bio +
about VBA
Jaden Grimm
Bio
Born in Carbondale, Colorado, 2003
Vaganova School of Russian Ballet
St. Petersburg, Russia
September 2019-present
​
Master Ballet Academy
Pre-Professional Program
Scottsdale, Arizona
2016-2019
​
School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Aspen, Colorado
2006-2016
​
I am 16 years old. I grew up in a small mountain town with a population of 6,000 people. I have lived away from home since I was 13 to pursue my dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. I currently live in St. Petersburg, Russia as one of the few Americans training at the renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy. On a day off, I love exploring the city, going to watch a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre or Mikhailovsky Theatre and going to my vegetarian cafes around the city with my friends. I am also currently learning Russian.
The Vaganova Ballet Academy
​
Founded in 1738 by decree of Empress Anna I, of Russia, the Imperial Ballet School became Russia’s first educational establishment to provide professional ballet training. Now known as the Vaganova Ballet Academy, the school has just marked its 275th Anniversary.
Over the years, the Academy has graduated a galaxy of legendary dancers and choreographers: Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, Oleg Vinogradov, Yuri Grigorovich, Farukh Ruzimatov, Altynai Asylmuratova, Konstantin Zaklinsky, Ulyana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva, and Svetlana Zakharova, to name just a few.
The Academy’s method of ballet training was created by one of its most distinguished teachers - Professor Agrippina Y. Vaganova, who taught at the Academy from 1921 until her death in 1951. Since that time, the Academy has continued to develop and advance the syllabus that has created so many exceptional artists.