Carol Rector is a senior at Wakefield School in The Plains, Virginia. Following graduation in 2022, she will be attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia to study English and Communications as a part of the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program. Rector has been a student of Yuri and Jasmine Nikitenko at the Academy of Russian Ballet in Manassas, Virginia for over six years, and chose to write her thesis on Russia's influence on modern ballet to learn more about the history of the art form she loves and to honor the legacy of her instructors who have been an enormous part of her life.
Why I chose this topic:
I have been dancing ballet from the age of three, and it has been an enormous part of the eighteen years of my life. Being a student of Yuri and Jasmine Nikitenko at the Academy of Russian Ballet has taught me the Vaganova method in an a way that instilled the both artistry and technique of ballet, and a sense of discipline, poise, and respect that I transfer to many other aspects of my everyday life. In my thesis, I wanted to share the story of Mr. Nikitenko and connect my own personal connections and sphere of influence to the larger history of Russian Ballet, putting its worldwide impact in perspective.