When I was 16, I took part in a ballet competition where I received an invitation to come to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. I had been a fan of the Russian ballet for a long time, so my parents agreed to let me go to study ballet in Russia. 

I have a lot of vivid recollections about memorable moments I had with my friends over the 4 years I spent at the Academy! But the most vivid memories are the ones about the State Graduation Examination. In order to demonstrate their capacity to the utmost, all students had spared to time to practice, and during the examination my classmates supported each other. That will live on in my memory forever. 

I have been taught by a number of teachers at the Academy. In my 2nd and 3rd years, I attended the class of Anna A. Antonicheva. In particular, I liked the stage practice lessons, where we perfected subtle nuances of performance techniques, and Ms. Antonicheva gave us a lot of verbal instructions and demonstrated certain elements, in order to help us perform better. 

Thanks to my teacher, I began to like dancing even more.

I also have a lot of fond memories about Elena T. Strizhenok, who taught me Russian. In addition to the curriculum material, she told us about Russian traditions and culture. My Russian studies were a lot of fun.

All members of the faculty were always very kind and supportive. When my Russian proficiency left much to be desired, they spoke slowly and explained the material in plain and simple words, in order to help us comprehend better.

After graduation I have been working at the Samara D. Shostakovich Opera and Ballet Theater as a ballet performer. We usually have 2-3 ballet shows per week, but sometimes we perform almost on a daily basis. I cherish and love my job!

At the Academy I learned that the term “ballet” has a very broad meaning. At the Academy, you learn not just dance itself, but also a variety of things related to it, for instance, acting and performance techniques, history of ballet, history of theater arts, history of music, stage makeup, basics of teaching techniques, etc. Those lessons were very interesting too. Things I studied at the Academy have proven to be very helpful in my life and creative activities!

I want to be an all-mighty ballerina capable of performing every part, and I would also like to perform at a variety of stages across the world. 

The Academy opens a lot of varieties for its students. I encourage all ballet fans to come to study at the Academy!