CREATIVITY UNITES: PRESERVING GLOBAL VALUES
The major subject of the School is the value selection between the internal own values and what affects a man from the outside, such as mass media, Internet, and common stereotypes. How does a modern man pass through such value conflict? What contradictory values do people face? What value dilemmas do they solve? How to save global values and avoid instantaneous influences?
Participants will have to reflect the struggle inside a modern man between eternal true global principles and aggressively imposed inane temptations of the modern world.
Three weeks filled with an effective program:
Classical Russian ballet lessons - 20 h
Contemporary dance technique - 20 h
Hours of rehearsals - 45 h
For the second year, the choreographic session with the support of the Innopraktika Foundation will be held at The Boris Eifman Dance Academy. The purpose and mission of the session are cultural exchange. 4 foreign choreographers and 11 foreign dancers come to the Academy to practice classical and contemporary dance. Also, for three weeks, foreign dancers work with Russian choreographers, at the same time, foreign choreographers stage their choreography on the students of the Academy. Academy students are dancers 16-18 years old professionally trained in classical and contemporary dance. This year, 16 students of the Academy and two professional artists from the Boris Eifman Ballet Theater will be involved.
For the final performances at the end, we will invite a lighting and media designer. Also, the Academy provides the staging with costumes and props. Purchases of costumes are discussed individually. It could be completely professional performances with the use of stage machinery, make-up artists, etc. The festival will take place in two cities: one performance in St.Petersburg and three performances in Sevastopol.
Furthermore, Foundation prepares a rich cultural program: visits to ballet theatres in St.Petersburg, exhibitions and museums. The entire program is completely free for participants.
First of all, I really love how spacious the Eifman Academy is. Their building is so huge with plenty of studios available to accommodate a vast number of students. From the short time I’ve spent training with them, I feel like I improved immensely in both ballet and contemporary! Everyone was just so welcoming that I really felt attached and emotional when we finally had to part. I’m really proud and thankful to have been able to travel to Russia, to be a part of the Russian Seasons, to study under so many of my amazing mentors, and to have made such wonderful friends and memories!
My experience with Innopraktika and Russian Seasons was invaluable and unique. Boris Eifman Dance Academy provided a spacious and modern set of studios along with incredible teachers and talented students. In such a short amount of time I learnt so much, and saw immense progress within my ballet and contemporary training. The creative collaboration between multiple different cultures and personal experiences was something truly unique, and eye opening. Our journey allowed us to create choreography that connects all people from all over the world. It was incredibly hard to let go of this experience and say our final goodbyes!
What a whirlwind. My time with Russian Seasons was exhilarating, inspiring, physically challenging, explorative, refreshing, eye-opening, liberating and the whole thing has left me humbled. I was incredibly fortunate to be apart of it and now that I’ve had time to process it all, I wish I could be back there to relive it all over again. The memories I’ve made and the people that I’ve met will stay with me for a lifetime, and my friendship group has now expanded across the world as I made connections with people that I never would have had the opportunity to otherwise. It was a crazy month there’s no doubt about that. At times perhaps too crazy (I think we all would have benefited from just one or two days off to process all the amazing things that we were experiencing - and to rest our legs!) but we embraced all of it and have returned home with many a story to tell. Christina was our guiding light throughout, supporting us the whole way through and without her I really don’t know what we would have done. I’m still in awe at the talent of the Russian students at such a young age and it terrifies me to think that they might be at the same auditions for work as me in the future. They are incredible! As for the country, I felt welcomed and embraced in its’ culture. The people felt warm and chic and busy as we all bustled along together beneath the Russian sun. I am SO privileged to have been a part of this. Fingers crossed this is not my last encounter with this amazing country. Thank you for having me.
An experience that has literally changed my life. Every moment, every activity and every contact with the Russian culture have left a huge heritage in my persona. It was intense and totally worthwhile because I had the chance to be in contact with a plurality of cultures and ways of approaching arts inside one of the most beautiful cities in the world, where Arts are totally respected and honoured. Art is culture, humanity and life. Without Art we would be lost completely. I really thank you all from my heart for having selected me for this project. I hope to have the chance to collaborate with you soon. Great people, amazing organization and wonderful level of professionality and professionals inside the academy (I have left my heart in those studios and in those theatres). Thank you.
My name is Urvil Shah, a dancer & teacher from India and I love writing my thoughts onto paper and this is what I wrote in the plane before I landed in Russia – _ “I'm on my way to Russia, Landing in Delhi now. It's been goood up until now. Fear, excitement, freedom, curiosity, a sense of caution , and many other mixed feelings confusing me only to empower me later, I hope :p I'm going to be the best version of myself. I'm going to make amazing friends, have new experiences, learn and dance my heart out and leave the country with a new found inspiration, motivation and perspective. I'm going to work on my body tremendously, and also discover the hidden potential in me. And most importantly be a warm ball of light, joy and positivity. I just ask the universe to back me up, give me the power to stream on, full power.” And I must say I felt all these experiences and feelings and much more right into the depths of me. Russia was totally opposite of what I thought. It welcomed me with open arms, sharing bright colours and making me awestruck with gigantic and grand architecture. It was enormous but yet delicate , out there - bold and loud but yet hiding and yearning for something from within, full of history, secrets and knowledge leaving me curious just like a kid in a candy shop. I couldn’t ask for anything more_. Universe had granted me the right opportunity at the right time. And im glad it turned into one of the most memorable experiences of my lifetime. And to make that happen it was the experience I shared with every person I encountered there. From my fellow participants, to my choreographers , to the russian teachers, academy students and most importantly the management. The program created by the management was so wholistic and enriching. It included training, rehearsals, opportunities to learn and perform, watching classical ballet productions, taking us to palaces, museums and theatres for us to get acquainted with the russian culture and its history. Some words that first come to my mind about the arrangements and facilities provided by the school and its management are caring, personal, prompt, professional and most importantly a sense of family. I left russia with nothing but gratefulness in my heart. I never thought in 25 days a family could be built but it happened. I leave russia with the most memorable experience of my life up until now, and for that I am forever thankful to IRSS, Russian Seasons and Boris Eifman Dance Academy. Ive always wanted to change the way dance is seen in India as it is not revered as much as art is revered in Russia, and this session just gave me the foundation to build upon this thought. I know its not the end, and I have a larger role to play between Russia and India. Cant wait. Thank you and Best Wishes,
I had a great time in St. Petersburg the people there were super sweet, fun, and motivating. A very clean city. Amazing dance studio. All the teachers are extremely talented and helpful to people of all ages and skills. There are a lot of group classes and tours every week in many learnings. Working with 2 different choreographers was a great experience. Cuz it makes me stronger and smarter at the same time, Things that need to improve during the workshop. Releasing of concrete information in the daily schedule. Be more strict by accepting a participant. I think that's it. The rest was fine. The workshop gave me the skills and confidence to become a great dancer in my country. Thank you so much for allowing us to explore more, be more fearless, and adapt to change better! Thank you for your support and love.
Russian Seasons and Inopraktika have come up with a really good idea for performing artists. And I highly appreciate that they have decided to include dancers and choreographers in their 2021 edition. Being a dancer, I would say that we need projects like this in order to meet professional, creative people from different countries. 80% of the existing dance projects are quite expensive for dancers to participate. And in the end, only those who can afford it are able to participate, and not those who have the talent or need the chance. This project didn't require any money from the dancers and we enjoyed the excellent hospitality. - We got professional, intensive trainings with great teachers. - We worked with creative choreographers (special thanks to Ksenia Mikheeva, Valeria and Natalia Kasparova for working with me); and - We performed on stage for Russian audience four times. Special thanks to Vadim Kasparov and Natalya Kasparova who were responsible for these performances. - We had a busy program including museum and theater visits. The volunteers and the organizers were very helpful and caring. The project really must appreciate having Christina around. Without her I don't know how all this would have been possible. She was so willing to do anything, all questions were answered, all problems were solved within seconds. Varvara made the posts and actively presented us on social media, so many artists found me through the @irsschool page. In today's time it is really of importance. And Ruslan took the most amazing photos of the unforgettable moments we had. I loved being at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy. Eifman is my inspiration as a future choreographer. The academy staff and students were so nice and friendly. I already miss my Russian friends from the academy. I also want to thank Gazprom, the main sponsor of this project. Time for some suggestions. Even though everything was great, I still would have wished for some masterclasses with Boris Eifman, or at least just a talk or feedback from him about each one of us. It would also be interesting if the project had a continuation for the dancers (for example: if we had the possibility to dance the choreographies that were made for us outside the project or to publish them. Or if some company directors from Russia were invited to see our performance and hold a discussion, etc.). I also noticed that most of the choreographies were not made for us, but they were choreographies that were already made and the choreographers just transferred them on us. Since choreographers usually create choreographies taking into account the dancer's characteristics, it would have been desirable if they had created an additional piece especially for and with us. It was also important to have the Inopraktika classes, but, it would have been better if we had lectures about the literature, art- and cultural history of Russia, or some pre discussion about the museums we visited during the project. And not only international students sharing their opinions about Russia but also Russian professors sharing their knowledge about Russian art. I had a lot of fun participating in this project. I really appreciate the opportunity I had. And there are two special gifts that I take with me from this project. First - friends from 11 different countries (+Russia), and Second - wonderful memories
The session has truly been such an incredible, interesting and instructive experience. Through the 27 days in Russia, we have experienced the Russian style of ballet both on many stages, but also ourselves behind the walls of the academy. We have as well been presented to such a variety of contemporary in our training, and I truly feel both have allowed me to grow as a dancer, and as an artist. With the focus of the session, this project has also giving us the opportunity to get acquainted with Russia and Russian culture. We have explored this, to me, new country and culture as a group of 13 dancers and choreographers from all around the world with the help of all the people surrounding us. And, getting to know all these people, all these dancers, artist, through the intense weeks in Russia have been such an inspiration and, for me, insightful experience. And, it’s exactly how all these “components” of this session together, in my opinion, have created such an incredible, unique experience, that I will forever be grateful to have been a part of. Thank you so much for your work!! The trip would not have been the same without you! I wish you all the best in your new chapter. I really miss you and hope we’ll meet again in the future!
What I really appreciated about St.Petersburg, Russia, and Boris Eifman Dance Academy is that everything was so grande, well kept, and well presented. Traveling to Russia not knowing what to expect haven't technically trained in over a year, I was quite anxious. The first day at the Academy taking classes was quite nerve-wrecking for me, mentally and physically. I was not ready for that quality of technical training. The training was of great quality and standard, which I really appreciated. It pushed me and took me out of my comfort zone which would contribute to the development and improvement in my skill. Each class was a new lesson/task in some way and or manner. The teachers/choreographers all came with a sense of knowledge to pass on, being it contemporary/ballet they all tried their best to make us do our best. The ballet classes were different from what I was accustom to which was the English ballet but I was grateful for the Russian ballet experience even though it was for a short period of time. I was happy to hear from the ballet teacher that he was seeing improvement in our dancing compared to our first class, feedback is very important to me. Each contemporary class helped influence and motivate my movement style/quality and opened my mind to a new experience. As you know I am from a completely different culture and our food serving size is way more than what we got for lunch but I love and appreciated the correct serving size and the healthy meals, which fueled my body for the tedious training and rehearsals we had. Lastly, I appreciated seeing so many male dancers and choreographers it motivated me a lot. In my country, male dancers outside of the urban styles are limited and looked upon differently. I enjoyed being surrounded by so many well-trained’ strong male dancers, they really helped me, especially in the ballet classes. I was able to see a clear demonstration of what to do, thanks to Damon and the other guys who took the ballet class with us. I enjoyed my time at the Academy, I just wished the training could have been longer for my development and improvement in my craft and skill. Thank you Boris Eifman Dance Academy and everyone who contributed to this wonderful experience from the teachers to the choreographers and even the students/dancers of the academy, thanks for being so professional and hospitable.
Dear Colleagues of Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School, I hope this letter finds you well. It was such a pleasure to work with you all in Saint Petersburg and Sevastopol. I am very grateful to have your support; without you, my choreographic work, At the Edge of Perception, would not be realised. This July was such a wonderful and enjoyable journey. As a dance artist, I believe dancers do not need to be perfect machines for being great performers. Moreover, as a choreographer, I think dance requires a more profound involvement than mechanical consideration. Dance, as an art, involves an awareness of what we are trying to communicate as humankind, which distinguishes our mind from the mechanics and drives. It might be harder to define or reveal; that being said, I think this is even more important for me to consider. Theatrical dance is not only about anatomically detailed; it is also about realising our expression and connection, about revealing a space, engaging an audience, moving someone—it is about making connections between ideas and knowing how to communicate them with people, or purely with ourselves. And by your Choreography Session, my opinion regarding the above network of communication had been enlarged; I could share my artistic concept with people there in Russia, thank you. When I was in Sevastopol, a journalist asked me if I saw any soul in my dancers based on a text I used in my synopsis of the choreographic work; without any doubt, my answer was a yes. During the second performance, my young dancers were no longer focusing on the choreographic steps; they had been starting to make their concepts and personalities in the roles that I created for them individually. They were communicating with each other and the audiences, with their minds, with their hearts, and I witnessed with my eyes, with my heart, I was so touched by the realisation of the spirits embodied by and in them, that was also what I hoped to realise through my choreographic work. Besides our emotions, we humans are also able to use different ways to express ourselves to others. To me, art is not just the answer but also a path that we all will walk through in our life, and this very path varies the way we walk. As I heard, the Choreography Session of Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School was held for the first time. It might have some uncoordinated moments, but which event does not have this kind of moment. And I think this is actually the reason for us to establish an anchor for people, for each other, to discuss the shared values towards the global values, what a great fortune. It may be idealistic, but without the idea, where is the movement. I appreciate your genuine intention to convey the necessity and the importance of talking about global values to people. I wish you much more successful outcomes of your programs in the future and all the best to Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to have been given the unique chance to participate in the session within Innopraktika and Russian Season School with an alliance of Boris Eifman Dance Academy. During almost one month we’ve got the opportunity to immerse within Russian Culture and especially Russian method of Classical Dance (Vaganova method) and working with high- ranking Russian choreographers and dancers. Before I’ve already done a few Summer Dance programs or intensives but I’ve never experienced something like that. It was truly precious time, not only we had daily lessons of classical and contemporary dance with accomplished and competent teachers, we’ve been given a rare chance to be a part and saw the process of making new pieces, choreographies on ourselves. I could not express how much I appreciated the opportunity that I was guided and able to work under award-winning Russian dancers and choreographers. Our effort resulted in four evening performances, spectacles, one in St. Petersburg in the Children Dance Theatre at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy building and the others as a part of special event in Sevastopol – which was the cultural festival called Global Values. It was the festival where the main and most important part was actually the spectacle of the famous choreography Bolero to the music of Maurice Ravel performed by the magnificent Sergei Polunin. I though that it’s one in a lifetime to have the possibility shared the stage with such a ballet star. In addition to all the countless and unforgettable experiences and skills that I’ve gained during the whole session, we also have become so familiar and honest friends with others participants regardless of the fact that we met there 13 completely different personalities from others nations. In less than a month we became so close. I am incredibly thankful and once again Thank You very much for this opportunity. I hope that it wasn’t the last time for me in Russia and I wish and pray that I will have the chance to come back and dance in Russia in the future. I enjoyed it very much and great thanks to all organizers, staff, interpreters and everyone who was helping and part throughout the Session, thanks to you we felt like at home in Russia and the period which we spent with you was truly special. You all are amazing and valuable people. I think the whole program/session has proven that the art really connect people whatever happen. Thank you ! It was a real honour to be a part of the Choreography Session 2021!
I absolutely had a wonderful experience overall in Russia! The Russians seasons and Innopraktika really made it a very smooth trip and were very accommodating to all of us international participants! The hotel was very clean and had lots of space. The studios at the Boris Eiffman Academy were so breathtaking. All of the staff and choreographers and students at the academy were so kind, welcoming, and very helpful! I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city as well and being able to visit many beautiful museums and seeing world famous ballets performed by the best companies in the world! It was truly an honor to have been accepted and participate in the program!
It was a great experience to get to know Russia, and specially St. Petersburg that inspired me very much. It was a very valuable experience to visit to the museums, the palaces and to be able to watch the performances as well. And to get to know a bit of Russian culture and the people. As a choreographer, It was a great opportunity to develop my work, I was very happy with the result of my piece. As well as the process between choreographer and dancers. My only suggestion for the next Choreography Session for the future would be regarding the schedule between the three institutions Innopraktika & Russian Seasons and Boris Eifman Academy. Perhaps for the participants, it would be easier to understand the assignments ahead. Overall I’m very glad I was able to be part of the Festival. It was definitely a great opportunity. A big thanks to all the organisation staff who had a lot of work bringing all the participants together, making sure we were good.