"Ballet Olympics": Marina Vezhnovets and Anastasia Yarmosh at the XV International Ballet Competition

The International Ballet Competition is not only a professional test for its participants, but also a crucial growth spur. It brings together different schools, generations, and stage experience, and performing on the Bolshoi Theatre stage demands the utmost concentration from the young dancers.

We spoke with teacher Marina Vezhnovets and her student Anastasia Yarmosh , representing Belarus, about the meaning of the competition, pre-performance jitters, the ability to immerse yourself in character, and the importance of not comparing yourself to others.

What does the International Ballet Competition mean to you?

Marina Vezhnovets : In my view, this competition is like the Olympic Games for athletes. I consider it to be the pinnacle. This competition represents the most important competition in the ballet world. It's always been a benchmark, aspirational. It truly is the Olympics of ballet.

When you watch everyone and see how quickly ballet is developing, you immediately understand where to go next.

How do you feel on this legendary stage? Is the stage with its rolling edges comfortable or unusual?

Anastasia Yarmosh: Of course, you need to be able to adapt to any stage. Everything should be comfortable, no matter what. I practice on a stage with a skating rink, so this is a familiar feature.

For me, it's also a kind of Olympics, because the competition is held every four years. Of course, participating is exciting, but you need to put that excitement aside and show what you can do. Not to prove anything to anyone, but to truly demonstrate your true nature.

How do you cope with stage fright? Do you have a specific mindset for each performance, and is your first-round performance different from your second?

Anastasia Yarmosh: For me, the only difference is the role itself. In the first round, I danced Kitri and "Le Corsaire," and here it's a variation from "Giselle." I relieve my anxiety by imagining myself in the performance. When I dance the variation from "Giselle," I imagine the peasants sitting there. And when I dance Kitri, I imagine the Spaniards dancing nearby, encouraging me, helping me. In other words, I immerse myself in the performance.

Marina Vezhnovets: I always tell them one thing: you need to think about what needs to be done. That's the best way. When your head is clear, when your mind is focused on the task at hand, not on worry, then everything will be fine.

In competitive situations, you often have to deliver your best in the shortest amount of time. What's the hardest thing to do in such a short space of time?

Marina Vezhnovets : I can definitely say that the entrance is already heroic, because going out and dancing a single variation is very difficult. When you're performing in a performance, you have some onstage sequences before the variation that help you approach it. But here, you have to go out and give it your all. Naturally, you're trying to do complex technical things, and that's very challenging.

But if a person does this consistently, constantly, and if you have luck, then, of course, everything will work out. I have a seasoned student, plus, of course, she has her own individuality. This is always visible and always noted.

Nastya, do you have a role or variation that you feel particularly close to? Perhaps a role you'd like to dance?

Anastasia Yarmosh : What I'm passionate about and what I've already performed is Cinderella from the ballet of the same name. I'd also like to dance Anyuta. And in general, I'd like to dance everything. Well, Kitri, of course. And Phrygia from Spartacus.

Which version of the ballet "Spartacus" would you choose?

Marina Vezhnovets : We're currently presenting Valentin Nikolaevich Elizariev's version at our theater. It's similar in many ways to Grigorovich's production, but, naturally, its own distinctive style is evident.

What's most valuable to you about the competition: the opportunity to compare yourself with others, gain experience from your colleagues attending the competition, the experience of a new stage, or something else?

Anastasia Yarmosh: The most important thing for me is that I'm dancing on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. That's incredibly important to me. And I should never compare myself to anyone else—that usually only gets in the way.

Marina Vezhnovets : For me, it’s probably the same because it’s a world stage and a competition of the highest level.

Tomorrow Anastasia will take the stage in the second round of the competition, we wish her good luck!

Interviewed by: Nina Teseyko

Photo by: Tina Berezhnaya