Media - N. Filonova. Here’s a Ticket for Ballet. News of my Capital (Bishkek). March 15, 2012.

Ch. Bazarbaev Bishkek Choreographic College has seen a lot of fuss this week due to the experts from the Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy who came for some three days to conduct master classes for the gifted youth.

The guests arrived from St. Petersburg, former Soviet Leningrad, known for decades as the cradle of Russia’s classical ballet. That was where children from all over the USSR, including the Kyrgyz Republic, learned the fundamentals of choreography. Bübüsara Beyshenalieva, Reina Chokoeva, Uran Sarbagishev and many other future stars studied in Leningrad. Back then the promising talents were supported by the big state. Today, our youth find it impossible to go abroad for training. Hence, it’s not surprising that the current visit of the Russian experts has excited the prospective dancers. The guests have attended the junior classes’ sessions and watched how the children are trained.

There was no end of those seeking to join a master class organized by Anton Korsakov, a merited artiste of Russia and the leading soloist of the Mariinsky State Academic Theater. But only twenty, mostly boys and girls of the senior classes, were the lucky ones who got a rare chance to participate in the event. For about an hour the young dancers assiduously repeated pas after the guest. It is known that Anton has worked with the George Balanchine team in the US, and now actively performs with the legendary Mariinsky Theater group.

Two years ago the Bishkek Choreography College celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. The training here takes 8 years. The children receive general, vocational and musical education. The classical ballet is the finest of arts that requires a huge mental and physical effort. According to the teachers, many students prefer not to wait until the graduation and having honed their skills and obtained their parents’ support, they go abroad to conquer the theaters there. Kazakhstan is a particularly attractive location.

— Definitely, I am impressed by what I’ve seen. I’m glad the college sticks to the “old-school” principles, — says Aleksey Fomkin, Deputy Director of the Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy. – Of course, I can’t say everything is perfect, especially given the current problems of the theatre. Our academy and Kyrgyzstan are historically bonded, but the bond was lost in the post-perestroika period. In recent years, however, we feel that your country has returned to the world’s choreographic community. The children from Kyrgyzstan can study at our academy for free thanks to the agreement concluded between our states. But in this case, too, your state must declare its intention. Does it intend to support the talents?

— We usually build walls around us which harm the ballet. That is why we requested the Russian experts to come visit us, — says Saida Kudaiberdieva, the Bishkek Choreography College Director. – Now three of our children study at the Russian Ballet Academy for free benefiting from the governmental quota. This became possible only thanks to the parents who pay for board and lodging. We’d like to raise the issue of supporting the talents by the state. Besides, our teachers need to attend not only occasional master classes, but also seminars taking months of time, like the ones held in Almaty. Moreover, we’re planning to send a group of Kyrgyz children aged 10 and older to St. Petersburg for training. We’re going to pose these questions to the Ministry of Culture.

Link: http://www.msn.kg/ru/news/37210/