Academy gymnasts will be competing at the international Wings Cup tournament.The event will take place in Dubai from November 6 to 8. Representing us on the floor will be Veronika Malinina and Diana Kotlovskaya from St. Petersburg, Alisa Shunina from Volgograd, and Evelina Tandalova from the Tyumen Region.&nbsp;

8db7f47f82be149f55af62.jpg

a5f929adc9c296789f675c.jpg

Competitions

The event will take place in Dubai from November 6 to 8.

Academy gymnasts will be competing at the international Wings Cup tournament

<blockquote>Dear friends! On November 4, we celebrate National Unity Day. This holiday reminds us of the importance of cohesion and our shared responsibility for the destiny of our country. The year 2026 has been designated as the Year of Unity of the People of Russia. Our country is home to people of diverse cultures and traditions, this variety is part of our common heritage. We must cherish our legacy, respect one another, and pass on the love for our homeland to our children. May we always be united by good deeds, shared values, and faith in the future of Russia! Happy holiday!</blockquote>

da8700e8c29df211e3493b.jpg

31acb5682c9c03b3837948.jpg

Alina Kabaeva

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva sent congratulations for National Unity Day.


A message for National Unity Day from Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva

Martial Arts Academy athlete Eva Varkentin taking second place at the Sochi Judo Championship for girls under 15.&nbsp;Her coach is Evgeny Ivanov.

4573ac222c0aff9a3836a3.jpg

dffb65c2d7bc3ce5abe00c.jpg

MA Academy

Martial Arts Academy athlete Eva Varkentin taking second place at the Sochi Judo Championship for girls under 15.

Martial Arts Academy athlete Eva Varkentin taking second place at the Sochi Judo Championship

Yaroslav Poleznov, a Martial Arts Academy student, took third place in the U13 judo tournament hosted by the Multidisciplinary Gymnasium of the Sirius Federal Territory.The athlete’s coach is Evgeny Ivanov.

4412e6cae5b429ef284353.jpg

5a41a3da667ad4651cb5f8.jpg

Yaroslav Poleznov, a Martial Arts Academy student, took third place in the judo tournament hosted by the Multidisciplinary Gymnasium of the Sirius Federal Territory.

Yaroslav Poleznov, a Martial Arts Academy student, took third place in the judo tournament

Among the distinguished guests at the 2026 Alina festival, held at The Grand Theatre, was Denis Alipov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India.He spoke about the cooperation between the two countries:<blockquote>"I believe that everyone in the packed auditorium, myself included—shared the same impression: sheer delight. On my own behalf, as well as on behalf of the Russian Embassy in India and the Russian government, I would like to thank the organizers, including, from the Indian side, Nita Ambani’s center. I also want to congratulate our celebrated champion, an Olympic and world champion, Alina Kabaeva, on this event. It was a truly magnificent occasion, held in India for the very first time. I consider this one of the most significant contributions to the development of Russian-Indian cultural relations this year."</blockquote>Denis Evgenievich noted that the show was a synthesis of rhythmic gymnastics and various types of art:<blockquote>"In the world of rhythmic gymnastics, Russia, and the Russian school of rhythmic gymnastics, is a recognized brand. The show the audience witnessed today brought together the Russian school of rhythmic gymnastics and performances by musicians from the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, under the direction of the renowned maestro Valery Gergiev. This synthesis, this blend of sport, art, and music, created a unique experience that we were able to share with the Indian public."</blockquote>He also shared plans for 2027, when Russia and India will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations:<blockquote>"I would also like to note that next year marks a major milestone, the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. Together with our Indian partners, we are preparing an extensive program to commemorate this date, a program that will span the entire year. I sincerely hope that we will see more shows and performances like today’s here in India."</blockquote>

fb1913ae8c280e408fd8e0.jpg

aa058689612e8660c86d67.jpg

The Alina Festival

Among the distinguished guests at the 2026 Alina festival, held at The Grand Theatre, was Denis Alipov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India.


"This is one of the most significant contributions to the development of Russian-Indian relations this year." Denis Alipov speaks about the Alina festival in Mumbai

<blockquote>"Dear friends,&nbsp;This grand celebration of sports and art, the Alina 2026 Festival, has come to a close! For the first time, it was held in India, in Mumbai. This was our first experience holding the festival in Asia, and it can be said with confidence that everything was a success!&nbsp;I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance company and Nita Ambani for the invitation and their help with the organization! I appreciate all the participants from the Indian side for the warm welcome, care, and assistance in all matters! Every single request of ours along the way was heard, and we are deeply grateful for that.&nbsp;Our festival is the result of the coordinated work of teams from two countries, India and Russia. A common language was found very quickly, allowing us to bring all our ideas to life at the highest level. We had a massive goal — to show the audience a true fairy tale, introduce them to Russian traditions, and make them fall in love with this symbiosis of high-performance sports and fine art. Thus we have taken another major step in developing rhythmic gymnastics worldwide.&nbsp;I appreciate everyone who helped us and worked for many months to perfect the show, who assembled the stage sets, set up the lights and sound, and ensured all the necessary conditions for the gymnasts and performers!&nbsp;Special thanks go to the staff of the Consulate General of Russia in Mumbai and the Embassy of Russia in India for their help and involvement.&nbsp;We will certainly continue our cooperation. See you next time!"</blockquote>

2df6775ee85a8047c1dc0f.jpg

f59c61790f3756c5d43c89.jpg

Olympic champion and head of the Charity Foundation, Alina Kabaeva, addressed the organizers of the festival in Mumbai with gratitude.

Olympic champion addressed the organizers of the festival in Mumbai with gratitude

<blockquote>"I want to say a big thank you to the director of our show, Vyacheslav Kulaev, and his team for letting us see a true fairy tale! It was genuinely mesmerizing, incredibly beautiful! Organizing a rhythmic gymnastics festival on a theater stage rather than a sports arena was a challenge, and we rose to it!&nbsp;I appreciate the choreographers and staging directors, Irina Zenovka and Alexander Mogilev, who managed to bring all the ideas to life and realize every choreographic detail of our interpretation of the great theatrical masterpiece!&nbsp;I thank the technical director, Georgy Nechuneev, for the way the stage assembly was organized, and for the safe yet spectacularly built sets.&nbsp;Thank you to the designers, Ivan Rudnev and Alexander Sivaev, for the fantastic visual design that immersed us into the magical world of a Russian fairy tale. Thanks go to the director of the production team, Ekaterina Vladimirova, the TV broadcast director, Yuri Frolovsky, as well as the music editors, costume designers, makeup artists, and absolutely everyone who contributed to making this show happen!"</blockquote>

fbfe4fb83f47b6f4171473.jpg

8d98d7f814d83b16974b40.jpg

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva thanked creators of the festival from the Russian side

Irina Zenovka, choreographer and director for the 2026 Alina festival, discussed the creation of a new stage interpretation of The Firebird and what the main task was:<blockquote>"First and foremost, for it to be a true performance, not just the rhythmic gymnastics routines I put together every day, but an actual stage production. A performance taking place on the stage of such a magnificent theater. I really wanted to emphasize the artistic and creative elements, while still incorporating our signature, high-level gymnastic maneuvers, of course. Stravinsky’s music is not exactly simple. The more you listen to it, the more you fall in love with it. You begin to discover new details, specific, theatrical accents, that stand out. It’s all very interesting, and I hope the audience will notice these things."</blockquote>She noted that as a result, staging has become a new kind of art, and explained why rhythmic gymnastics is combined with it:<blockquote>"We’ve ended up with a new kind of art form, something that’s never been seen before. It’s a symbiosis of circus, dance, gymnastics, and, arguably, theatricality. In reality, rhythmic gymnastics already encompasses all these qualities; gymnasts demonstrate them even while performing on the competition floor, as our routines incorporate circus-style elements, gymnastic moves, theatrical flair, and, above all, dance. On top of that, we work with apparatus, which adds another layer of uniqueness to our sport. Perhaps that’s precisely why this blend, this fusion of our sport, lends itself so well to this new art form."</blockquote>Irina Borisovna shared how she was impressed by the stage of The Grand Theatre in Mumbai:<blockquote>"It’s a very cozy venue with a wonderful atmosphere. The stage is, well, one might even call it compact; it’s quite small, which doesn’t really allow you to relax. When you’re up there, and I’ve been on that stage myself, you feel a constant need to stay in character, the character you’re portraying in the production."</blockquote>

0aa76d252cbef6f9b425ab.jpg

e43f6cc7966a76ec2c7320.jpg

Irina Zenovka, choreographer and director for the 2026 Alina festival, discusses the creation of a new stage interpretation of The Firebird and shares what impressed her about The Grand Theatre in Mumbai.


"It was important to me that the result be a true theater production." Irina Zenovka talks about the staging of the 2026 Alina festival

Diana Kotlovskaya from St.Petersburg won a gold medal in the clubs event and took second place in the ribbon routine in the pre-junior category at the international Step to the Dream tournament in Armenia.The gymnast’s coaches are Evgeniya Eliseeva and Olga Minigalina, and her choreographer is Elena Egorova. Congratulations!Diana lives and trains at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.

dcdce71bd0195c755e8f23.jpg

a9ccff3b6f0f2c56218f71.jpg

The gymnast won a gold medal in the clubs and came in second in the ribbon exercise.

Diana Kotlovskaya won two medals among the pre‑juniors at the international Step to the Dream tournament

The mAlinka competition was held at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.The competitions for the youngest gymnasts were held on Coach’s Day.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/12f/41a/12f41a8b76a472b1a5e12d52ec1ee09f.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/e78/2f7/e782f7848e8f4d18c91fb37fd7d1d12e.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/c63/55e/c6355ed35a82c12355438ec82a91ae02.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/512/b4c/512b4c7916165f02a7b2dd636141937f.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/832/2e4/8322e4dd3d13caeb14d4aab34caa8dd3.jpg"></figure>

c355a4deaba5abd3c7bbbc.jpg

784cc2b7f1aaae309121da.jpg

The competitions for the youngest gymnasts were held on Coach’s Day.

The mAlinka competition was held at the Academy

Alexander Mogilev, the choreographer and stage director of the Alina festival, spoke about the main theme of the production:<blockquote>"Deep down, I think it’s about love. Because you can immediately feel that everything here is completely infused with love. Everyone here has truly become an artist here. Everyone is filled with love for creativity and for one another. They are understanding about the rehearsals being long and maybe sometimes challenging. There are nuances to handle in every aspect, but somehow, everything happens with love. To me, this is one of the most exciting challenges of my life — to combine things that seemingly can't be combined. It’s about bringing together incredible human capabilities with a touch of art and creativity to weave them into a story, while still remaining human and clear. As a person rooted in theater, I always want to focus exactly on inner state, on the performer's stage presence."</blockquote>He shared how it unfolded on stage at The Grand Theatre in Mumbai:<blockquote>"Speaking of a new language, a new language to communicate with the audience — that the story will be delivered and a kind of a ‘Russian code’ will be brought absolutely without any words, using a completely different language, the language of ballet, the language of movement, and the language of dance —&nbsp;that is for sure. At some point, you just need to let yourself go, listen closely to the music, watch the performers, and realize that they are speaking to you."</blockquote>

686393e14a76875f651df9.jpg

e40886d30ef3055bd47f0f.jpg

He told how it unfolded on stage at The Grand Theatre in Mumbai.