The uniqueness of “The Technique of a Ballet Artist” by Olga Spesivtseva

Abstract

The purpose of the study of this scientific article is the only book by the great Russian ballerina of the 20th century Olga Aleksandrovna Spesivtseva “The Technique of a Ballet Artist” published in London in 1967. The author of the article reviews the basic content of the book, which is a kind of historical and theoretical work of the ballerina, who absorbed the experience of many prominent teachers of her day and mentions reliable facts from the history of the book’s creation. The author focuses on the uniqueness of this book, in which, in the author’s opinion, Olga Spesivtseva presented her ideal model of classical dance lessons, contributing to the development of technique and representing a certain synthesis of the experience and knowledge of the greatest Russian ballerina. The author gives a generalized description of the process of formation of her professional maturation and development, tracing the stages of Spesivtseva’s work with various teachers of classical dance, which had an impact on the ballerina’s formation and worldview, as well as the evolution of her professional and pedagogical views.