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During a control training session at the Zhemchuzhina Central Gymnastics Center, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva and Russia’s Honored Coach Natalia Lashchinskaya advised Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg on how to more accurately time her ribbon routine to the music.

The athletes talked about familiar elements they saw on stage, which ballet legends they know, and whether they could imagine themselves performing a part in a ballet.

Anna Yeletskaya with her daughter Yesenia, Natalia Gurkovich with her daughter Anastasia Sirotyuk, and Evgenia Kravtsova with her daughter Veronika spoke about preparing for the auditions, training with our coaches, and their desire to join the Academy.

Diana Kotlovskaya from St. Petersburg acts as our correspondent. The gymnast will take you on a tour through the halls of the Minsk Rhythmic Gymnastics Palace and show you everything that usually stays off-camera.

Together with Academy coach Olesya Kovaleva, gymnast Jojo Tawinun from Thailand is working on her expressiveness: adding fluidity, accents, and freedom of movement.

Following the control run-throughs, Academy judges Olga Minigalina, Ekaterina Lots, Olga Frolova, and Zlata Tulubaeva evaluated the gymnasts' performances. The specialists explained why it is important to project energy to the spectators and judges, how the presentation affects the overall impression, and what technical nuances require attention to avoid losing points. Honored Coaches of Russia Veronika Shatkova and Inna Bystrova also took part in the training session.

During the training session, Honored Coach of Russia and national team choreographer Veronika Shatkova helps the gymnasts work on their lines, shoulder and arm positioning, expressive gaze, and smile — the details that make a performance truly alive and artistic.

Under the guidance of their coaches, the gymnasts worked with clubs and ribbons.

During the control training session, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva noted the progress made by the Russian national group exercise team from St. Petersburg in their ball routine and shared warm memories of her choreography classes with Honored Coach of Russia Veronika Shatkova.

During the control training, Ekaterina Lots, Olga Frolova, Olga Minigalina, and the coaches analyzed the Russian national team's run-through in detail. The judging panel highlighted one of the most important elements of the composition — the accents, which must be clearly visible during the performance.

A video featuring Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, fans, coaches, choreographers, and judges.

During the control training session at the Zhemchuzhina Center of Rhythmic Gymnastics, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva spoke with Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg about how important it is to divide attention across every aspect of the routine, never forgetting either the artistry or the technical component.

During the control training session ahead of the World Championships, our gymnasts received very special support — young spectators in the stands cheered for Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg and the Russian national group exercise team.

They explored the exhibition and learned interesting facts about the history of the sport.

During the training session of Maria Borisova from St. Petersburg, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, together with judges Olga Minigalina, Olga Frolova, and Natalya Lashchinskaya, reviewed the execution of her risk with a ball. After several successful attempts, Masha received another assignment — to perform the risk one more time, but this time for herself, in order to lock in the feeling of the correct execution.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, together with coaches Irina Gusarova, Natalya Lashchinskaya, and Olga Minigalina, gave Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg tips on how to better feel the music during her routine. However, the judges' opinions were divided on one of the elements, so she had to perform it one more time. Watch the video to see if Masha managed to convince the strictest judge — her personal coach, Irina Gusarova.

Alina Kabaeva welcomed the young spectators before the control training session in St. Petersburg ahead of the World Championships and asked them to cheer for the gymnasts.

We also asked the gymnasts a few simple yet important questions. The result is a heartwarming video about trust, support, and understanding.

Before the World Championships, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva went over a section of the five-ball routine with the Russian national group exercise team from St. Petersburg and drew attention to the quality of exchanges and the timing in execution of every single element.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva explained to Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region why simply executing elements is not enough: it is important to feel the musical pattern, accelerate in time, and not to lose the tempo.

During a training session ahead of the World Championships, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva explained to Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg why it is important in a risk not only to execute the throw correctly but also to instantly begin the rotational movement.

During a training session in Novogorsk, Alina Kabaeva and coach Irina Gusarova guided Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg on how to polish her clubs routine and maintain her tempo in difficult rotations. Additionally, alongside judge Ekaterina Lots, the Olympic champion helped the gymnast to sort out her risk execution errors.

During a workout in Novogorsk, the Olympic champion together with coaches Elizaveta Chernova and Olga Minigalina, worked on the fouetté turns in the clubs routine of Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region. Alina Kabaeva and the specialists advised the gymnast to perform an exact number of double turns to maintain her tempo and execution cleanliness.

During a workout in Novogorsk, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva showed Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg the correct entry into a leap for a hoop catch. Let's watch this video to see how to properly prepare the legs and keep moving right away. The routine was choreographed and directed by Irina Zenovka.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, along with choreographer and stage director Irina Zenovka, coaches Ekaterina Lots and Elizaveta Chernova, and choreographer Ekaterina Belova, explained to Russian champion Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region how to perform the skill at the end of her clubs routine so that it gets credited. Arina is a World Cup stage medalist. She lives and trains at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy. Her coaches are Elizaveta Chernova and Olga Minigalina, and the choreographer is Ekaterina Belova.

What were her dreams back then? How has she grown since? And what does her training look like ahead of the World Championships in Germany? Alina opens up in the video.

Russia’s Honored Coach Veronika Shatkova spoke about working with gymnasts at the Academy, the role of artistry in rhythmic gymnastics, and the athletes' training system. Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva trained and won medals under Veronika’s guidance.

Yana Zaikina from Volgograd and Ksenia Savinova from Gatchina prepared an unusual gift for Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva – a fortune cookie! What did the fortune say? Find out in the video!

During a control training session in Novogorsk, Alina Kabaeva suggested removing the skill on the fouetté in the clubs routine of Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region, to help the gymnast keep up with the music.

During a pre-World Championships training session in Novogorsk, Alina Kabaeva explained to Russian champion Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region how to distribute her weight when entering a planche, while Academy coaches Elizaveta Chernova, Olga Minigalina, Olga Frolova, and choreographer Ekaterina Belova helped the gymnast practice her rotation.