Ballet Fantastique's Professional Division classes follow the eight levels of the internationally renowned Vaganova Training Syllabus, a notated and progressive training program that has produced some of the best dancers in the world, including Anna Pavlova, Natalia Makarova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, the legendary choreographer George Balanchine, and professional dancers in almost every company in the world.

Originally developed by Mme. Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova over one hundred years ago, this method fused the romantic style of the French ballet and dramatic soulfulness of the Russian character with the athletic virtuosity that characterizes the Italian school to reform the old imperial style of ballet teaching.

Early training focuses on epaulement, or the stylized turning of the shoulders and body, which is partnered with the development of total stability and strength in the back to produce harmonious coordination of the body and continuity of movement. This core of strength enables consistently precise, easy movement of the body; the training in epaulement, in turn, instills in the dancer an intuitive anticipation of how best to use every part of his or her body to evoke breathtaking results, right down to the hands and eyes. The Vaganova Method's codified technical approach thus makes for INJURY-FREE training emphasizing the simultaneous development of both technical proficiency and individual artistry, and a complete range of movemental expression that comes out of proper placement and a strong classical dance foundation.

This scientifically proven method involves the systematic study of all ballet movements by breaking them down into their separate elements and is characterized by impeccable precision, attention to detail, ease of execution, emotion-evoking grace, and individual creativity. Ballet Fantastique's highly-qualified instructors and coaches have backgrounds not only in the Vaganova method, but also in Vaganova pedagogy-so they not only know how to dance, they also know how to work with young people. Professional Division students at our Academy take a yearly level examination in which they are individually evaluated according to notated benchmarks and are given personal feedback on their strengths and artistic and technical development, and after which they are awarded well-deserved medals of achievement.