The ‘Ural’ children’s dance studio under the Ural State Dance Ensemble was created in 2008. Here, children take regular practice working on their dance movements and making them more flexible and expressive. The young dancers study classical, folk, modern, and characteristic dance, learn ensemble and concert routines, take acrobatic lessons and attend individual classes for female and male groups. Over time, having accumulated the performing and stage experience and having achieved a certain professional level, the students of the studio join the ‘Ural’ State Dance Ensemble.

The studio is run by ballet masters Alexei Razin awarded with the II degree Medal of the Order of Merit to the Fatherland and Honorary Diploma of Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and Svetlana Lukina, who was named the ‘Best Teacher for Aesthetic Education of the Younger Generation and Preservation of National Cultures’ and awarded ‘Zolotaya lira’ Prize of Chelyabinsk, the Prize of the Chelyabinsk Region Legislative Assembly, and the Honorary Diploma of the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture. The children are trained by the performing artists of the Ural Dance Ensemble, real professionals knowing all the subtleties of the dancing art.

The studio students perform at the best stages of Chelyabinsk region and Russia and take regular part in different festivals and competitions. For instance, young dancers were highly appreciated by the professional jury of the International Folklore Festival in the Czech Republic, won an international competition in Bulgaria, took part in the grand children’s festival in Luoyang, the ancient capital of China, competing with dance groups from 20 countries. The ‘Ural’ Children’s Dance Studio was invited by Andris Liepa to perform in his anniversary concert in the Kremlin Palace in November 2012.

Young dancers of the studio were lucky to be taught by the German choreographer Ulla Geiges, the holder of the ‘Zolotaya maska’ Prize. Together with the studio students, this Dusseldorf-based choreographer staged a performance based on Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard using elements of modern choreography. The premiere of this dance play became the climax and the gala of the festival called‘Days of Germany in Chelyabinsk: Modern Dance and Movement’. supported by the German Embassy in Russia, the Robert Bosch Foundation, Goethe Centre of German Culture, and the Berlin Senate Department of Culture.

In 2013, the students became the laureates of the 3rd Sun Dance International Festival and Competition (Bulgaria, Nessebar) and the 6th Russian Festival and Competition of Folk Dance for the Prize of the Ural Choreographer Olga Knyazeva (Yekaterinburg). In 2014, the studio won the Russakaya skazka International Festival and Competition (‘Russian Fairy-Tale’) in St. Petersburg and the 13th Ulitsa goryashcikh fonarey International Festival and Competition of Stylish Choreography (‘Street of Burning Lamps’) in Magnitogorsk.

The main events of the year 2016 include the following:


• the Grand Prix of the 7th Children’s Art Award ‘Andryusha-2016’ and was awarded a trip to Moscow on the anniversary evening of Andris Liepa with the right to perform on the stage of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
• the Grand Prix of the ‘Dance-CreatiFF’ International Dance Camp in the nominations ‘Folk choreography’, ‘Folk choreography, ensemble, age group 16-19’, ‘Folk choreography, ensemble, mixed age group’.

The year 2017 was marked by the following events for the studio:


• the studio performed in the State Kremlin Palace at the gala-concert of world ballet stars. The FIFTY FIVE concert was dedicated to the 55th birthday of Andris Liepa, People’s Artist of Russia.
• Victory at the 25th Regional Festival and Competition of Stylish Choreography ‘Ulitsa goryashchikh fonarey’ (‘Street of Burning Lamps’) (Magnitogorsk) in the nominations ‘Folk dance. Formation’, ‘Production’, ‘Folk dance. Small groups’. In addition, young dancers were awarded the Cup of the Magnitogorsk Mayor for the best performance and the Southern Ural Cup in the nomination of ‘Lezginka Dance’.
• The studio also became the three-time awardee of the ‘Kubok pobediteley’ (‘Winners’ Cup’), a closed grant Russian choreographic competition among the best dance groups in Russia (Sochi, October 2017).

In 2018, the studio successfully performed at the annual Svetlana Children's Dance Festival, founded and directed by Svetlana Zakharova, the Bolshoi Theater prima ballerina, and the International Art Festival ‘KREMLIN RED STARS’. In addition, in May 2018, the children’s studio celebrated its 19th birthday, which was marked with the creation of studio’s own international festival and competition called ‘Uralskaya vysota’ (‘Ural Heights’). The first festival took place at several concert venues of Chelyabinsk on May 17-19 and will be held annually. It is to become a place for young dancers able to show their talents, skills and proficiency at the leading venues of Chelyabinsk, and also a great dance celebration for children.

In April 2019, students of the studio participated in the Svetlana V Festival of Children's Dance in Moscow (artistic director of the festival is Svetlana Zakharova). In May, they took part in the first Guarded Through the Ages Easter festival which was held at the State Kremlin Palace. In November, they participated in the XVI Moscow Meets Friends International Festival, organized by the Vladimir Spivakov Foundation.