What was Yana Zaikina’s try-out into the Academy like?

While working with Sofia Dubrovina from the Yaroslavl Region, Alina Kabaeva analyzed the planche turn. The Olympic champion focused on leg stability, body alignment, and shoulder positioning.

In Novogorsk, Alina Kabaeva watched gymnast Sofia Dubrovina from the Yaroslavl Region. The Olympic champion assessed the athlete's physical attributes, asked her to demonstrate elements and risks, and gave some technique advice.

At a training session with Yana Zaikina from Volgograd, the Olympic champion, along with Academy coach Evgeniya Eliseeva and All-Russian Panel of Judges member Zlata Tulubaeva, discussed the apparatus catch after a risk.

While rehearsing a new ribbon routine, Alina Kabaeva asked the gymnasts to identify the flaw that had caught her eye by watching a replay on the screen.

And Yana managed to pull off a more challenging element!

During a training session in Novogorsk, Alina Kabaeva suggested that Yana Zaikina from Volgograd and her coach, Evgeniya Eliseeva, add an acrobatic element to their routine. The Olympic champion had previously taken part in this move during the Tango performance at the 2010 Alina festival, which was choreographed by Alla Dukhova, the founder and artistic director of the TODES international dance company.  

There was a time when Alina Kabaeva would actually approach Vera Shtelbaums to ask if she could finish up and leave practice. Who would have thought that, so many years later, they would meet again in the training hall!

In Novogorsk, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, coach Evgeniya Eliseeva, choreographer Ekaterina Belova, and Yana Zaikina from Volgograd discussed their recovery camp in Turkey and reminisced about the gymnast's victory at the European Championships.

Bolshoi Theatre Principal Dancer Anna Tikhomirova led a ballet master class for the Academy's gymnasts. They worked on plié, tendu, developpe, and attitude, positions, flexibility, backs, and every detail of the movement.

While working on the new hoop routine for Yana Zaikina from Volgograd, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva and coach Evgenia Eliseeva are paying special attention to the continuity and smoothness of movements.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva greeted the gymnasts and coaches of the Russian national team, as well as athletes from Kyrgyzstan, who arrived in Novogorsk for training camp.

Meanwhile, coach Evgenia Eliseeva and All-Russian Board of Judges member Zlata Tulubaeva noted the nuances of the element's execution technique.

During training in Novogorsk, the Olympic champion noticed that Volgograd's Yana Zaikina's ball routine lacked a pirouette into a back balance after rising from the floor, even though the gymnast had all the makings of it.

The Olympic champion demonstrated an interesting catch. The video also features an example of an unusual boomerang!

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva suggested changing Yana Zaikina's catch on the risk with a ribbon from Volgograd to catch it in a Kudryavtseva element. She also demonstrated how to logically achieve the skill.