VIsit to Masters of Ballet Academy Summer Intensive Course

A small number of LBC members were invited to watch day 2 of this week-long summer intensive held at the Lilian Baylis studios at Sadler’s Wells. 

Founded in 2017 by Elena Glurjidze, former principal dancer with the English National Ballet, and Olga Smetanova, former director of the Vaganova Academy in St Petersburg, The Masters of Ballet Academy is the only school in the UK teaching the Vaganova Method of classical ballet training. Classes are held outside school hours at the studio in Acton and the Summer Intensive is open to students aged 8-19 selected following submission of a video and photographs. 

Guest teacher for the opening ballet class was Reece Clarke, principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and arguably the handsomest man to have come out of Scotland since Sean Connery. Reece has received no formal teaching training but said he picked up tips and techniques from watching his brothers (all four boys trained at White Lodge). He appeared to be an instinctive teacher, offering clear instructions, fully demonstrated. He focused strongly on technique explaining how barre work helps prepare for the centre work to follow.

Following this class Reece took four boys through the solo from Swan Lake Act III, gently correcting their technique but also shifting the focus to presentation and performance. Girls were given a pointe work class from Elena which included learning an excerpt from the now rarely performed Russian ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse.

After lunch there followed classes with the more senior students. Firstly, the Ukrainian dancer and teacher Denis Matvienko led them through his own adaptation of an excerpt from Sylvia, then Laban trained Vivian Triantafyllopoulou took them through an energetic contemporary class and finally Sara Knight, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School Teacher’s Training Course and the first British graduate of the Vaganova Academy led a rehearsal of one of her own works in the neo-classical style. 

All the works seen will form part of the end of week showcase due to be performed at the Arts Educational School Theatre in Turnham Green on August 1st.

It was certainly an exciting day to watch, and it was quite clear why it is labelled a summer ‘intensive’! We were lucky to be there, and the students were lucky to have received such a wide range of coaching from such distinguished teachers. Many thanks to Elena and her team for a memorable day.

Report by Krissie Poyser © The London Ballet Circle