«Innovative educational programs that were launched with the direct involvement of Aleksei Fomkin in St. Petersburg, Russia»
In Russia, especially during Soviet times, modern dance, despite not gaining widespread dissemination and study, held great potential. Let’s consider the main reasons for this potential:
- Ideological reasons: During the Soviet era, art, including dance, had to conform to ideological requirements and serve the propaganda of socialist ideals. Classical ballet, which glorified heroic themes and elevated imagery, was better suited for this purpose. Modern dance, with its emphasis on personal expression and experimentation, was seen as bourgeois and decadent art conflicting with socialist values.
- Traditions and conservatism: Russia had strong traditions of classical ballet dating back to the 19th century. These traditions were carefully preserved and supported by the state. Any innovative or experimental forms of dance, such as modern dance, were met with suspicion and skepticism as they deviated from classical norms and could threaten the established order.
- The crucial need for personnel and methodologies: Modern dance, with its unique requirements, necessitates specialized teaching methods and training for educators, which were not developed in Russia. Most dance teachers received classical ballet education and lacked experience in modern dance, leading to a shortage of specialists and educational programs in modern dance.
- Informational isolation: During Soviet times, the country was isolated from the West where various forms of modern dance were actively developing. This limited access to information, new trends, and methodologies hindered the development and popularization of modern dance in Russia.
- Financial and material constraints: Developing and supporting new artistic directions requires significant financial investment. Due to limited resources and prioritized funding for classical ballet, modern dance remained on the periphery and did not receive sufficient support.
These reasons together led to modern dance remaining in the shadow of classical ballet for a long time and not gaining widespread popularity in Russia. However, starting in the 1990s, the situation began to change, and modern dance gradually started to develop and find its audience. The opening of educational programs in the field of modern dance in St. Petersburg represented a unique event, especially considering that this type of dance did not traditionally have a place within academic institutions, particularly in conservative ones like the Vaganova Ballet Academy. A revolutionary moment was the establishment of a modern dance program at the private, non-state Ural State University of Humanities in Yekaterinburg in the 1990s, where students were offered a unique opportunity for training in this field.
Traditionally associated with classical ballet, the educational process in Russia largely ignored contemporary dance genres. The Vaganova Ballet Academy, as a leader in classical ballet education, remained faithful to its traditions for many years. However, the opening of a new program at the Ural State University of Humanities in Yekaterinburg signaled that interest in modern dance was beginning to penetrate educational institutions in Russia, providing students with the opportunity to study and develop in this creative direction. The establishment of the program at the Ural State University of Humanities in Yekaterinburg marked the first step towards recognizing and integrating modern dance into Russia’s cultural and educational landscape, expanding opportunities for talented young dancers and contributing to the development of the country’s choreographic scene.
Innovative programs in St. Petersburg represented a significant step not only for students and educators but for the entire Russian dance community, demonstrating universities’ readiness to adapt their educational programs to changing trends and the needs of the modern world.
Below are the annotations of innovative educational programs in contemporary dance, launched with the direct involvement of Aleksei Fomkin at the Vaganova Ballet Academy and the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory:
Vaganova Ballet Academy:
The master’s program «Scientific and Creative Laboratory of Composition of Contemporary Dance Forms», opened in 2011
Developed by Tatiana Gordeeva,
Alexander Lyubashin,
Denis Venidiktov,
Aleksei Fomkin
Training Dance Artists in the Field of Choreographic Art
The Faculty of Pedagogy offers a master’s program under the direction 070300 «Choreographic Art» through the Scientific and Creative Laboratory of Composition of Contemporary Dance Forms. A dance artist, within this context, is a specialist in the art of dance who can articulate their position in modern society and culture, addressing contemporary artistic challenges and cultural traditions.
Areas of Activity for Master’s Graduates:
— Choreography
— Performance
— Research
— Teaching
— Analysis
— Organization
The program is open to applicants with a non-specialized Bachelor’s degree. Admission is based on document submission, a specialized exam (technique, improvisation, solo), and an interview without the need for the Unified State Exam (EGE). The program lasts two years.
This full-time program is modular, involving theoretical and practical training over two years, with each module lasting three calendar weeks. Admission is competitive, with state-funded places available for those with Specialist or bachelor’s degrees and fee-based places for those with a Master’s degree.
Program Content
The program defines contemporary dance as a form of performing art where the body, as an active organization of physical, psychophysiological, and perceptual states, operates within pre-determined boundaries. The primary activity of a dance artist or choreographer is to define these boundaries clearly.
This program aims to fill a gap in the Russian choreographic community, where there often needs to be more articulation of choreographic works’ dramaturgical (structural) aspects. The history of the 20th and 21st centuries shows changes in linearity, narrativity, and imagery. New technologies and communication tools influence perception processes and artistic practices. Contemporary dance, which emerged relatively recently, responds sensitively to socio-cultural, political, and economic changes. As a result, students must develop their methods for solving artistic tasks.
Professional Cycle
The program studies composition structuring methods and explores existing tools for creating choreographic texts. The professional cycle includes composition laboratories, improvisation, technique, somatic practices, and partnering, taught by Vaganova Ballet Academy instructors A. Kadruleva, T. Gordeeva, M. Popova, and invited Russian and foreign instructors A. Pepelyaev, N. Gasteva, A. Lyubashin, A. Ignatyev, T. Tarabanova, A. Andrianov, A. Konnikova, A. Alberts, along with ethnic dance and somatic practices.
Key questions addressed in the composition course:
— How do you tell a story devoid of traditional narrativity?
— How do we make the experience of art obvious?
— What is the role of the performer?
— How can information codes mix in compositional construction?
— How can improvisational techniques be used in composition to enhance performance skills?
— What is the role of multimedia in contemporary art?
Students will learn to analyze their activities, use this skill for growth, develop an individual and holistic approach to movement research and dance composition, and study and structure movement considering basic compositional concepts (time, space, form, and movement). They will also define their stance on motivation, both personal and group.
General Scientific Cycle
The program includes a general scientific cycle to help students formulate their individual positions in modern society. This cycle covers modern problems in science and art, contemporary philosophy and methodology, contemporary artworks, issues in modern artistic culture and postmodernism, and the history of contemporary choreography and choreographic work analysis. The cycle involves instructors from Vaganova Ballet Academy and the Institute of Liberal Arts (S. Savitsky, M. Rannev).
Research Work
Each semester consists of three educational modules with breaks for research work and scientific-pedagogical practice, which can be conducted at the Academy or various organizations related to developing contemporary dance forms in Russia and abroad.
Flexible Educational Process
The educational process is designed flexibly to allow students to plan their educational paths while ensuring practical and research work is completed and monitored through practice or research reports. Credit distribution and course lists are approximate and may vary.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate, students must submit a dissertation (60 pages, with at least 60 sources) and a choreographic work explanation.
Participation and Responsibilities
Active student participation, openness, and receptivity to new ideas are essential to learning how to create conditions for the emergence of art, as opposed to merely producing art. Participation requires a minimum of five years of prior experience as a performer, choreographer, and/or teacher, along with the ability to engage in practical research activities with a personal team/students/colleagues.
Entry Requirements
— Creative biography
— Recommendation letter from a contemporary dance community representative
— Motivation letter explaining the interest in this program
— Video of a work (20 minutes max, first 20 minutes if longer), unedited, from a single camera (submitted on any electronic media or as an internet link)
— All documents must be submitted electronically, properly labeled.
During the entrance exams, besides the technical lesson and improvisation tasks, applicants will present a prepared solo without musical accompaniment, 3 minutes maximum.
St. Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory
Bachelor’s program “The Art of Contemporary Dance,” opened in 2020
Developed by Alexander Lyubashin, Maria Dudina, Aleksei Fomkin
“The Art of Contemporary Dance” is functioning as a unique program in an artistic education in Russia and is a role model for the other upcoming programs in higher education. It is the educational environment in which a different type of student is formed — a thinking, searching, researching, creating. Educational process has developed including four modules: dance technique and performance, dance composition, project work, and company year. Training for the program is based on: regular practical classes (Ballet, Yoga / Tai Chi, somatic disciplines, technical classes, Theory and History of Dance), constant interaction with the contemporary dance community of Europe, St. Petersburg and Russia (master classes by invited teachers, meetings with contemporary art practitioners, cooperation with contemporary dance festivals, joint projects with theater venues in the city). Each semester ends with a performance of the course on a professional stage with a guest choreographer or independently. In the last year of study, a group of students functions as a professional dance company, with the distribution of professional roles and responsibilities within, supervised by teachers (practice of working in a dance company, working with choreographers, performing practice, practice of project activities).
The new BA program is to be announced by Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory named after N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov: Art of Contemporary Dance. The program is released in department of Ballet direction within the ongoing educational program in Dance.
The duration of the full-time program is 5 years. By the end of the education state Diploma of Bachelor level is awarded.
The aim of the program is to prepare professionals in the field of contemporary dance, who can perform any artistic or administrative role: a dancer, a choreographer, a dance teacher and a dance-artist. Our alumni should become specialists of the relevant contemporary dance on the national and international level.
F. A. Q.
- Should I have strong dance background to apply to this program?
Not exactly. Of course, you ought to be experienced in any movement practices – ballet or capoeira, contemporary dance or skiing – doesn’t really matter if your body is ready to pick up new information quickly, is well-coordinated and strong enough.
- What is an amount of dance subjects in a daily schedule?
The program is quite intensive and consists of 1 body-work-class (yoga / tai-chi / Pilates), 2 technique classes, 1 somatic class, 1 theory class per day. So, you start at 8.30 a.m. and finish at 5 p.m. with a lunch break in the middle.
- Who is teaching dance subjects? There are several permanent teachers, who work with the students on a long distance, and guest teachers, monthly presenting one of the contemporary dance technique in intensive blocks. It is also supposed that guest choreographers would work with students twice a year.
