Interview with Professor Marina Leonova, head of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography and Merited Artist of the Russian Federation

- Today you are the head of the famous Moscow Ballet School you have graduated from a number of years ago.

- That’s true. This is exactly the school I had been studying in. I graduated the year we moved to this building and having completed a 20-year term at the Bolshoi returned back to teach the younger ones. For a couple of years I had been working as deputy director and a few months ago was elected the school head.

- Has you promotion anyhow changed your attitude to the world?

- I wouldn’t say it was the attitude that changed, but the world itself. It has always been interesting for me to know what shall I be doing after I finish my dancing career. It is usually very difficult to part with the theatre. But it happened so that my retirement wasn’t too painful. By than I have already graduated from the State Dramatic Art Institute and got eagerly engaged in teaching. You can’t imagine how fond of teaching girls I am. However, I have never thought of becoming a rector, never.

- In your new capacity you might sometimes have to be rather tough?

- No, I won’t like to be tough. Frankly speaking, it is easier to remain just a woman, to be elegant and nice. However, sometimes, one simply has to be firm. Life has become much more serious. In the Ministry I am currently engaged in formation of tariff and budget polices, compiling of curriculum, staff ranking and program development.

- Does all that interfere in the teaching process?

- No it doesn’t. On the contrary, giving lessons distracts me from all that. That is why teaching brings me much pleasure.

Actually, I was elected just recently, in April. In spring and summer we were mostly busy with exams and production of a new play, and I really felt what my current job is all about only in autumn.

- Have you got any special strategy in your work?

- Being an executive, I don’t think one should totally destroy everything created before to start doing things in his own way. Our task is to improve what we already have, and I think we have all necessary potentials for that. We have a number of brilliant teachers who are able to develop the school traditions. Numerous prominent masters such as L. Zhdanov, G. Kuznetsova, Ye. Farmanyants and L. Kolenchenko attach a great importance to the continuity of generations and spend much time training new ballet teachers.

Today we can speak of that as of new ground reality. In addition to the secondary link, the school has also established an upper one having opened a teaching section at the choreography department. Among the school teachers, one can see many of our graduates. The Bolshoi artists T. Petrova and S. Ivanova are teaching character dance, while L.T. Zhdanov is working with the Stanislavsky Theatre artists D. Kebets and D. Yarlykin. The recent exams have evidenced their incredible potentials in teaching classical and duet dance. One should mark Zhdanov’s abilities in training duet dance teachers. Being a brilliant specialist in his subject, he has already managed to claim success. Having joined the school, Yu. Vasyuchenko has also proved to be an outstanding teacher. His students have got a very high appraisal at the recent graduation exams. I have immediately offered him a male class to permanently remain with the school. These are the steps forward we have made over the last period of time, the tribute for which should evidently be paid to Boris Akimov, whose coming has changed a lot for the better.

I want to mark that we have changed some selection criteria having allowed a certain height surplus. It is very difficult to predict the child’s further development, so we decided not to be as particular about this aspect as we were in the past. However, the Cultural Ministry quota of 44 students may not be exceeded. In my opinion, this year we have admitted some good girls. At the same time among the male applicants there were not too many of great talent, so we decided to take only 17: quality is better than quantity. Unfortunately, the children’s health leaves much to be desired. At ten years of age, many of them suffer from spinal curvatures and other serious diseases.

- And how many of those can make all the way through to graduation?

- Looking at the present intake, it is still difficult to say. But, I think, two classes of 10 boys and girls will be a perfect result.

- Do the ballet artists still happen to be in demand?

- They definitely do. Last year, for instance, we managed to accommodate almost all our graduates. Nineteen dancers were invited by the Bolshoi Theatre, the rest - employed by the Kremlin Ballet Theatre, the Nemirovich and Danchenko Music Theatre, N.D. Kasatkina and V.Yu. Vasiliov, V.M. Gordeev and G. Taranda.

- Is there any competition between the ballet schools?

- Here, in Moscow, there are two more ballet schools except for ours. The first one headed by G.V. Ledakh and the second – by N.V. Nesterova. As for Russia, there is the famous Vaganova school in St. Petersburg and a number of schools in Perm, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, Voronezh and some other cities. I have a great respect for all of them, however the two famous academic schools of Moscow and St. Petersburg have earned a special status and happen to be beyond comparison.

- Does the state support the oldest ballet school?

- As far as I understand, government funds are equally shared among all the schools. There is a tough budget scheme that may not be infringed. However, there is no reason to complain. We get all necessary backing for both the repairs and cultural activities. It is quite natural, that one always dreams of raising additional funds, however the Ministry of Culture patronizing the school always helps us whenever we are in need. I also want to mention our former student Vladimir Malakhov who gave money for scholarships. It was a pleasant surprise for us and we are very grateful to him as well to Andris Liepa who has established Liepa Foundation grants.

- This year the Moscow State Academy of Choreography is celebrating its 230th birthday. Are you thinking of any special way to celebrate this remarkable occasion?

- Of course, we are. For no doubt, one of the oldest Russian schools will celebrate its anniversary. On this occasion we would like to hold a festival of ballet schools in Moscow. Among the invitees we would like to see the Russian Ballet Academy, whose director L.N. Nadirkhov has already given his consent to participate. Our invitation has already been accepted by Tadeusz Matacz, director of the Stuttgart school, and is being considered by the Dutch and Hungarian authorities. We are negotiating with Grand Opera and Covent Garden and are thinking of inviting the Chinese and Japanese representatives. It would be a unique festival as nothing of the kind has ever been held in Moscow before. However, it is difficult to say whether the dream may come true as the whole question, as it usually happens, rests on lack of money.

- Are you planning to hold the festival on the basis of your academy?

- No, we have agreed with the Bolshoi Administration to organize one Gala concert on the main stage and two others in the branch building. One of those would be a charity action in favour of the Moscow children.

We have already discussed all these plans with the Bolshoi ballet artistic director B.B. Akimov. And though our meeting with A.G. Iksanov is still to take place, I know the Theatre would support our initiative. The only thing that needs clarification is the date, however I think it would be November 2003 as petition on establishment of the theatric dancing classes under the Educational Home was submitted as far back as the autumn of 1773. The Home building has luckily survived and is presently occupied by the Military Academy at Kotelnicheskaya Naberezhnaya. Some time later the school had been shifted to another building at Pushechnaya street and a few decades ago moved to its current location. So, let us hope that our thought and ideas would soon materialize.