| Moscow State Academy of Choreography | |
| Native Name: | Московская государственная академия хореографии |
| Type: | Public |
| Established: | 1763 |
| City: | Moscow, Russia |
The Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Russian: Московская государственная академия хореографии), commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of ballet in the world,[1] [2] located in Moscow, Russia. It is the affiliate school of the Bolshoi Ballet. Founded on December 23, 1773[3] as the second ballet school in Russia, it entered into a contract with the Italian teacher-choreographer Filippo Becari, who must was “the most capable of dancing” children to learn “to dance with all possible precision and to show themselves publicly in all pantomime ballets”.[4]
The Bolshoi Ballet receives the majority of its dancers from the academy, as do most other Moscow ballet companies. Numerous choreographers, instructors and graduates of the academy have become renowned, including Olga Lepeshinskaya, Raisa Struchkova, Natalia Bessmertnova, Ekaterina Maximova, Maya Plisetskaya, Nikolai Fadeyechev, Vladimir Vasiliev, Mikhail Lavrovsky, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, to be bestowed a People's Artist of the USSR, "prima ballerina assoluta" and "premier dancer", the ultimate title for a ballet performer of the Soviet Union.
The academy was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for their contributions to promotion of cultural exchange through art between Japan and Russia on December 1, 2020.[5] [6]
Bolshoi is the oldest theatrical school in Moscow, founded as an orphanage by order of Catherine II in 1763. It wasn't until 1773 that the first dance classes were taught at the home. Other names the school is known by are: The Bolshoi Academy, The Bolshoi Ballet School, The Moscow Choreographic Institute, The Moscow Ballet School, The Bolshoi Moscow Ballet School and The Bolshoi Theatre Ballet School.
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The Bolshoi's method of teaching is founded on a Russian training curriculum that is coordinated to the student's ability. This curriculum, commonly known as Vaganova method, is widely adopted by ballet schools around the world. The curriculum includes ballet technique, point work, center work, repertoire, pas de deux, jazz, character dance, and historical dance.
Amenities at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy include twenty large studios with a professional non-slip dance floor. High ceilings make it possible to offer pas de deux classes, and two levels of ballet barres are provided for young children and adults.
The Bolshoi is the school from which the Bolshoi Ballet gets the majority of its dancers, as well as most other Moscow ballet companies. The academy has graduated a long list of acclaimed ballerinas and danseurs, including:
The academy partners with the Russian American Foundation to hold annual summer intensives at Lincoln Center in New York City and in Middlebury, CT.
Throughout its history, the school has changed its name several times. Below is a table about the history of its former names.
| 1773-1806 | Классы театрального танцевания | Theatrical dance classes | |
| 1806-1920 | Московское императорское училище | Moscow Imperial School | |
| 1920-1931 | Государственный московский балетный техникум при ГАБТ | State Moscow Ballet College at the Bolshoi Theater | |
| 1937-1961 | Московское академическое училище (МАХУ) | Choreographic School of the Bolshoi Theater | |
| 1961-1987 | Московский государственный хореографический (институт с сохранением при нём МАХУ) | Moscow State Choreographic Institute (with the preservation of MAKhU) | |
| 1987- | Московская государственная академия хореографии (МГАХ) | Moscow State Academy of Choreography |