The seventh season of the international educational project Innopraktika School concluded in St. Petersburg. From June 29 to July 19, the sixth Choreography and seventh Art sessions were held simultaneously, bringing together 32 young artists, sculptors, dancers, and choreographers from 20 countries. The three-week educational program culminated in an exhibition of the participants' works in the Italian Hall of St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts and a two-day "Global Values" Festival at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy Theatre.          

For the second year in a row, two sessions were held simultaneously, and this format proved its value. Over three weeks, artists and dancers not only studied at leading Russian creative universities but also became part of a unified international community, learning about each other's work processes and attending joint tours, exhibitions, performances, and rehearsals. It was in this lively interaction that the School's theme — "Creativity Unites" — was most compellingly realized.    

Art Session: Academic School as a Space for Creative Exploration

The seventh Art Session was held at St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. Over three weeks, participants completed an intensive educational program, including classes in academic anatomy, drawing, painting and sculpture portraiture, sketching, and plein air practice.

The exhibition in the Italian Hall of the Academy of Fine Arts features 24 works culminating in the training: paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

Despite the academic nature of the program, participants actively experimented with artistic materials. For example, an artist from Nigeria used clay as part of a painting, and one sculptor created a piece from electronic waste — keyboards, wires, and other digital materials.

"The Academic Art School remains a vibrant language of professional communication. Young artists come to St. Petersburg with diverse cultural backgrounds and skills, yet they engage in meaningful creative dialogue. We live in a wonderful city, a dream destination for every educated person. Not many have this opportunity. It's especially important to us that we help not only perfect the craft but also enrich the life of the Academy, making it more diverse and filled with exciting events," said Semyon Mikhailovsky, Rector of St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts.

Choreography Session: A Space for Co-Creation

The sixth Choreography Session, as usual, was held at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy under the artistic direction of Boris Eifman.

The program combined daily classical and contemporary dance classes, master classes, and rehearsals of new productions. Classical dance was taught by Academy teachers Sergey Zimin and Natalia Sologub. Contemporary dance was taught by past graduates of Innopraktika School, Allen Xing and Evelyn Hart, who currently teach at the Dance Academy.

During the session, participants created 12 new dance pieces. Four pieces were created by Russian choreographers Oleg Gabyshev, Olga Vasileva, Olga Labovkina, and Ksenia Mikheeva. Another six pieces were presented by international choreographers: Hobie Schouppe (Belgium), Jackson James Sanders (USA), and Juan Angel Bojorquez Lopez (Mexico). Allen Xing and Evelyn Hart prepared special projects, and the festival's finale was once again the piece Unity, which for the third year in a row has brought together participants of Innopraktika School and students of the Boris Eifman Dance Academy.

One of the session's highlights was meeting Boris Eifman. During his visit to the Academy, the maestro spoke with the students, discussed his artistic journey, and answered their questions. Later, the young artists met with the master backstage at the Alexandrinsky Theatre after a performance of Moliere Passion, or The Mask of Don Juan, sharing their impressions and thanking him for the opportunity to be part of the project.                 

"Our unique ballet school, successfully developing experimental pedagogical methods for training versatile performers of the third millennium, is hosting Innopraktika School Choreography Session for the sixth time. This year, talented dancers and choreographers from China, the USA, Great Britain, France, Nigeria, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and other countries participated.

The three-week educational program provided an invaluable opportunity to refine their artistic and choreographic skills and discover new possibilities in 21st-century dance. From its very beginning, the Academy has built its work on the principle of continuous exchange of professional skills and experience with dance professionals from around the world. It is therefore fitting that the commitment to the creative integration of diverse choreographic styles and cultures, which forms the foundation of Innopraktika School, is so understandable and relevant to us," noted Boris Eifman, Artistic Director of the Choreography Session.

When Different Arts Begin to Speak the Same Language

The joint cultural program included tours of St. Petersburg, visits to the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Mariinsky, Mikhailovsky, and Alexandrinsky Theaters, a trip to Tsarskoye Selo, a night boat trip watching the bridges being raised, and a tour of "Multi-Confessional St. Petersburg". The artists learned about the Boris Eifman Dance Academy, watched the ballet film "Rodin. Her Eternal Idol", and attended the "Global Values" Festival. The dancers visited St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts and an exhibition of the final works of the Art Session participants.

The creative exchange proved so inspiring that the Canadian artist, impressed by her encounter with the dancers and the fluidity of their movements, created her own final work depicting the participants of the Choreography Session.

"Innopraktika School has long since expanded beyond an educational project. It has become a platform where young artists and dancers from different countries learn about Russian culture, learn to collaborate, and discover new artistic traditions. The projects like these help build trust and mutual understanding between people through the language of art," emphasized Natalia Popova, First Deputy General Director of the Innopraktika Company.         

Many participants admitted that they had never before encountered an educational program in which academic study was so closely linked with cultural exchange and collaborative creativity. For some, studying at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy was a dream come true, for others, working in the historical workshops of St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. These experiences are the main outcome of Innopraktika School, where art helps people from different countries find common ground.