In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Author’s Note All of the translations in this book are my own, and at times I have retained the Russian practice of using imiya and otchestvo (first and middle names) in reference to various individuals for variety in text and as a sign of respect. For the sake of accuracy, I have retained the Russian spelling in the first use of all names. However, to ease the burden on the American reader, in subsequent uses I have used the shortened, Westernized versions of some names where such versions exist: Preobrajenska (instead of the RussianPreobrazhenskaya);andKshesinska(insteadofKshessinskaya). In the case of Olga Preobrajenska, her middle names, Osipovna and Iosifovna , are used interchangeably by those who speak of her. There is a chart of name transliterations in the index for would-be scholars seeking more information and for those who need to refer to the appropriate transliteration in pursuing reference material. I’ve used the Chicago Manual of Style Romanization rules for the citations in the notes and bibliography. The words “School” and “Academy” are used interchangeably to refer to what is currently the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet on Rossi Street in St. Petersburg, sometimes referred to as ARB; in Russian, the institution is referred to using various nouns—school, academy, teknikum , institute—depending on the era and year. Finally, I have left intact some instances of the Russian phrase “ballet artist” when quoting from original source material. As Altynai Asylmuratova explained to me, the Vaganova Academy doesn’t just train people to dance, it cultivates its future graduates into “artists”—well-rounded individuals skilled in music, dance history, dramatic expression, ballet, character dance, pas de deux, and other disciplines. However, when appropriate I have used the term “dancer” instead of “ballet artist.” xi ...

Share