Vaganova Ballet Technique

The Vaganova technique is an expressive form of ballet that trains dancers in the use of their entire body, with the intention of creating tranquil and clean movements. Formed by Russian ballet teacher Agrippina Vaganova, the method encompasses traits of classical ballet, using French and Italian principles from the European romantic period of the nineteenth century.

Vaganova herself was not considered to be a particularly strong dancer by her peers at the beginning of her career. While she was accepted into the famous Imperial Ballet School in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Russia, it is documented that she vigorously pushed herself through ballet training to eventually become fluent in many different techniques. This allowed her a strong foundation of understanding across the many different styles of ballet, and influenced her decision to become a dance teacher. She published the book Fundamentals of Classical Dance, which outlines her signature style and is credited with training some of the most distinguished dancers in the world.

Vaganova is one of the most popular forms of ballet taught and performed in the world today, and it is learned through the original training system developed by its founder. It is celebrated for encouraging students to emphasize their core strength with absolute precision, without losing the classical and effortless beauty the art of ballet is known for.

While most people see ballet as a form of dance that capitalizes on the use of the feet, the Vaganova method differs as it incorporates subtle arm and hand movements into routines. It also demands a strong torso from its students in every step, and teaches that strength in this particular area of the body is a fundamentally important aspect of the technique.

This means watching a Vaganova performance is exceptionally enchanting for the audience, as a powerful yet silky combination of movements are sewn together seamlessly.

As this method requires the use of the whole body, it is an excellent discipline that enhances the dancers overall body strength and fitness, allowing them to intensify control over their movements and improve their skill in other types of dance and sport. It has long been understood that this type of training can provide indispensable physical fitness benefits for all manner of athletes, such as football, basketball and soccer players, as it teaches individuals how to manage their balance through muscle training, schooling the body on how to best exploit its natural strength.

As each Vaganova instruction is steeped in traditional techniques, learning this style of ballet boosts a dancer’s self-confidence in their art, as the style was created to benefit both the aesthetic view of the performance and the technical ability of the dancer.

Some of the most typical Vaganova movements taught in class are the tombé, most often used as a traveling step which gracefully leads in to the next movement, various different jumping steps which stimulate the image of the dancer floating through the air and arm positions which serve to support the feet during jumps and twists.