
PRIORITIZE, ORGANIZE AND NUTRITIONIZE WITH JESSICA
How to create a healthy diet plan that helps you get back in shape! Diet is an important aspect for dancers. We have to craft a plan for ourselves that takes into account how our bodies react to foods, our rigorous training schedules and most importantly the fact that ballet is a visual art. There is a certain shape that we must maintain and cross training doesn’t always achieve this ideal. One must also create a healthy food schedule that helps develop this physique. Dancers should learn to avoid carbohydrates, junk food, sugary drinks and excessive fats. Instead they should aim to consume more fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Red meats and sugar should be avoided. Here is a sample diet but remember that each dancers body requires different plans. When you settle on a diet plan you should give it around a month with close monitoring for changes. If there is positive changes one should continue, if its negative then you should rework the plan. Sample Diet Breakfast: 8 oz of black coffee 8 oz smoothie with frozen blueberries and non-fat Greek Yogurt Water with lemon Snack #1: Handful of unsalted almonds Snack #2: Apple Dinner: Oven roasted vegetables and chickpeas. Side salad with feta cheese Always drink water throughout the day, this is very important for digestion
MEET OUR NEW CONTEMPORARY TEACHER! COURTNEY WASHINGTON!
Courtney Washington teaches Contemporary Dance and Composition for all PTP levels. Courtney has a well-rounded dance education in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater, and Contemporary/Lyrical, and competed in regional and national dance competitions. Upon graduating from The Kirov Academy in 2010, she continued her training with Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet’s trainee program. There she had the opportunity to perform works by Maurya Kerr, Nathan Trice, Kara Davis, LeeWei Chao, Sidra Bell, Yannis Adoniou, Michael Velez and Keelan Whitmore. In the Summer 2012, Courtney joined Ballet Teatro Internacional, as a featured soloist on their South American tour. Courtney is still dancing and travels from DC to New York often to perform in dance projects and industrial shows. Courtney teaches master classes at various studios, Jazz at the Kirov Academy and her choreographies have been commissioned by many pre professional dance school/studios and have earned her choreography awards at dance competition like NYCDA, YAGP, and World Ballet Competition. Her students have gone on to attend University of the Arts, Washington Ballet, Radio City Rockettes, Nederlands Dans Theater 2 and Dominican University, just to name a few.
I am now two weeks into my first year at ABA and I am really enjoying it and focusing on improving. A good way to track personal improvement while practicing an art like dance where you don’t always see improvement day to day to set concrete goals; that way, when you meet the goals, you are assured of your improvement. My goals for the year are to focus on my technique, increase my turn out, and improve my pointe work. I think that paying close attention to my technique in ballet will help me with all the little details of my dancing and take my work to the next level. Details in ballet are important for lots of reasons. Details are important to make your artistry, lines, and movement quality beautiful and details are also vital to be sure you don’t injure yourself by doing a step improperly. By the end of this year, I hope to have cleaner transitions and for my technique to have a defined russian appearance. Something I’ve noticed in my time at ABA is that I am missing some strength that is used to hold external rotation or what we like to call turnout. I’ve been using the exercises we learn in Pilates along with other physical therapy exercises I learned about last year to build strength. I think that by continuing to do these exercises I will build more and more strength which should help me tremendously with my turnout. I want my turnout to be complete and look effortless by the end of this year. At ABA we spend a lot of time en pointe. Ballets are performed en pointe. It is very rare for a woman to perform a classical ballet off pointe. This is why it is so important for us to practice as much as we can. I need to focus this year on gaining strength and stability in my pointe shoes. With more strength I will be able to improve some of my skills like ballonés, Chaînés, and Pirouettes. Apart from these main goals I am still working on improving my endurance. Endurance is so important for dancers because we need to be able to dance full ballets with short breaks. Ever since we left school because of Covid-19 I’ve started running to help my cardiovascular muscles stay strong. I have an app on my phone that helps me pace myself while I run it also tracks how far I run. Normally I like incremental running for two to three miles. Running is great for your endurance in dance class but I also like it because it’s a great way to clear your head. -Josephine Levin
GOALS FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR! WITH JOJO, TESS AND JULIANA
My goals for this year are to become more flexible, improve my overall technique, and get really strong. Another more specific goal is to improve my arabesque. I don’t like how my arabesque looks and I know there is a way to make it better so I plan on doing the back exercises and using a band to try to get my leg higher. I plan to stretch every day to work on my over-splits and to get my leg closer to my body when it is to the side. With stretching must come strength. I need to work on my back and core strength as well as strength in my legs. I’ve been working out every day, out of class as well as what we do in class. Lastly I am really working to improve my technique. During the first week I got a lot of good corrections that I have been applying and I already notice such a big difference in my dancing. I can’t wait to see how much I will have improved by the end of the year. Outside of dance I enjoy hot yoga because it helps me release my muscles and get a nice relaxing stretch in. Yoga also helps with strengthening because sometimes you hold the poses for a long time and they work parts of your body that you’re not used to working. I like hot yoga specifically because the heat helps release any tension in my muscles. Yoga is also good for your mental health because you are in a calm space focused only on your body. Before Coronavirus I was planning on joining a gym to work on cardio and stamina. When it is safe enough to go back to the gym I plan on going. At the gym I would use the machines to help strengthen your shoulders and also the ones for your outer thighs. I would jog on the treadmill and sometimes bike. Zumba was also something I really enjoyed because it made me sweat and was a good cardio exercise. I liked the dancing aspect of it because it was a fun way to get a workout in. -Julianna Anderson
For all kinds of dancers, a crucial part of improvement is setting goals for yourself in which you can use as a source of encouragement while you are training. These goals can be set for the week, month or even year. Personally, I have set some bigger goals which I intend to accomplish this year, most of which include improving technical aspects of my dancing. My first and most important goal I am working towards is opening up and strengthening my back. Having an open back is important for creating lines such as arabesque and attitude and even just standing at barre. I believe strengthening my back is an important step in achieving my goal because while your back must be pliable, it must also be strong enough to hold positions for extended amounts of time. Something that I have been doing outside of the studio to help me gain strength and flexibility in my back is Gyrotonics. Gyrotonics is an activity created by Juliu Horvath with machines specially designed to use your body as its own resistance, while using the machines’ features in a circular pushing/ pulling manner. The machine which I have used the most, would be the Gyrotonic Pulley Tower. The tower includes two rotating discs with handles and two pulleys for your arms or legs. This device has not only helped me loosen my back, but also has helped me work towards my other goal of opening up my hips, by practicing rotating exercises on the pulleys. Another one of my most important goals would be stretching out and strengthening my feet. Ankle mobility has been an issue I have struggled with for a while and needed to be addressed even more after I recently had surgery to remove an extra Os Trigonum bone in my foot which was causing pain. Regaining my strength after the procedure required lots of strengthening exercises using a theraband. While gaining my strength back, I also had to think about gaining mobility back. For this purpose, one of the most helpful activities I have practiced would be using my foot stretcher before class or after a long day of dancing. I have also found that stretching out my soleus muscles and Achilles’ tendon increases my range of motion when pointing my foot. When adding all of these activities on top of daily training, it takes some planning and effort, but in the long run is definitely worth it in order to successfully reach your goals. -Tess Moayedi
BALLET ETIQUETTE WITH PTP LEVEL 1
The study of ballet requires dancers to follow certain rules when they train in-studio, to ensure students show the proper respect for and attention to their teachers, their peers – and themselves! --By Ariel Barnett To be a successful student you must follow proper ballet rules, many of which are being respectful, curtsying, always be ready for class, and in uniform. That set of rules is called etiquette. People have etiquette in classes so that they show respect to the teacher and students around them. -Anna Sycheva
It is important to follow the rules in class. Rules are important for ballet class because they help improve the class. The rule “be quiet when the teacher is talking” is important. If you are talking in class when the teacher is explaining a combination or correction, your fellow classmates will not be able to hear it just because of you. Unless the teacher calls on you, you should remain silent and listen to her/him. Another rule is to “focus and participate”. This rule is extremely important. You should always focus in class and participate. When a teacher tells the class a correction, you should listen and absorb the information. If you absorb the information your teacher gives you, you will improve faster. Even when a teacher gives a correction to another student about a step in ballet, you should apply that correction to yourself. And when the teacher asks you to do a certain step in ballet, you would apply the correction and do it correctly. That way you can improve faster and the teacher will give you another correction to improve your technique. You should always participate in class. When the teacher is showing the combination, you should watch and learn. Don’t just stand there and copy the student in front of you because you do not know the combination. Instead, know the combination beforehand and when the music plays you would know what to do right away. One of the main rules is to bow to the teacher at the end/beginning of class. You bow to the teacher to show respect and gratefulness. You are grateful that the ballet teacher has worked hard and taught you how to dance. Rules are important because they shape our society. If ballet class had no rules, what do you think would happen? Then the students wouldn’t be able to learn from experiences. Like when a student forgets to do her/his homework, then they would most likely get a bad grade on their quiz they are having. Every action has a consequence, and we need to learn from them. In ballet, you need to remember your corrections. The teacher is going to get irritated that you are not listening to her/his corrections that they are giving you. In the end, you would not be able to improve and the teacher would be a bit stressed out. -Jennifer Ku
ask the artistic director
with mme. akhmedova
A tribute to my teachers who helped shape the artist I am today.