Gabrielle Perkins, 17, of Oakland, has become the only American accepted this year into one of the world’s most prestigious ballet academies: the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Summer Reed is a professional ballet dancer. She attended ballet school in Lexington, Kentucky, and has had opportunities throughout her career to travel the world, performing on the largest stages.

Many young girls dream of becoming ballerinas, but only very few are prepared to apply the all-out effort and make the sacrifices that this dream demands. The famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in ...

Samantha Collen has performed all over the world, graduating from St. Petersburg State Conservatory and training and teaching at the world-renown Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, ...