Most people outside the ballet world have an opinion about ballet after watching movies like Black Swan with Natalie Portman. I would say it's a pretty dark vision of ballet, potentially realistic but undoubtedly limited.

As a professional ballet dancer, I thought it would be interesting to show you from the inside, a true portrait of this art life, closer to reality, than the illusions or filmmaker's fantasy.

Is there a toxic atmosphere in ballet or positive competition ?

The Bolshoi Ballet and The Mariinsky Ballet are two very powerful theaters with old history and traditions, which make them still the most famous in the world.

Today i want to share with you my vision on the situation as a ballet dancer from The Mariinsky Theater, who sometimes also dances on the Bolshoi Stage.

As people love to compare them, i will try to compare them not to chose which one is the best (because i believe it's a question that will never be resolved) but more basing myself on the facts.

HOW DIFFERENT ARE THEY ?

Moscow being the capital of Russia is a cultural city, and if we talk about culture in Russia, it can't exist without ballet.

Ballet is still very well respected and admired, a little bit like football in England.

Discover today the most famous ballet in Moscow.

My dream to work at The Mariinsky Theater came naturally, since I loved the Kirov's ballerinas, their style, manners, purity and beauty. My first trip to Saint Petersburg confirmed that my soul here felt at home, a strange feeling.

I decide to share with you today what I consider to be Saint Petersburg's unique footprint, these specifics and unique ballets that are linked to this theater ; they can be exclusive to our theater repertoire, or they originate from this theater.

I want to share with you today my experience, and why I believe having a mentor in general is not only the most beautiful gift you can receive, but also the true key to success.

Meet today with the Saint Petersburg-based ballet photograph Evgenia Matvienko.

She will share her vision for Art, Ballet and Photography.

Baryshnikov always inspired me. I admire in him, the ability to dance so easily, as if it didn’t cost any power or struggle, and also to dance everything so brightly. If a dancer is great, he/she is great at everything.

So what about this division in Russian Ballet about Character and Classical Dance ?

Recently, I watched the movie-serial about Mathilde Kschessinska’s life, in which I found incredible inspiration. Working at the Mariinsky nowadays, the comparison was especially perspicacious: same place, one theater, but different time.

What is exactly BALLET ?

First year in a ballet company, what is it like ?

INSIDE a ballerina life.

The best advices to become a ballet dancer

from student to professional

Meet the Brazilian Ballet star Victor Caixeta, now principal at The Het National Ballet.

He will share today with us his experience and vision on his Art.

The Dancer's Vision Of Beauty Is So Specific That Our Parameters May Not Be As Pleasant To An Outsider's Eyes (And Maybe Even To The Audience).

We, Ballet Dancers, Spend Our Lives In Front Of A Mirror, Sculpting Our Bodies And Striving To Reach Perfect Harmony And Beauty In Our Body Lines.

Today I will talk about the idea of beauty in ballet and share a little bit about my vision.

Dame de Lys is a platform created by Lea Thomasson Merzlyakova to share and promote art, especially ballet. Let's discover together the world of ballet through the eyes of artists coming from everywhere around the world. Today we welcome the Japanese soloist of the Mariinsky Theater, May Nagahisa.

The incredible life of a ballerina.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BECOME A BALLERINA ?

The must know before starting this profession.