All her life she was considered a simple dancer, receiving the title of ballerina a month before retirement. At the same time, her name is on a par with such great women as Matilda Kshesinskaya, Anna Pavlova, Olga Spesivtseva. Moreover, she was the first professor of classical dance in Russia, having educated a whole galaxy of the most brilliant dancers of the twentieth century. Her name is the Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, her book "The Basics of Classical Dance" was reprinted 6 times. The phrase “Russian ballet school” for the ballet world means “Vaganova’s school”, which makes it especially surprising that the girl Pear was once considered mediocre.
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The young schoolgirl was not handsome, her face was filled with the harsh expression of a man with a hard life, big feet, ugly hands - everything was completely different from what was appreciated when entering ballet school. Miraculously, Grusha Vaganova, who was brought to the examinations by his father, a retired noncommissioned officer, and now a conductor of the Mariinsky Theater, was accepted as a student. This made life much easier for the rest of the family, where there were two more children, because now she was kept at public expense. But the father soon died, poverty fell upon the family again. Vaganova was terribly ashamed of her poverty, she did not have the means even for the most necessary expenses.
At the time of the debut on the imperial scene, Pear ... fell down the stairs. She hurried so much to her first time on stage that she slipped and, hitting the back of her head on the steps, slid down the stairs. Despite the sparks of her eyes, she jumped up and ran to the show.
After enrollment in the corps de ballet, she received a salary of 600 rubles a year, which was barely enough to make ends meet. But the load was monstrous - Pear occupied almost all ballets and operas with dance scenes.
Her passion for dance, inquisitiveness during classes, hard work were limitless, but they did not help to break the corps de ballet. Then she is the 26th butterfly, then the 16th priestess, then the 32nd nereid. Even the critics, who saw in it the makings of an outstanding soloist, were perplexed.
She did not understand this and Vaganova: why someone gets the role with ease, and she - after a series of humiliated requests. Suppose she danced academically correctly, the pointe shoes easily lifted her in pirouettes, but her main choreographer Marius Petipa harbored dislike for her. On top of that, Pear didn’t differ in discipline, from which she became a frequent cause of punitive reports.
After a while, Vaganova was still entrusted with solo parts. Her classic variations were virtuoso, elegant and brilliant, she demonstrated the wonders of jumping technique and stability on pointe, for which she was nicknamed the "Queen of Variations."
Despite all her ugliness, she had no end of fans. Daring, courageous, restless, she easily converged with people, brought to any company an atmosphere of relaxed fun. She was often invited to restaurants with gypsies, on walks in night Petersburg, and she herself loved the role of the hospitable hostess.
Of the entire host of admirers, Vaganov chose Andrei Alexandrovich Pomerantsev, a member of the board of the Ekaterinoslavsky building society and a retired lieutenant colonel of the railway service. He was her complete opposite - sedate, calm, soft, besides her older. Although they were not officially married, he recognized the born son of Pomerantsev, giving his last name. Their family life was measured and happy: a lush table was set for Easter, a Christmas tree was decorated for Christmas. It was around the established Christmas tree on the eve of the new year of 1918 that the Pomerants would shoot himself ... The reason for this would be World War I and the revolutionary upheavals that followed it, to which he could not adapt and survive.
By retirement, Vaganova was neatly summed up on her 36th birthday, although sometimes she was allowed to dance in performances, where she still showed full strength and brilliance.
After the revolution, she was invited to teach at the School of Masters of Choreography, from where she transferred to the Leningrad Choreographic School, which became her life's work. It turned out that her true vocation was not to dance herself, but to teach others. A fragile woman in a black narrow skirt, snow-white blouse and with an iron will brought up her pupils by personalities, artists. She created a unique fusion of French grace, Italian dynamism and Russian soul. Her “vagan” methods were presented to the world by standard classical dancers: Marina Semenova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Galina Ulanova, Alla Osipenko, Irina Kolpakova.
Vaganova molded not only soloists, the corps de ballet of the Leningrad Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov, who was recognized as the best in the world, was filled with her graduates.
Neither the years nor the disease did not affect Agrippina Vaganova. With each piece she wanted to work, create, teach, giving herself up to her beloved work without a trace.
She passed away at the age of 72, but still continues to live in the eternal movement of her favorite ballet.
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