The Royal Ballet School preforms Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.
Unfortunately, the DVD is no longer available.
Category Archives: Videos
This Swedish documentary features a group of boys who attend a ballet school. The boys demonstrate that their classical ballet training is also useful to them in other activities such as break dancing, skateboarding, snowboarding, rollerblading, music, etc.
Here is a rough translation of what the boys are saying:
First Boy: My mother and I saw a program with boys who danced ballet.
I thought they were good. I want to start dancing and be just as good.
I thought they were good. I want to start dancing and be just as good.
It is pretty tough: 1 1/2 hours four times a week.
I like to work on my balance and improve my flexibility and technique – better than everyone else at school. I almost have the best balance.
It is wonderful to be able to properly move my body and work other muscles.
I would like to become a star, famous ballet dancer and earn lots of money.
I do not care if my friends think I’m girly. Maybe I am, but I enjoy ballet and intend to continue. If boys are teased a lot and still continue to dance, I think it makes them stronger.
Second Boy: Ballet began with boys, so why is it considered a female sports?
Third Boy: People have an ingrained image …
First Boy: Two girls called me “Ballet, Ballet, Ballet,” they chanted. Then I started to call myself “Ballet” and they left off – for it was no fun teasing me when I played along.
When we break dance we have the advantage of our classical training where we learn to follow the rhythm and pace of the piano. Sit-ups and push-ups also build the muscle and strength we need to break dance. Others think break dancing is hard, but I am going into the Opera Ballet so I do not think it is so hard in comparison with classical ballet.
The Crew
Guest Contributors
August 26, 2009
We are five 10 year-old boys. We have known each other since preschool. Our parents call us “the Crew.” Boys and Ballet is our blog. You can read more about us here.
One of our favorite channels on YouTube is ilyaballet.
Ilya is better known as Ilya Kuznetsov. He attended the Bolshoi Ballet Academy from 1984-1992. After graduating, he was a soloist for the Bolshoi Theatre (’92-’94) and the Moscow Classical Ballet (’94-’95). In 1996 he was a finalist in the Nuriev Ballet Competition and the International Ballet Competition. Mr. Kuznetsov was a principal soloist for the Imperial Russian Ballet (’95-’98) and the San Diego Ballet (’98-’02). He has been a classical ballet teacher at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy since 2002.
Mr. Kuznetsov has uploaded videos of student from Vaganova and a large number of shorts of current and former Russian dancers and teachers.
The Vaganova Ballet Academy videos are well worth watching. The boys demonstrate each level of the Vaganova syllabus through grade five (Grade 4 is currently unavailable. Perhaps Mr. Kuznetsov will upload it later).
Playlist (8 videos): Vaganova Ballet Academy Boys’ 1st grade Academy of Russian Ballet Exams (10-11 year olds)
Playlist (5 Videos):Vaganova Ballet Academy Boys’ 2nd grade Academy of Russian Ballet Exams (11-12 year olds)
Playlist (8 videos): Vaganova Ballet Academy Boys’ 3rd grade Academy of Russian Ballet exams (12-13 year olds)
Playlist (17 videos): Vaganova Ballet Academy Boys’ 5th grade (14-15 year olds)
Young dancers of the Vaganova Ballet Academy dancing the Polonaise and Mazurka from the ballet Paquita
Additional videos may be found here
CBBC Documentary about Oliver Taylor who won the Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancer of the Year award in 2006. He later went on to play Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical, London; he has since left the role.
Additional videos may be found here.
