The Russian School of Ballet: a home for Sri Lankan ballerinas

By Harindee Fernando

As the heat for Russian Classical Ballet in Colombo builds up with each passing day, the Russian Centre in Colombo has been busy preparing two days of ravishing experiences for the lucky ones that will be seated at Nelum Pokuna Performing Arts Theatre on 30 and 31 March. While it had been quite a challenge to once again welcome a Russian Classical Ballet troupe to Sri Lanka, the Russian Centre team has worked day and night to ensure that it will be a night to remember for the audience. The Russian Centre in Colombo is home to a group of local ballerinas that have been born and bred in its classes teaching the ABCs of Ballet. The blooming ideas of the team at the Russian School of Ballet was a contributing factor to encouraging Natalia Permyakova Chamber Ballet Troupe to offer two nights of enchantment with their moves.

The ballet school of the Russian Centre, soon catching up with its own title of Russian School of Ballet was initiated in the year 2001 by Galina Pleshakova, who is a native Russian Classical Ballet instructor that was passionate in sharing her education of ballet with the young students in Sri Lanka. While it was limited to a mere four students at the point of inception, the number has now grown to over eight hundred students walking in and out every day, to and from their ballet lessons. The Russian School of Ballet is dedicated to the classical art of Russian Ballet that has been passed down through generations for the past few centuries. As the number of students at the Ballet School faced a significant rise within the past few years, a larger number of instructors/teachers had to be brought in. Currently, the students are taught under the guidance of Samantha Samararathne, Niluka Madurawala, Radisha Bodiyabadu, Lasni Subasinghe, along with its founder, Galina Pleshakova.

In keeping up with its standards, the Russian School of Ballet conducts annual examinations that are exclusively directed under an examiner sent down to Sri Lanka from the Russian National Ballet Academy in Moscow. The exams are then followed by a ballet concert/prize giving where the most outstanding students are recognised by the Russian National Ballet Academy, as encouragement to further continue their study of ballet.

As a ballet school that holds great importance to the cultural value of the country, the Russian School of Ballet invites all to join them at Russian Classical Ballet in Colombo on 30 and 31 March for a journey down the lanes of many a world renowned ballet.