The first English edition of the only biography of Agrippina Vaganova (1897-1951) was originally published in Russian in 1989. It tells the story of one of most important dance teachers of the 20th century, who created a system of teaching ballet that spread throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond. Vaganova rose through the ranks to become a ballerina in the Imperial Ballet during the last days of Tsarist Russia. After the Revolution of 1917, she became a teacher and transformed the St. Petersburg/Leningrad School of Ballet into a premier institution. She also served as the artistic director of the Kirov Theater. Written by a direct eyewitness to many of the described incidents, someone who knew Vaganova intimately, the biography is a window into the personality and thinking of this great teacher. It vividly recounts the training and individual styles of such world-renowned ballerinas as Marina Semyonova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Galina Ulanova, and Tatiana Vecheslova, and it offers a unique insight into the world of classical ballet during the era of Tsarist Russia and the early Soviet years.

Translated by: Vera M. Siegel
Foreword by: Lynn Garafola