From Russia to Raleigh with love: Teaching ‘The Nutcracker’ in the South
As she sits at the front of the mirrored ballet studio and follows the dancer’s movements, Olga Kostritzky looks very much the part of the classic Russian ballet mistress.
Dressed in a black tunic and leggings, beige sandals and signature designer glasses, she sways in her seat and gestures as music from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” fills the cavernous room.
A few feet away, dancer Malea Grubb twirls across the room on pointe, weary from a long day of rehearsals but determined to prove she’s worthy of the lead role in the dance of the ribbons.
The pressure is on: Carolina Ballet’s opening performance of “The Nutcracker” is three days away, and Grubb finally has the undivided attention of a guest coach she’s been wanting to work with for months.
Grubb took classes with Kostritzky this summer and was impressed by her attention to detail. Moreover, in a profession characterized by stress and constant physical exertion, Kostritzky’s calm, focused manner had put Grubb and her fellow dancers at ease.
With Nutcracker season under way across the country, fixer skills like Kostritzky’s are in high demand. Before arriving in Raleigh to work with Carolina Ballet on Nutcracker, she was in Siberia with another company. Ballet is her life, and even after more than 60 years of dancing and teaching, she shows no signs of slowing down. Don’t ask her how old she is because she won’t give you a number — “It doesn’t matter if you’re not 18,” she says — and not even her oldest daughter knows the year of Kostritzky’s birth.