What Our Students Say
Real experiences from our global community of dancers
I discovered Russian Masters Ballet in 2019 when I was looking for a summer intensive to do that year. I have always admired the vaganova school and this was a dream opportunity to learn from their teachers. So I did the summer intensive in Alicante that year. It was my first time ever working with vaganova teachers and I loved it! The year after, covid came and we all went into lockdown. Luckily, the RMB team had adapted very quickly and I was able to do their online summer intensive. Since then, I continued taking online classes with them and that's how I met Sofia Gumerova. I absolutely loved her way of teaching and her attention to details. So I continued regularly working with her online and, really, I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for her. I am truly grateful for everything she has taught me and to RMB for making this all possible. It's really wonderful how Russian Masters Ballet allows you to connect with all of these amazing vaganova teachers despite the distance and language barriers. Because yes, another wonderful thing with RMB is that they have translators that help us communicate with the teachers. Thank you Russian Masters for everything!
It was just amazing to have class with these wonderful teachers, I had such a great time improving my technique and trying new things! I want to thank you all for this opportunity, it was incredible!
This is the 3rd time I have participated in the RMB summer intensive and each time I managed to improve my technique thanks to the wonderful teachers I worked with. It is always a pleasure to participate in this intensive course.
My name is Kayla and this week I participated in your Online Summer Intensive program. I just wanted to thank you so much for creating this wonderful opportunity - it was an incredible experience that I will never forget. Also, I didn't get the chance to say this earlier but, if possible, please let the teacher Mme S. Gumerova know that I really appreciated her helpful corrections and the welcoming atmosphere she created which made me feel comfortable and happy in the classes even though my skill level is not so high. I enjoyed her class a lot. Thank you again!
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I really enjoyed this week of spring intensive, I was super lucky to have Tatiana Kvasova as a classical teacher with tons of experience and the most wonderful attitude to students, I also really enjoyed acting class with Alexander Omar, contemporary with Anton Valdbauer, character dance with Roman Petukhov and male class with Alexei Ilyin. I am taking every online RMB intensive, and I feel it improves my technique a lot!
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It's my great honour to have such a unique opportunity at the Vaganova summer intensive. I've never thought it could happen to me. How excited I am to learn in the world top vaganova ballet academy. It's not only my dream school, also all of the young dancer's dream. During the summer intensive, I really learnt a lot from the Vaganova teachers. They are so nice, kind and helpful, even I only learnt one year ballet. They still showed their patients to me. I am also encouraged by the other students. They are so good. When I trained with them, I felt YES, one day I can be like them. Unfortunately, I can't be on campus, hopefully next year I will still get such opportunity to summer intensive. I can't wait for it! I have a lot to say, but I have to write an end. That is: I love ballet, I love Vaganova, I love teachers here, I love everything in Vaganova!
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Thank you so much RMB for this wonderful spring intensive! Next time I see you guys will be this summer in St. Petersburg! Thank you to my wonderful ballet teachers, Tatiana Cherkashina, Svetlana Ivanova, and Dmitriy Shevtsov for all giving me new corrections which will help me in the future. I got much better in your classes, and I will in future classes because of you! Thank you to my great character teacher, Polina Rassadina for teaching me some character dance! I hope we meet again this summer, and I can take that art form even further! Thank you to my wonderful acting teacher, Alexander Omar for teaching me how to say things in acting language, and how to be more creative in my dancing. And finally to my last teacher, Denis Untila, thank you for the really fun contemporary class. This really helped me move along because I am not very familiar with contemporary dance.
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Hello friends! My name is Marika Naito and you may know me from the Winter Intensive! As you know, I'm an EX student of the Russian Masters Ballet Intensive. It's my second time taking this workshop and I absolutely had so much fun! I had a very amazing and an inspiring week! I even had a chance to take Maria Khoreva's Arabesque Masterclass! She was so inspiring! It was a great experience for me. I had 7 different classes; gymnastics, ballet class, points, repertory, acting, contemporary and character dance. I loved all of them! My teacher for my ballet classes was Ms. Tatiana Cherkashina. She's absolutely amazing. She always spots me where I go wrong or if I'm not doing the right thing. She always doesn't miss anything which is really amazing!I really loved character dance, contemporary and acting as well. For the character class, I got taught by Ms. Polina Rassadina, for contemporary, I got taught by Mr. Denis Untila and for acting, I got taught by Mr. Aleksandr Omar. Ms. Polina Rassadina taught us 3 different types of dance. One of them was very lively, the second one was very calm and the last one was Tarantella. I really had fun! Mr. Denis Untila taught us choreography which was very hard but I guess I managed to do it! For acting by Mr. Omar, all of us choreographed the "Dying Swan" in a different version. It was very fun! I really appreciate the RMB team for making this intensive a great one! I hope that I am able to be part of the Russian Masters family again and I wish you a great year! Thank you again to all my teachers, coordinators, translators and of course, our organisers. Please stay safe and healthy! All the best to you all! Lots of love, Marika Naito
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These are the words from our lovely student to Sofia Gumerova, our excellent teacher: Dear miss Sofia, This has been such an incredible experience and it's almost unbelievable to realise how much I have learned with you! You have been such an amazing teacher, and I know that all those corrections that you gave me all this week, have made me improve immensely and I am sure that they will help me in the future! Once again, thank you so so much for your classes and everything that you have done to make me a better dancer!! Спасибо!!!!! Claudia Santamaria
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The Spring Intensive was the second Intensive with Russian Masters and again it has been an incredible experience. The intensive was very well organised and the teachers are amazing. They are all very attentive and give detailed corrections, even though we are online. Each lesson is interesting in its own way! I really enjoyed the master classes with Maria Khoreva, Anna Ol and the nutrition talk with Esther Schifmann. Thanks to Russian Masters for the opportunity and thanks to all the teachers for helping me improve. Looking forward for the next one!
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Hey guys! My name is Marika Naito and I am from Japan but I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I love ballet and it is one of my favourite thing to do. I started to take ballet seriously when I was 8 years old so I started to take more classes in my ballet school. It was my first time doing this Vaganova Online Intensive workshop. I enjoyed it a lot! When I first heard that there was this workshop, I immediately told my parents to sign up for me since I thought it would be a great chance for me to learn from other teachers! When we checked the schedule of what time the class started, I realised that I was going to attend the class from the evening to midnight. (11pm - 5am) But I still wanted to take the workshop as I thought that this might be the only chance to attend this intensive since we may not be able to go to any of the countries to attend the workshop. I managed to take the intensive with doing the opposite routine since I am in Malaysia and there is 5 hours difference from the Moscow time. I really liked all the classes I did; Ballet, Repertory, Points, Gymnastics, Acting and Historical Dance. I would like to thank all the RMB organisers and teachers for doing such a great job to make this workshop a great one. I had a really good experience with the RMB team but it's a pity that the week 1 of the RMB workshop is over but I hope to take part of the RMB intensive again! Thank you for reading! Please stay safe and healthy 🙂 Regards, Marika
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I would like to thank you for being part of this amazing Vaganova Academy Intensive Winter course! I really appreciate the opportunity to work and learn from such famous ballet tutors as Mrs. Enikeeva, Mrs. Ivanova, Mrs. Rassadina and Mr. Omar- you are one of the best! This week was really important for my professional development. Hope to see you in VBA summer intensive in Saint Petersburg!
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It was an amazing learning experience. The course was very well organised by Russian Masters and the Vaganova teachers were very attentive to detail even though it was online. Thanks to everyone
In only one week I've learned so much things that I'll never forget, the details and every correction that the teachers gave us has helped me to improve in one week and I'll keep working on it to get better and better everyday! The teachers are the kind of persons that leaves footprints on your heart, they're all so kind, they've shared with us not only their professional corrections but also their feelings, thoughts and many advices that helped me to see from a view even more beautiful this art. I love and appreciate everything that they've done, it's so important for us.
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I cannot tell you how impressed I have been with the Russian Masters program: The one-week intensive was an amazing experience for our daughter. To be able to learn from such world-class teachers both in technique and workshops was exceptional. The session with Oliver Matz and Stefi Scherzer was very informative and gave important insight into the development of young dancers, especially in our current time. The private sessions with Olga Pavlova were wonderful and helped our daughter in both her technique and artistry. We would love to be able to see her in person in Alicante next summer if it is possible!
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Hello, this is Olivia Van Stone. Thank for the certificate from the intensive, I'm so grateful that I got to be a part of the intensive for 5 weeks. The Russian to English translating was new to me but it turned out to work great and I love how the teachers corrected us individually as if we were doing an in-person intensive. Every class I joined, I learned and improved. From the very beginning of the intensive to now, my flexibility and turnout has improved a great amount. In addition, it was amazing to work with different teachers, I learned very much from each one of them. It was so cool to be corrected by teachers that teach at the Vaganova Academy in Saint Petersburg! The extra contemporary, floor barre, stretching, and talks with dancers were great and refreshing after ballet and technique. The five weeks of intensive I did, were the best five weeks of the summer! Despite that it had to be a virtual intensive, it was still really effective and I learned so much. Thank you very much Asia Lukmanova, all of the amazing teachers, and Russian Masters Ballet for having this amazing intensive, I enjoyed it so much and I would love to come back for another one! Sincerely, Olivia Van Stone
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I just finished class with Olga Pavlova. It was a wonderful class. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and I am very grateful to my teacher Olga Pavlova...
I started taking classes with Mrs. Olga Pavlova two years ago, and it has been a wonderful experience. I have tried other online classes before, but nothing compares to Olga's teaching. She is patient, highly professional, always respectful when giving corrections, and always happy to give even more to her students. I would also like to mention the admin team; they are always so helpful and supportive. No matter the request, they always do their best to make it happen. I highly recommend these classes to anyone looking for professional and supportive training. Bianca Madera
Read more"I've trained twice a week with Ms. Sevostianova for 6 months. The precision and artistry are what surprised me most about this method. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn many new things, as well as perfecting the things you've already learned. For me personally it has helped me take my dancing to a whole new level. I would like to say my deepest thank you to Ms. Sevostianova for her kindness, helping me progress so much these past few months. I highly recommend taking this opportunity. I felt Ms. Sevostianova was extremely supportive of everything I was learning. While showing me new things, she knew exactly what tips would help me and when to give them. Every adjustment she has given me was clear and precise, which took the steps and exercises I had already learned to a whole new level. - Brook from USA"
Read moreFrom Our Students' Families
"Dear RMB team, Have a wonderful 2023! It is a great pleasure to join in this winter intensive, I think is the fifth time when Nali participate. We hope that this year she can come live for the summer intensive. Thank you so much for the 100% scholarship, we really appreciate. All the best, Oana "
Read more"Dear Sophie and RMB team, We are very thankful for the opportunity to have been part of the RMB Winter online intensive. Avery learned so much from your incredible teachers and artists. The wisdom and knowledge that you have shared has been inspiring and I would highly recommend the intensive. "
Read more"We would like to thank you for the smooth running of the course, our daughter Eva is impressed by the course you organize, the professionalism and the attention of the teachers. The knowledge gained and the amazing experience will be used for self-improvement in ballet. Each lesson is a tremendous asset as we strive to join a successful generation. Thanks for the opportunity to improve."
Read more"My daughter completed six weeks of the Russian Masters online summer intensive. The course was exceptionally well-designed, with the perfect combination of rigorous ballet training, motivational sessions with professional dancers and teachers, and even a series on nutrition. The small class size allowed for individualized corrections, which are essential to improve technique. All of the instructors were deeply committed and encouraged the students to realize their full potential. I am very grateful to Russian Masters for offering this online intensive, which I highly recommend. "
Read more"At first I want to thank you for these amazing weeks you had offered to my daughter. I really want to congratulate you all, who took part in this amazing and full of opportunities online course, for every detail which was perfect. From the schedule to the teachers and translators. I saw a big improvement on her technique, even her teacher saw it. After all, we say a big and sincerely thank you from our hearts."
Read more"These are the precious words: I just wanted to write to say thank you for another incredible intensive. We are always so impressed by the courses that are produced through Russian Masters. They are of the highest quality, outstanding teachers, and a wonderful schedule that ensures the students are exposed not just to dance training but valuable information and experiences through coffee talks, special guests, and receiving reports from teachers. Sophia loved every minute of the Vaganova Academy Online Intensive, as well as the classes she was able to take earlier with the Russian Masters Intensives. We dearly hope that it will be possible to attend again in person sometime soon. Thank you to all the organisers and translators for doing a wonderful job. We are always extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate. "
Read more"Thank you, a lot, RMB team and all the teachers. This week has inspired Zyggy and taught us many things. There were first Zyggy`s classes of Historical dance and Acting. They were something! That`s pity that the week had to end. Happy New Year and wish to meet you in Saint Petersburg. Zyggy and his mother Vesta. "
"A very BIG thank you to you, to Asiya and to everyone at RMB Online! Natasha had a great experience at Summer Intensive and a really amazing and inspiring last day taking classes with Ivan Vasiliev and Maria Khoreva. So motivating and so much fun! We would like to compliment you all on such a well-organized and valuable program. All of Natasha’s teachers were wonderful and she learned such a lot. Please pass along our thanks and gratitude to Olga Pavlova and Denis Untila who gave so much care, time and attention to Natasha over these last two weeks. And, most importantly we thank you for being an organization that clearly and passionately operates for the benefit of our student dancers. It has been a crazy year so far and we are sorry that we were unable to meet you all in Alicante, but we are very happy to have experienced Russian Masters Online and look forward to meeting in person next year. "
Read more"To come to Vaganova Academy was dream come true for our Josefina. Due to Covid situation it was not possible to travel to St. Petersburg to enjoy RMBC live. We can´t thank enough for possibility to join your exceptional ballet classes ONLINE to enable Josefina to continue her ballet training with such wonderful teachers as Tatiana Cherkashina, Polina Rassadina, Aleksandr Omar, Elena Kukseva, Anna Podlesnaya, Aleksey Ilyin, Sofia Gumerova and Tatiana Kurenkova. RMBC is not about dance education to pass exam. It is about sharing passion and love for ballet through teaching perfect ballet technique. As a mother of teenage daughter I appreciate a lot your respect for building dancer´s bodies. I admire patience of each teacher to truly and precisely explain every movement to inspire students to deeply understand fundamentals and art of dance. Josefina is excited about care she has from each teacher. She is so happy to learn so much about movements of head, arms and every single finger, how to express her feelings through dance and so much more. She is so grateful to have this chance to improve her ballet technique with such professional and amazing teachers. Even in 2x2m ballet floor she has her best summer ever. With thanks. Jana and Josefina "
Read more"We would like to tell you that you are a very, very professional team and, moreover, that you pay real attention to the students, so they are wonderfully followed by you and the whole team of wonderful teachers. THANK YOU for all that you have done and do for Igor. These are the words that we feel to say with all our heart and it is good that many know the quality of your work. Thanks again! Alessandra, Edoardo, Igor "
Read more"Hello, I would like to say thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity for Sophia to have the lesson with Olga Pavlova. It was very beneficial, Sophia absolutely loved it, and she learned a lot. We are so grateful! Best wishes, Melanie Riddell "
From the Professional World
"I invited the Russian Masters Ballet faculty to give master classes at our school and the impact was immediate and lasting. The students were exposed to a standard of teaching that simply does not exist anywhere else in the region. The depth of knowledge and the quality of transmission is truly exceptional."
"Working with the RMB faculty as a professional preparing for a major role was invaluable. The level of analytical thinking they bring to every detail of movement is extraordinary. I came away with a completely new understanding of technique I thought I already knew."