#mikhail messerer

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Mikhail Messerer & mother Sulamith Mikhailovna Messerer. February 10, 1983. (Photo by Mary McLoughlin / (c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images)

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Photo by Rachel Neville. Mikhail Messerer assisting students of Ellison Ballet with their costumes for Auguste Bournonville’s Le Conservatoire.

Mikhail Messerer is a famous teacher of ballet from the great Messerer/Plisetsky ballet family, which also produced Azari Plisetsky, Maya Plisetskaya, and Sulamith Messerer. 

Known for teaching a blend of Russian and Western technique, Messerer was trained at the Bolshoi and began his teaching career at the State College of Performing Arts. He gives frequent international master classes, including at the Mariinsky, American Ballet Theatre, La Scala, the Paris Opera Ballet, and many, many others. 

He has worked as the Principal Guest Teacher with The Royal Ballet for more than 25 years and is currently the Ballet Master in Chief of the Mikhailovsky Theatre. He tours with the Mikhailovsky and has begun staging critically successful full-length works. 

Further reading: Mikhailovsky profile, BalletBag interview, TimeOut interview

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Natalia Osipova & Ivan Vasiliev in rehearsal with Mikhail Messerer for Swan Lake. Photo: © Mikhailovsky Theatre.

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Natalia Osipova and Mikhail Messerer in class at Covent Garden.

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Natalia Osipova and Mikhail Messerer

That's exactly why you should always, always listen to your teacher's corrections. Cause even the best ballerinas do.