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Watch This Dancer’s Career-Making Audition Tape


Released on 06/17/2015


(lively instrumental music)

In Russia we have classical style.

Here you have contemporary, jazz, George Balanchine.

And for me, it's extremely hard because in Russia

we used to dance really slow, really romantic.

We have this style, it's Russian traditions.

(upbeat jazz music)

Here it's completely different technique and for me

it was the biggest challenge but I can improve here

because it's inspiring to be here.

Okay, not bad Valeriia, very good.

You've got to go really huge and it's like

if you're over something.

This is very athletic.

This is almost 21st century.

That's it, and now here, Valeriia.

This is here.

Now it's extremely hard,

but I have to just push a little bit more

to get a job in America to live like a real ballet dancer.

It's inspiring and I can't wait for the rest of my life.

That's it.

(upbeat instrumental music)

I'm from Saint Petersburg, Russia

and I'm obsessed with America.

I graduated from Vaganova Ballet Academy,

but I always wanted something bigger.

I didn't want to work in the small company in Russia.

In America the ballet world is hard.

Nothing's going to happen the first time,

even if you're amazing dancer because you never know

what the director is looking for.

You never know what's going to happen next.

You never know what's going to happen tomorrow.

My last audition there were 120 girls

at the same studio.

It was like crazy, it was impossible to show.

Because there's only one people watching 130 people.

Really scary, what is I'm not good enough?

You'll get a job.

If I'm not get in, there's so many companies

around the world.

Yeah, I'm not gonna get in the big company in Russia

because I'm not that tall, I'm not that skinny.

I always wanted to come here so I can go back home.

But I have nothing there 'cause I don't have

another option.

Options, no.

I can't even imagine.

This is the hardest time for us to know about your life.

Because this is our future.

[Valeriia] Ballet (unclear) should be

ready for everything,

because you never know what the director is looking for.

Different companies, different traditions,

different directors.

This is my little tripod.

Use it only for (unclear) and stuff.

I'm preparing my audition materials.

I'm trying to do my best and I send best companies

my videos.

So Valeriia, let's go through the variation, okay?

Try to do really big movements okay?

Big movements just so you keep him.

You want, you don't want.

He doesn't know anymore, okay?

Feel your back, that's it.

Think you have very big, long arms.

Let's try with the music.

(lighthearted classical music)

The audition process is complicated.

You have to do video, which is sometimes not very fair

because from a video sometimes you don't really know

how the person dances.

There's not that many jobs available,

but there are many, many people looking for jobs.

That creates for the kids big pressure.

I know students that they're auditioning

for two or three years until they find something

and many, they give up.

But if you have determination you might

get that far.

(fast-paced classical music)

Yes, yes.

Technically, it's very good.

Just little details.

[Instructor] Catch your breath.

Good job girl, very nice.

Thank you.

(upbeat instrumental music)

Today, Wednesday, I'm about to go to airport.

I'm going to Tulsa, state of Oklahoma,

for ballet company audition.

This is going to be audition for Tulsa Ballet

and for Oklahoma City Ballet.

I'm really, really, really excited but at the same time

I don't know what to expect because you never know

what the director is looking for.

I was so exhausted.

I have my flight the next morning.

It's going to be so hard to get a contract

right away because it's almost impossible.

But the fact that I had an audition, it's amazing.

So I pushed to the end and I'm not going to give up.

(classical piano music)

American ballet is extremely hard.

George Balanchine choreography, I've never done

something like that before.

And for me it was super hard because

everything's really fast.

When you used to do everything really slow,

change like that, it's really hard.

(fast-paced classical piano)


Listen, Valeriia, it has to be more obvious

that you're starting to get faster.

The turn is good, it's the arms.

That's it, show more fingers.

Don't get like this, open up this part.

Open it up.

Valeriia was educated at the Vaganova School.

It's been very hard for her to change

from that very rigid Russian school to this,

but she is a very open-minded girl

and she's very willing to change.

Up, pop pop, that's it.

Now very sharp, (speaking in foreign language).

That's it, good girl.

She came to us because she wanted to be westernized.

She wanted to be more versatile.

She wanted to be able to be employed

by an American company.

Her dream is to live in America

and she's doing everything she possibly can

to stay here.

Now you like to smile.

Are you going to look at the audience,

look at the audience.

(upbeat instrumental music)

When I got injured I was doing ice like every single day.

After a really hard rehearsal.

[Male Dancer] The more you do, like you get used to it.

Oh my God, I got an e-mail from American Ballet Theatre.

They want me to come for audition.

Oh, are you kidding?

Are you kidding?

Let me see that.

[Valeriia] Wish to offer you a private audition,

oh my God, in New York City.

Oh my God, I'm so happy.

American Ballet Theatre, in New York.

They invited you to audition or something?

Yeah, a private audition.

I'm going to New York, I'm going to New York.


(lively classical music)

The upcoming show they are doing some excerpts

of the Ballet Etudes, which is a very hard ballet.

The female variation is known to be one of the hardest.

Everything is in it in a minute.

It's going to be dancing Valeriia, the female variation.

Then we're going to do Western Symphony.

(quick lively classical music)

then we have Valeriia.

Valeriia, second leg.

I think she also has to be careful

not to do arms like this.

Have it a little higher, the top arm.

Don't make it too much like that, the arms.

Yeah, exactly.

It's very important for the students

because Miss Lopez is watching all the performances

and she's going to look at them and decide

if she's interested in some of them for the company.

So I think they feel the big pressure.

It's a very important performance for the students.

(mellow instrumental music)

I'm so worried about everything that's happening now

because I understand that I have to build my stamina again

for the Western and for Etude.

It's hard because I didn't expect to get this

e-mail from ABT.

I know, it's so hard.

And now I just can't forget it.

I know that everything's going to be fine.

Everything happens for a reason.

Everything's going to work out.

[Valeriia] Oh yeah, definitely.

You just have to wait and see.

So much pressure and responsibility.

Everything will be okay.
