©2024 Kim Kokich
When Stanislav Issaev was only six years old, his mother took him, along with his sister, to see Swan Lake in his hometown of Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. At that time, the rules of the theater were strict: no young children could attend evening performances. But his mother convinced the ushers that her young son would be well-behaved and quiet, promising that if he made any noise, or cried, she would immediately leave the audience with both children. They stayed. For Issaev, the memory of his first exposure to this magical ballet is unforgettable, even six decades later:
“I remember, it’s very vivid, like it’s happening yesterday. I remember the lake, I remember the reflection of moon on the lake, like sparkling, like moving, and I remember this guy with this weapon [a crossbow]. He was in white tights, and I wanted to be this guy who was next to this moon and lake. I remember some kind of birds swimming on the lake. And then this evil guy, and this guy with the white tights. And I want to be this guy, in the white tights, but not because of tights. He looked very princely. Very dreamy. So, I wanted to be there. I wanted to be in this fairy tale world, you know? Everything beautiful, sparkling, and kind of dangerous.”
That indelible memory prompted the young Issaev to embark on a lifelong career in ballet. He smiles as he remembers his mother, “You know ballet mothers, their child is always special”, and she lost no time enrolling her son in a local dance group. It couldn’t offer formal ballet training, but gave enough dance instruction to provide young Issaev with opportunities to perform. By age seven, he had appeared on Russian television.
It was obvious to anyone who watched this little boy dance that he was destined for a serious, professional career. Yet his hometown didn’t have the kind of ballet training he would need, so Issaev’s mother and teachers agreed that he should begin formal ballet training elsewhere. But where?
“My mother saw this advertisement [in Moscow] about the Perm¹ school…Moscow was very close to Gorki. Perm was very far away, almost Siberia, but it was the place where the old teachers [from] Maryinski³ went…And they formed a new ballet school in Perm. For thirty, forty years many principal ballet dancers in Moscow came from Perm. But my mother wished I would not be accepted because school was very far away, but I was accepted. My mother told me I’m ‘not going’, and I told her ‘I’m going anyway’ and she said, ‘Well you have to raise your grades to A’s and if you do, you’ll go.’ And I did. I got all A’s. I was very determined because I want to be in this fairytale world. Different world. Because I believed in everything going on there. I like music. I like theater, especially theater. For me theater is a special place. Doesn’t matter if it’s drama or opera. Actually, I developed interest in opera later, and movies; all these areas, that are far away from reality, really attracted me. It was not an escape for me, but a better world, because I was a very happy child.”
The curriculum at the Perm Ballet Academy included all academic subjects, drama, and musicianship in addition to daily ballet classes. Issaev, an accomplished pianist and actor, says this experience enhanced his development as a dancer. He smiles as he describes his education there:
“It was a very happy time. I had classes in academics, in music, I played piano for eight years. We had a choir. So, I had to sing. We had to act. We had acting classes. It was a full, completely packed schedule. History of ballet, history of theater, history of visual arts, history of music, music classes. It was a full academic load and full art load. Ballet history was very important. We covered everything. Even before Petipa. We had real tests, like music, for example. You came into the room and you had to play piano and for your technique they gave you a grade. You listened to music and had to name the composer, the period of time, the style, and if you identified [the name of the] work, exactly, it’s even better. But you have to have at least recognized the composer. And not just Russian, all Western music too, and same with literature. You know Shakespeare! It was very serious. They always say they are creating artists; they are not creating dancers. They are creating a person, actually, you have to know all history, like when Napoleon came to power, you have to know details, all writers actually. You have to open a book and study!”
Fast forward to the present day, Stanislav Issaev has been Ballet Master on the faculty of CityDance Conservatory since 2017. Known affectionately among his students and colleagues as Stas, he is a serious man yet with a subtle and endearing sense of humor. His manner is quiet, and completely focused on his students, not unlike the teacher who, Issaev says, made the deepest impression on him when he was a young student, Ballet Master Julius Plaht², who is well-known in Europe and Russia. Issaev explains that Plaht possessed not only a wealth of knowledge of ballet, but of life in general that he generously shared with his students.
“He graduated from Maryinski school. He was a favorite student of Agrippina Vaganova. This man was very cultured, like an encyclopedia. Extremely educated. Very, very knowledgeable. An amazing person. With lots of passion for us. I learned lots of things from him. During school years he was very distant. But he taught me what to do, what not to do. [Such as] don’t wait for people to tell you what to do, because you must be proactive. Don’t listen to people if they are very negative, because they can have an agenda. Also, don’t listen to people who are very positive, very complimentary, because maybe they want something, this kind of life-related stuff. He was very, very serious.”
Issaev’s successful dancing career took him on tour to more than 40 countries and earned him medals from some of the most prestigious international ballet competitions. He was a Gold Medalist in both the Varna Ballet Competition and the National Soviet Competition. He received the Vaslav Nijinsky Prize awarded by the Paris Academy of Dance, which described him as the “most distinguished male dancer in the world.” He was given the title of Distinguished Artist of Russia in 1983 and in 1990 was awarded the title of People’s Artist of Russia. He partnered some of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th Century, among them the Bolshoi Ballet’s Prima Ballerina Ekaterina Maximova (4) who personally chose him to be her partner.
“This was luck [dancing with Ekaterina Maximova.] She chose to dance with me.
That time when I came to Moscow they could not use me because I looked ridiculous in the corps. So, after two months they gave me my first solo variation in a classical suite of highlights, introduction to the ballet, bravura but very, very classical. And I danced successfully and then I danced Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, and many others.”
And he, not surprisingly, was cast as the leading dancer, Prince Siegfried, in the ballet that made such an impression on him as a little child, Swan Lake. Issaev said although the dancing technique came easily, the characterization of the role demanded something more.
“It was a problem for me in the beginning because I did not understand the character. And in Russia, you cannot perform a role if you cannot be truthful–how to say this, you have to be up to the role. Technically, you must dance it, but on top of technique you have to be truthful as an actor. And I didn’t understand all this stuff, because he’s not in love with a swan. In the end I came to the conclusion that he feels sorry for this girl/swan, and he promises to help her. He likes her, but he was not in love, so in the third act when he sees an ideal, he really was starting to fall in love, but since he lied, he has to be punished. And he has to die in the end. You know everybody says it’s [Swan Lake] about love, but it’s not about love. It’s more about, how to say this, compassion. He listens to her, and says I am sorry, I am so sorry. What can I do for you? And he has very deep sympathy. You know all this movement, he’s not hugging her, he’s trying to protect her.” This special attention to characterization is at the core of Issaev’s artistic talent and throughout his career it set him apart in all his roles.
After 16 years with the Moscow State Ballet, when Issaev was 32, he moved to the United States to join The Atlanta Ballet as a featured Principal Dancer. But soon Issaev began to realize that his dancing was changing, and that it might be time for him to leave the stage. His decision to retire from performing was based on his natural inclination to logic, practicality, and an unexpected event.
“I was 34 when I left. I knew that in a few years I’d have to finish. Nobody could push me out because I was very popular. And I know [myself] I would never quit. But I’m watching my videos and I see my technique is going down because I was worn out. I performed too much. I was not tired, but my body was affected. My jump became smaller, even though I looked good on stage. I looked and compared and I think oh my God, I have to do something with my life because I’m [still] young. [Moscow] would let me dance until I was 45. But this would be a disaster. I would destroy everything I did before. I saw Nureyev in 1993 and this was like a warning for me. He couldn’t jump. He was making faces, like he was in so much pain. And I swear to myself, I will never work if I come to this point, I never dance. I think God looked after me. My stage career lasted exactly 20 years. I started performing on the 14th of May 1974, and on the 13th of May 1994, I broke my arm in a rehearsal. It was fate. It was pre-decided. I had to have surgery, and I said thank you God, because I’d never have the courage to leave the stage, because the stage made me happy–because since I was six years old, I wanted to be in this place.”
Issaev made a smooth transition from active performing to active teaching, which is not always an easy shift for professional dancers. And although today’s ballet students can watch videos of teachers and performances from the past, ballet is still an art best passed down to the next generation in person. Issaev’s students at CityDance Conservatory are the beneficiaries of his vast experience as an award-winning dancer and teacher who inspires deep respect among them.
Simon Tischler (17) was a student in CityDance Conservatory’s Professional Training Program, and is now at The John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. Tischler took his first ballet class with Issaev when he was 12 years old. Although it was hard, he says, it felt right, “He teaches such a natural class. It just feels natural. It’s challenging. But it’s logical. You feel like a whole person taking it.”
In the summer of 2023, Tischler, along with two other PTP students, was invited to participate in one of the oldest and most respected dance competitions in the world, the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. As Issaev was their ballet coach, he traveled with them to Jackson. Tischler says that Issaev’s own experience in competitions was of immense value.
“Stas was very calm. He teaches us not only corrections and advice about our dancing but he also helps us grow as people in the dance world. We learn how to stay calm in stressful situations and how to handle hard things like rejections and bad moments and appreciate the good ones—continue to keep working.”
For Stanislav Issaev the most important aspect of the learning process is for both the student and the teacher to pay full attention. “I always pay attention to how they digest information. How they look at you. Not at you, but when you show a combination. What they are thinking. You know when they’re thinking through movement, like movement and rhythm. What ballet teachers are teaching, really, we’re teaching them how to learn. This is the main thing. Even from the worst teacher in the world you can learn something. You have to be able to always question. But you have to digest. And you have to understand. Because nobody gives you a second body. You have no replacement parts. You are completely responsible for your health and your body.”
Without doubt, Stanislav Issaev’s students at CityDance Conservatory are being taught by a man who fully comprehends the importance of not only the body, but the heart, mind and soul necessary for a career in dance, and for their future.
- Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre. Founded 1870 in Perm, Russia. One of the oldest theaters and ballet schools in Russia, often referred to as Tchaikovsky’s theater.
- Julius Plaht. (1918-1988) Russian teacher and choreographer. Student of Agrippina Vaganova.
- Maryinski (also spelled Mariinsky) Theater. Founded in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1738. Famous dancers who were from this school include Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinski, George Balanchine, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, to name only a few.
- Ekaterina Maximova (1939-2009). Internationally recognized Bolshoi ballerina whose career spanned 30 years.