Agrippina Vaganova 1879-1951: Her Place in the History of Ballet and Her Impact on the Future of Classical Dance

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 637 pages
• Published by: Edwin Mellen Press November 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0773470743
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0773470743
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Weighs: 2.6 pounds

Reader Reviews
Bravo to Professor Peggy Willis-Aarnio for her efforts in detailing the life and times of Agrippina Vaganova! In this extremely well-documented book, she has included historical and biographical information on A.Y. Vaganova that has previously not been available in or translated into English. Especially satisfying was the information provided from L.Rozhdestvennskaya's (editing ?) of Vaganova's "Articles, Recollections, (and) Materials" published in 1958. Books and journal articles are not always republished in Russia, so when you see a book on the shelf at "Dom Knigi" or at "Gostiny Dvor", you buy it no matter what. And Vaganova's "Articles, Recollections, Materials" is a must-have if you can ever obtain a copy. Although it will probably trigger a "special" tax or customs payment to get it out of the Russia, since it may be considered an archival document, artifact, or antique. To Professor Willis-Aarnio's credit, she has examined a tremendous amount of original source materials, and this is reflected in her work and scholarship. For the average reader or student of ballet, she has included an overall history of classical dance, and just as importantly, the development and history of ballet performance in Russia. For the balletomane, she has included lots of footnotes, a list of Vaganova's performances and roles, and a list of her pupils, a ballet timeline, a ballet lineage of teachers, and the original introduction to Vaganova's "Fundamentals of Classical Dance." Also, there are several insightful essays on the teaching of ballet contributed by Caroline Breshears, an educator and protege of Professor Willis-Aarnio. At 637 pages, the book serves as both a textbook and a reference book for the history of classical dance. Still, one wishes for more translated information and anecdotes about Vaganova's early teaching experience, the birth and life of her son, the blockade of St. Petersburg in 1941 during the Great Patriotic War (WWII) and how she stayed behind to care for her mother, the travel to Perm, her work at the Bolshoi Theatre during this time, and the current location or existence of the "forgotten or misplaced" Pomerantsev archives. But clearly, Professor Willis-Aarnio's efforts are a much needed and appreciated work in this area. One only hopes for further publications from this author and educator in the subject matter of classical dance forms and teaching methodology. While it may be a bit premature to say that the center of classical dance pedagogy has shifted from Saint Petersburg, Russia to Lubbock, Texas, USA, this particular book has certainly started the momentum in that direction.