In the latest instalment of Metro Eireann’s Meet The Boss, SANDY HAZEL speaks to Elena Degtyareva, a self-employed dance instructor based in Dublin
Elena Degtyareva is originally from Uzbekistan; her parents are Russian and, according to Elena, “They judge not by the country you are born in, more by blood, so I would consider myself Russian.”
Degtyareva, a dancer, came to Ireland five years ago because her husband, a lawyer, wanted to study Irish. From the age of three, Degtyareva studied the Russian style of ballet. It involved much physical effort and is considered rigorous.
“The training is different from the English Royal Academy of Dance style,” she says. “Over here there is teaching for all children if they want to learn, but in Uzbekistan the schools will only take the really talented ones.
“In Russia the children do get pushed mentally and physically. When I went to ballet school it was all day training, even at weekends. There were no Saturdays or Sundays off.”
Along with her academic studies, Degtyareva became an accomplished dancer and is now using her skills by teaching in Ireland. When she first arrived she undertook a course of study at the Inchicore College of Further Education in Dublin where she obtained her Royal Academy of Dance exams. “I now have two different types of school training, Russian and English,” she says.
With further exams obtained to enable her to teach to exam level, Degtyareva is now a busy self-employed dance teacher, running various classes for children, teenagers and adults in Dublin.
“Having the two disciplines is a definite advantage,” says Degtyareva. “I can assess a student and see if he or she is capable of either the English style or the Russian style. I can use elements of both, depending on the level that the student is at. I can bring both disciplines in to the classes.”
Degtyareva is very keen on introducing greater understanding of the whole physical aspect into the classes she teaches. “The age of a body will determine how much physical duress you can put on to it,” she explains. “For example, I am very conscious of girls at around 11 to 13. If I get a student who is 12 years old and going through a growth spurt, then we must be careful to not stretch her body in particular ways as the muscles are in a transition period and some types of movements will cause damage. Ligaments may be affected by pushing down movements and some stretches. Older adult students, while seeming stronger will need a different assessment.”
Future plans for Degtyareva include further study to enable her to become an examiner, and hopefully then to open her own school of dance. She currently teaches two days at The International Dance Academy at Ormonde Quay Dublin and at Marion Lennon’s Roselawn Ballet School in Blanchardstown, Dublin.
“I love teaching,” she beams. “It is very satisfying when you see a student getting a movement or a step. You know then that they are taking it on board and there is improvement. My students are good at giving me feedback; they say that the classes energise them and they fly home. I also love when we work towards a show, which I did when I was at Inchicore College.”
And the downsides? “When exams are coming up there can be pressure, on me and the students. I worry that they will not pick up on things that I explain. I sometimes feel that I need to be a bit hard on them, getting them to give their all.”
