Kirov Academy of Ballet to Dance at National Gallery of Art, 11/23

Washington, DC [CapitalWirePR] November 20, 2014 - Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, DC will perform in the National Gallery of Art's West Garden Court on Sunday, November 23, 2014 at 3:30 pm.

The presentation immediately follows a lecture entitled Inside Look: Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, by Daphne Barbour, senior conservator, department of object conservation, National Gallery of Art; Alison Luchs, curator of early European sculpture, National Gallery of Art; and Shelley Sturman, senior conservator and head, department of object conservation, National Gallery of Art. The lecture takes place at 2:00 pm in the Gallery's West Building Lecture Hall offered in conjunction with John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' world premiere musical Little Dancer.

Audience members of the 3:30 pm performance will take a journey back in time as they "encounter" Kirov Academy of Ballet dancers acting out a scene from Degas's 19th century creative world. The period is the 1800s when dancers in white romantic tutus begin their exercises for a rehearsal of ballets destined for the great stages of France. As light filters through the dance studio, a ballet master enters and sees the Little Dancer deep in thought about the rehearsal, which will begin momentarily. This is a lovely opportunity for the audience to take a moment to breathe in the beauty of classical ballet and art. The interlude will begin with sounds from the lilting pocket violin, in the beautiful West Garden Court, where time stands still for the dance.

About Kirov Academy of Ballet

Founded in 1989, and opening its doors in 1990, the Kirov Academy of Ballet is the epitome of world-class ballet training. The school prepares students to become the next generation of classically trained ballet dancers through the principles and aesthetics of the Vaganova Method of Classical Ballet taught at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. Concurrently, students pursue a multi-faceted academic program including the core subjects and the arts, each furthering the objectives to build a solid educational foundation, and to create, cultivate, and prepare the student for life as a professional artist. Each year, the Kirov Academy places more than 75% of its graduates with professional dance companies around the world, while other graduates further their education at universities with prestigious dance programs.