The studios reflect a traditional Russian ballet academy, with senior instructors who received their Vaganova ballet training at top professional institutions and danced in professional ballet companies.
“I want to show the beauty of ballet, and my goal is to have my students create visual art for the public,” says Nikolai Morschakov, Artistic Director and Owner of the Russian Classical Ballet Academy at Wixom.
“As much as I love teaching ballet, what I enjoy most is watching my students perform on stage to entertain and enlighten people,” he says.
Offering classes for children ages 3-6 as well as pre-professional, professional trainee, adult and student academic options, the academy offers something for novices, professional dancers and the balletomane alike. Auditions for upcoming ballets take place at different times of the year.
The Russian Classical Ballet Academy, which has another location in Ypsilanti, recently launched a full-time professional program for middle and high school students training to become professional dancers.
The program is led by Madame Olga Korotaeva and Madame Marianna Lobanova, two of the best ballet teachers in the world.
“I am honored to be able to bring these wonderful instructors to the Detroit metro area,” said Jessica Morschakov, Artistic Director and Owner of the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet. “I am so excited to see our students develop and grow under Madame Korotaeva and Madame Lobanova.”
Korotaeva started dancing as a child, entered the Russian Ballet Academy in Perm at age 10, and trained there for eight years to become a professional dancer. After dancing for six years, she decided to become a ballet teacher.
After extensive training at the Moscow State Choreographic Academy (Bolshoi Ballet Academy) and a master’s degree in ballet pedagogy, she was invited to teach at the Perm Ballet Academy and spent 11 years there in as a full-time instructor before moving to the United States in 2017.
“I want to make sure that my work is worth something to the Russian and American children I teach. I want them to succeed and gain knowledge,” says Ms. Korotaeva, adding that my legacy is passed on to my students.
“You have to really love it and be passionate about it,” is Korotaeva’s advice to anyone who wants to become a professional ballet dancer. “I chose this job when I was little and I love it with all my heart; ballet is my life.
Lobanova graduated from the Saratov State Choreographic Institute in Russia with a master’s degree in ballet pedagogy Vaganova from the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg and a master’s degree in ballet pedagogy from the Russian University of Theatrical Arts in Moscow.
Lobanova has spent the past nine years as head instructor at Kirov Academy in Washington, D.C.
With over 17,000 square feet of space, the academy’s Wixom facility includes four studios, on-site physical therapy, costume and wardrobe, locker rooms, kitchen, study room and waiting rooms.
The Morschakovs, married with three children, met in 2003 and founded the Russian Classical Ballet Academy in 2004.
The Russian Classical Ballet Academy is located at 46969 W. Road in Wixom. For more information, call 248-826-8181 or visit russianclassicalballet.com.
