An American at the Bolshoi | The New York Times 

Madame Corgi wow. That’s amazing.

According to Wikipedia, Anastasia Stevens was the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi's main training program and the first American to sign a contract with Bolshoi Ballet.

Raras Umaratih • but was Anastasia already part Russian? Judging from her name?

Eleonore Bon no, my assumption is that the Wikipedia article used to incorrectly state that joy was the first and it has since been updated. Also Joy is ethnically Russian so even if Anastasia was ethnically Russian that would mean they both are.

Btw, someone can be called Anastasia and not be Russian

tbh that is not very rare, there are many immigrants coming to America and attend American high schools or middle schools without knowing the language and people like them struggle and work hard every day. The same thing could be said for many teenagers relocate to other parts of the world for whatever reasons. Just not all of them get acknowledged.

Exactly!

Her love for a ballet overcomes.

If you want to dance, those are the sacrifices we take...

I was housemate with three balerinas from Venezuela back in the 80s. They were 16 years old. Two of them won 1st and 2nd place in a competition and won scholarships in NY.

bribery scandal?

@@maxt240 I think she was just riding the bandwagon of another scandal that had happened round the time. She has been in a few other companies since - the Kremlin ballet, the Universal Ballet in Korea, the Boston Ballet - and practically all of these positions she left under doubtful circumstances, which she window-dressed to make it appear it was somebody else's fault. At present she's dancing in Astrakhan (i.e. practically in the middle of nowhere); who knows how long that will last. She has no repertory to speak of except the most standard roles - Masha in the Nutcracker, Odette in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Q and the Diamond Fairy from Sleeping Beauty, which is precious little for someone who's turning I think 27 this year, and considering hoe early dancers' careers usually end.

came to the US. I thought she got a contract for principle dance at the Kremlin ballet.

@@christianealshut1123 You sound jealous and bitter.

@@DigitalDezinesCEO lol she talking fats not feelings like you, you cup of sour milk

Now this is the info I needed!

She DOES look Russian. :) I am happy she went for her dreams and seems to be on the mark for her goals. Ballet IS difficult, to say the least, but when a person is 'born' with the desire this desire seldom leaves. I am a testament to that idea. Even though there have been path changes due to injuries or other life situations, I always MUST go 'home'. Barre is home, class is home, the stage is home, performing is home. Once I enter the studio, place my hand on the Barre, NOTHING else matters. My mind, heart, & soul are free. Dance, ballet, is freedom for me. I wish Miss McClerkin the very best!

tbh theres no "Russian" look as you can find Russians looking like asians, like northern european people, like arab people and the typical Russian looking person we all have in our mind the european looking with asian mix but honestly russia is very diverse. You can find russians looking like anything really except black looking Russians lol

Typical Russian is "european looking with asian mix"? WHAT? "Typical" Russian, if you want to go there, is blond hair, blue eyes, and white skin. Why would ethnic Russian look in any way "asian" is something I do not get, being Russian myself and stuff. She may look like a Tatar, who are also Russian citizens , but not ethnic Russians. In the end, an ethnic Russian may have any hair/eye colour, and any type of european features. Ethnic Russians look like people from any other Northern European nation, like Brits or Scandinavians when it comes to features and colouring. Simply living closer to Asia doesn't actually change your genes and appearance, believe it or not.

She doesn't look Russian. She looks Celtic. But she sees the Russian beauty.

Her wikipedia page says she's 'ethnically russian' but born in california, so maybe her grandparents were russian or something?

What's it going to be called, do you know?

@@kitkat2702 Joika. It was released in 18 June I guess

That’s interesting and funny.

That's completely an affectation then, lol. How silly.

I met joy as well and I actualy told this to her and we laughed about it.

Same in my city.

Same in high school ballet classes

same!

I had a teacher physically punch my feet into position as a child - kinda traumatizing but you bet my feet point on instinct

she means more violently touching, but obviously nothing that does real harm

Where is that? Is it in Russia? This was in 2010 so she would be 20 or 21. That's truly amazing! Such as beautiful girl with raw talent and dertimination. Congrats to her!

ruemockingjay12 Yes, Kremlin is also in Moscow. She is a "guest" Prima.

Betty Boop Isn't she a principal?

+melodramatic7904 she has a youtube channel....its amazing +Joy Womack

Well, come to find out, she's actually a Leading Soloist at the Kremlin; according to the Kremlin Ballet web site.

Merde?

Eh ??

She is not a member of the Paris Opéra Ballett.

​@@justusundjuno6786apparently she has been an extra with the corps. Not sure whether that's true, but it's on her wiki page.

there is nothing Russian in her. Have you ever saw/lived with native Russians?

What do Americans look like? If you ask me. no one "looks American" except native Americans. Like most white Americans her ancestors are probably a mixture of at least 3 or 4 European countries. so there is no "American look" really.

She is ethnically Russian lol en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Womack

Americans absolutely do have a specific look, I can notice it as a European

+Shaniah Hmmm. My family has been in America since 1750 but somehow I doubt I would fit into what you call the "specific look" for Americans. Remember, there is no such thing as an "ethnic American" unless you are talking about indigenous peoples. Americans have ancestors from all over the globe.

Fedor Amuricano qq

Fedor Amuricano

Patricia Dudley yes Honey!

Said like a poet.

What is the name of her channel?

I'm not sure where your from but in Texas and the southern states that's a little more taboo I grew up in the mid west not as much touching as in Russia and they never grabbed our legs only our arms they my tap out legs though but even that was unusual.

Probably not a good school

Yannie Lee Which of schools is good in your opinion?

***** yes.

Yannie Lee yes what?

Sergei Filin!

"In Soviet Russia, ballet dances you" would be better. 4 years later.

So in america..... you dance them??

Emeebee,..... did you live there during the Soviet times?

This is not about politics it’s about art. Why insert this ugly friction to a beautiful story.

Russians are very warm hearted and friendly once you get to know them. It’s another culture. they only look like European, but they have a completely different mentality and attitude towards life.

​@@Hella333 Strange. I never noticed their warmth heart. A fairy tale for inexperienced foreigners. They sycophant to foreigners, but can't stand their neighbors and indigenous people of their country. Very unpleasant chauvinistic people, if you study them closely

mitrovdan well now she is a prima ballerina of the Kremlin

Melody Headburn and???

she made it

@@m.h2247 She was a first soloist, but she's never been quite honest about the positions she's held (to be charitable, let's assume she was told in Russian she had a certain position and then just mistranslated it).

@@larasofiabgj I'm sorry, but she can become a Prima ballerina anywhere, but not in Russia.And it's not because she's American

As an American, all my ballet instructors (both Russian and American) made hands-on corrections. I can't imagine having gone through my training without that.

They do in my class, it helps a lot.

They do, I suspect her studio was just more conservative because it was in the south

Melody Headburn Story of my life!!!! I started ballet when I was eleven at a local studio that offers all dance styles and the teacher never touched me for corrections. Then there was a new ballet teacher that came in January of 2018 and she had only ever taught and danced ballet and was a soloist at a ballet company in her youth. (can’t remember which it was!) She touched me and the rest of the class for corrections like in this video! So I took a few privet lessons from her specifically.... and she told me I would have to start from scratch on the technique I had been building for the last four years and stop doing pointe because I had SOOO many bad habits and it was literally all wrong! I was so mad at my original teacher because she did not teach or show us any of that. It literally sucked the joy out of dancing for me: the thought of having to start all over when I was almost fourteen and wanted to be a professional! (At the time that studio was all that was around and was all we could afford.) So I’ve taken a year off now and when we relocate to Colorado I will be joining a real ballet academy! I’ve come to terms with this but I now want it bad enough that I will have to start from the bottom again. And all because my teacher of four years didn’t REALLY teach me ballet. Or pointe! (I started pointe after only 9 months of starting ballet at eleven. Which I now know was not good on my part or the teachers part. Especially since My technique was so bad that I was doing pointe work kind of wrong anyway. But I didn’t know any better you know?

Isn't that the truth?

no! not at all!! I'm right there with you! I knew all the songs too

+harmoniabalanza indeed

Beautifully stated, harmoniabalanza, and so very true.

harmoniabalanza - Not all Americans.

harmoniabalanza very wise comment. And you’re wise comment also proves how many Americans are judged unfairly 💙 because a lot of them do now about other cultures.

All because we are ignorant of other cultures? What utter bullcrap.

+Gordon Ackerman Back then she actually was fifteen and she's not married anymore.

+Malonek. Thanks. I didn't think the marriage would last, it seemed flawed from the start - they tried settling in Texas, her home, but apparently it didn't work - he never learned English and probably had no employment possibilities. I hope she's OK now. She's back in Moscow with a smaller company, is that correct?

+Malonek. What happened to the boy, Julian MacKay, the other young American at the Bolshoi?

I think he dances at the Royal Opera House.

+Gordon Ackerman Oh, I didn't know about the Texas thing. She now dances at the Kremlin Ballet and is a leading soloist (or something like that rank) there. I believe it is a smaller company than the Bolshoi but still rather a big one. She posts (almost) daily vlogs on her youtube channel (Joy Womack).

B__K__Y right, her body was strong and slender but also softer around the edges. some people would look at it as a bad body for ballet, which is crazy. i personally think it makes the lines look more graceful and elegant~

Ann Rozhets That is what life for most ballet dancers is like.They get a low pay, they start their careers when they are 17 years old and it ends about 10 years later, then they have to find other means to make a living. Life in ballett is tough, the children need to learn what to expect from their future and not be daydreaming of fame.

quickquack it's longer than 10 years. Maybe 15 for corpse and soloists, but maybe 20-25 for principles.

That is the ballet dancer life, which is why I, and many others, choose not to continue. Unless you're a principal dancer at a recognized company, pay is low and many people continue with another profession after several years. It's definitely not an easy path, few people earn a good living and to be a professional dancer, you need to enjoy what you do.

shame on you ,you need pray for Putin and what he doing for you

Ann Rozhets Это уже старый фильм.)