“There are difficult ballet positions, but actually, I think the movements that look the easiest are sometimes the hardest to make,” says 14-year-old Maria Khoreva (@marachok), who studies at The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg. As Maria is in the ninth grade of high school and in the fifth grade of her ballet class, her average day is busy. “Usually I wake up at 8:00 AM and have my first high school class at 9:20 AM. Dance classes start after high school ends, and I practice two or more hours every day. The atmosphere of the Academy feels theatrical—there is a tornado of people in costumes, all rehearsing. After classes are over, I rehearse for performances that I'm in, and then I do my homework at home, also sometimes spending time practicing piano.” For more photos and videos from the ballet student's classroom, follow @marachok.
Video by @marachok