Ballet, Moscow, and a Taste of Home

Instead of playing in the neighbourhood, we visited estates in the Moscow Region. Instead of going to the cinema, we went to exhibitions and museums. That left a special mark on me. To this day, many streets and buildings remind me of people and their stories. That’s probably why I love my city so much and am always happy to come home, whether I’ve been on tour or travelling.

— Are there any childhood places that still feel special to you?

— The first that comes to mind is Frunzenskaya Embankment — that’s where the Moscow State Academy of Choreography is located. It’s my alma mater, the cradle of Russian ballet. For over ten years, it defined my school and student life. The academy connects not just Frunzenskaya Embankment, but also Gorky Park and Komsomolsky Avenue. I think it’s one of the greenest areas in the city, where the Moscow River is framed by the lush greenery of Neskuchny Garden.

The second stop is Theatre Square, or, more precisely, the ‘Theatre Quarter’, where three major theatres meet: the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, the State Academic Maly Theatre of Russia, and the Russian Academic Youth Theatre. A short walk away are the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre and the Moscow State Academic Operetta Theatre; nearby is the Moscow State Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre. This is, of course, the epicentre of theatre life — of premieres, actors, and audiences.

And the third is definitely the place where I grew up and still live: merchant Moscow, the Kitai‑Gorod district.

— How important are the locations associated with the legends of Russian ballet to you?

— In Moscow, there are two apartments connected to two of the greatest ballerinas, and they’re open to visitors. One is Galina Ulanova’s apartment in the high‑rise on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment; the other is the museum‑apartment of Maya Plisetskaya.

I visited them as a little girl, stepping over the threshold with a beating heart, imagining how my idols had done the same. Later, I came there as a student at the ballet academy, in moments of doubt and difficulty, before important exams. Now I visit them with immense admiration and gratitude. For me, both Maya and Galina are unparalleled ideals of wisdom, beauty, femininity, intelligence, style, and talent. Being able to glimpse even a small part of the lives they lived in Moscow is a great blessing.

— The Academy of Choreography where you studied is right opposite Gorky Park. How often did you want to sneak off there instead of going to class?

— That’s exactly what we did — and, to be honest, students still do. But we had a golden rule — you must never skip special subjects — classical dance, duet dance, contemporary, and folk dance. That would have been a betrayal of the profession. But if it was Russian, maths, geography, or physics… well, that was different.

Looking back, it all seems so sweet and harmless. But at the time, we felt like we were doing something terribly daring. In reality, we’d just have an ice cream, maybe do one lap on a bicycle, and then go back to school.

— Are there any spots in Gorky Park that remind you of your time at the Academy?

— Yes — the Andreyevsky Bridge, which connects Frunzenskaya and Pushkinskaya embankments. It’s the place where Gorky Park flows into Neskuchny Garden, almost like moving from one world into another.

— Do you like spending time in Gorky Park now? If so, where?

— I really love the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s probably the place I visit most often in the park.

— At what point did you realise your life would be forever linked to ballet?

— Around the age of 14–15, students face an important transition: the junior grades end and the advanced courses begin. You enter student life quite early. In childhood, ballet is a dream, a favourite activity, school. Later, it becomes a profession that demands discipline and dedication. While peers are finishing the 10th grade and wondering what they’ll become, you are thinking, ‘I already know what I’ll be.’

At 18, graduates join the theatre as adults, and their career truly begins. So, about three years before that, you understand you need to make that final push. You realise your childhood is over.

— Tell us about your years at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. What was the hardest part, and how did you grow as a ballet dancer during that time?

— Training at the academy lasts from age 10 to 18. That’s a difficult period for anyone’s personal development — the transition from childhood to adolescence. The hardest and most painful part is that you aren’t ready to hear criticism or take good advice right away. There’s so much teenage rebellion, the feeling that you’re the smartest one and everyone around you is the enemy.

Physically, children are incredibly resilient. But students constantly hear: ‘You can do better. You’re not trying hard enough. You could jump higher.’ As a child, you feel unappreciated. But when I became a teacher myself, I thought to myself: ‘How foolish I was not to listen to that advice! I just wasted time, thinking I was right and on the right path.’ No one wanted to hurt me; they were genuinely trying to help.

— Ballet dancers follow a fairly strict diet and training regimen. Still, are there any Russian national dishes you treat yourself to occasionally?

— It’s a myth that ballet dancers don’t eat — they do! Especially in Moscow. I believe Moscow is the best food city in the world. You won’t find the same quality of ingredients, variety, or gastronomic pleasure anywhere else. I also have to highlight Moscow’s incredible service. We can get almost anything we want, around the clock and almost instantly.

— Could you name three of your favourite Russian national dishes?

— Of course. First, borscht (soup with beetroot). Second, pies. And my weakness is jam!

— What three locations in Moscow would you call your main places of strength?

— First, the Bolshoi Theatre. Every morning, when the bus pulls up to the Teatralnaya Square stop and the doors open, I still can’t believe I’m going to work at the Bolshoi. It’s such a beautiful, meaningful, and powerful place for me.

Second, St. Martin the Confessor Church in Taganka, where I’m a parishioner. Many important events in my life have taken place there — for example, I had my daughter baptised there, and I go there on Sundays.

Third, probably the high‑rise on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. From nearby Bolshoy Ustinsky Bridge, the view is incredible: on one side is the high‑rise, and on the other, the Kremlin and the golden domes of churches shimmering in the distance.