In the first episode we meet two young ballerinas who are at the opposite ends of their student careers at the famous Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. Renata Shakirova is a graduate whose talent and dedication have secured her a solo part in the Vaganova Academy’s graduate show. For the first time in nearly 30 years, it will be performed in Moscow – inside the Kremlin walls, in fact. This puts a lot of pressure on the dancers, particularly, the prima ballerinas. In addition, the Academy’s rector and famous Russian dancer, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, wants his show to prove his critics wrong. His appointment as the head of the school caused controversy in the media, and this needs to be put to bed. The stakes are high and failure is not an option. Renata Shakirova has to give her performance her all and make sure the graduation show is a triumph. The other young ballerina is Sofia Valiulina, one of the Academy’s new recruits. She finds Renata an inspiration and dreams of becoming a prima, just like her role model. It’s almost impossible to get into the prestigious Vaganova Academy, and even harder to make it all the way to graduation. Sofia will have to dedicate her whole life to dance. However, the making of a ballerina is often a family effort. Her mother, Gulnaz, had to leave her high-flying job in order to move to St. Petersburg with her daughter. Now she will need to find work here, in the knowledge that if she fails, she will be forced to leave her daughter to stay in the Academy’s accommodation, while she returns to her home town. Many young ballet students have to live on their own, but Gulnaz and Sofia can’t bear the thought of parting.
This episode is all about the unforeseen circumstances and accidents that make ballet dancers and their directors think on their feet. What happens when a dancer breaks a leg or falls ill on the eve of a performance? Arutyun Akopyan is one of the Russian Ballet’s principal dancers. Unfortunately, he broke his foot while on holiday. Now he needs to be urgently replaced by another dancer. While the whole team waits to see whether his replacement will do the dance justice, Arutyun must go to hospital for an operation. His injury turns out to be more serious than he thought. Now it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to dance professionally again. Meanwhile, his colleagues – prima ballerina, Anna, and her boyfriend, Vladimir – rehearse a contemporary dance. After they have practised it to perfection, Anna falls ill right before the performance. An ambulance has to be called to take her to hospital, and there is no time to find a replacement. As all the tickets for her performance have been sold, her director makes a decision to stage a different show. But will an audience who came to see modern dance stay for a classic children’s ballet? The dancers have no option but to take a gamble.
Sofia Valiulina is one of the new recruits at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. She’s top of her class, and together with two other girls is given the part of Masha (Clara) in Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker”. It’s the first time that first graders are being trusted with the part and it means a lot of responsibility and pressure. Sofia is aware that with two other girls also learning the part, she could have it taken away from her at any moment. With this competition in mind, she must work hard to impress her teachers. Meanwhile, professional ballet dancer Arutyun decides to get back to work after a recent foot operation. He goes against his doctor’s advice and takes full responsibility for his actions. His passion for ballet stops him from waiting for his injury to fully heal. To minimise the risks, his friend suggests some changes in Arutyun’s dancing routine. As the performance commences, something strange begins to happen on stage – one by one, dancers start to fall. While the cause remains unknown, Arutyun must do his best to avoid this fate, as it could be very dangerous for a foot that’s still not fully healed.
Russian ballet dancers Anna and Vladimir go on a tour of Germany together with their team of 45. Their double-decker bus becomes a home for them for this period as they are constantly on the move between cities. Living on the road brings the team closer together but even inside the bus there is a hierarchy, with the best seats reserved for principal dancers. The German tour is a longstanding annual event for the team, which means they haven’t celebrated New Year with their families in years. Anna and Vladimir’s colleague Dmitry is a principal dancer who is performing the part of the Prince in “Swan Lake” as well as “The Nutcracker” – the most popular Christmas and New Year ballets. He keeps his lucky trousers with him wherever he goes. A woven, multi-coloured patchwork, they were designed to keep a dancer’s legs warm between the performances. He inherited them from other famous dancers and he considers them his lucky charm.
The Russian Ballet ensemble continues their tour of Germany. Anna can’t wait to enjoy her day off, but all of a sudden she’s required to join the dancers in “Swan Lake”. To add to her disappointment, she discovers that she won’t be dancing the leading role. On the bright side, she and Vladimir – her boyfriend and dance partner – finally get a chance to take a stroll around a German city. It’s a luxury their schedule doesn’t normally allow for. They enjoy the quaint beauty of Chemnitz before the team heads off to Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Dmitry learns that his baby daughter, whom he hasn’t seen for two months, has taken her first steps. He’s upset to have missed this important milestone in his child’s life. On top of this distress, he is also succumbing to a cold. Suddenly he is tasked with dancing two shows in a row. This amounts to a gruelling 4.5-hour performance. Will his professionalism get him through, or will it prove too much for the dancer?
The Russian Ballet’s dancers are back from their successful but exhausting tour of Germany. Normally, they’d expect a week-long holiday after such an endeavour, but this time it’s different. Without being granted any time off, they commence rehearsals of their long-awaited show “The Last Tango”. The show had to be cancelled prior to the tour as the lead dancer, Anna, was ill. Now they have to make up for it. The concern is that Anna may be too tired to pull off her performance. Luckily, her dance partner, Vladimir, is also her boyfriend. He takes it upon himself to help Anna stay sharp and focused. With his support and occasional nudging, she manages to do the dance almost flawlessly. Lead dancers may be the true stars of the show, but the importance of teamwork for the success of a performance can’t be overstated.
"Arabesque", or "Russian Open Ballet Competition Arabesque named after Ekaterina Maximova", is an international dance contest held in Russia. Established in 1988, it is headed by Vladimir Vasiliev, a globally renowned ballet dancer, choreographer and former director of the famous Bolshoi Ballet. Best known across the world for his principal role in Spartacus, he has received the most prestigious dance awards of Russia, France, Italy, USA, Brazil and Japan. Over the years, the competition jury has included world-famous ballet stars. Since 1994, it has been held under the auspices of UNESCO. Every year, emerging talents from Russia and across the world take part in the competition to showcase their abilities and boost their budding careers. In this episode, we meet contestants who hope to dance their way to victory. Anna and Ivan are partners both on stage and in life as they are a married couple. Marco is a son of a ballet dancer, striving to continue his family tradition. Hayato and his girlfriend Erica are from Japan. 14-year-old Anna and her dance partner Grigory are the youngest contestants in the adult competition. Although some of them dance in pairs, prizes will be awarded on an individual basis.
Anna and Ivan, two of the contestants from the Arabesque ballet competition, are fired up to compete again - this time in Sochi. Unfortunately, just a few weeks before the contest, Anna breaks her foot. She still hopes to recover in time, but her chances seem to shrink with every medical test she undergoes. Anna and Ivan are more than just dance partners, they are also husband and wife. Eventually, Ivan must decide whether to go to the contest alone or drop out. The pair are the lead dancers in the Natalya Sats Children’s Music Theatre. Today, however, Anna has to watch another dancer take her place on stage. One ballerina's misfortune is another one’s stroke of luck. However, no matter what the doctors say, Anna has no plans to be sidelined for long. Her choreographers encourage her to begin training asap. Ivan feels protective of his wife, but his concerns are dismissed by everyone else. Soon, however, Anna discovers that she has been given a much more difficult role than she anticipated. She is also aware that her contract prevents her from turning down a part. It seems she has little choice but to agree to it - will she cope?
“Arabesque” contestant Hayato Nisidzima is from Japan, but, inspired by Russian classical ballet, came to work in Moscow. Back home, he set up a classical ballet company to promote Russia’s school of dance. The irony is, however, that the Moscow Ballet Company where he works has decided to give up on classical ballet in favour of contemporary dance. Hayato is not the only one unhappy with this decision: his fellow dancers are devotees of classical ballet, and the company’s manager is also on their side. They believe contemporary dance doesn’t allow them to showcase their full abilities. Additionally, they feel that it neither presents them with a sufficient challenge nor promotes their professional growth. Their adversary is their choreographer, who is confident contemporary dance is the way to go. He deems classical ballet outdated and irrelevant to modern-day realities. This divide puts a strain on all members of the collective. Soloist Dmitry Prusakov enjoys neither his instructor’s ideas nor his attitude towards dancers. Under the guidance his mentor, company manager Konstantin Matveev, he begins to rehearse a classical routine to dance in an audition with a different ballet company. But is he ready to leave his job and risk becoming unemployed?
Soloist Dmitry Prusakov stays true to classical Russian ballet. When the Moscow Ballet company he worked for switched to a contemporary dance repertoire, he took the decision to leave. He wasn't out of work for long, though, as he was soon hired by the prestigious Kremlin Ballet company, which is situated within the Kremlin walls in the very heart of Moscow. The company's prestigious status means its dancers are under constant pressure, and newbies are no exception. No sooner does Dmitry arrive than he’s given a “trial by fire” – he’s assigned the important role of Farlaf in the ballet, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. Challenging as it is, this is also his chance to prove himself to his new colleagues, many of whom have been with the company for years. His partner, Aleksandra Timofeeva, has been performing in Kremlin since she was 16. She is curious to see how Dmitry will handle the pressure. Dmitry is acutely aware that he has an understudy who will replace him should he fail. He's determined to do his utmost to make sure this does not happen.