The Bolshoi and Mariinsky may be the familiar names in the West, but the Vaganova Ballet Academy is where the great dancers for both companies (Balanchine and Baryshnikov included) were trained. To this day it remains a mostly private and very exclusive dance school. But trips to the legendary establishment's museum, with its fascinating collection of memorabilia—slippers and costumes, drawings and photographs signed by, or belonging to, the greats—can be arranged by special appointment. At 2 Rossi Ulitsa; 7-812/110-4760; vaganova.ru.
