San Diego Academy of Ballet: Making Dancers (part 2)

‘Maxim-izing’ Male Dancers
By Jasmine Rios

The San Diego Academy of Ballet (SDAB) is going on seven years this fall -- a pivotal time for the first generation of top level students about to enter the dance profession. Some students who have been with the school since it opened in 2001 are already starting to audition for companies. With this first rotation of students, it is the beginning of a new life for one group of dancers and the first of many achievements for the two directors that made it all possible: Maxim and Sylvia Tchernychev.

To date, SDAB has approximately 200 students of all ages and skill levels. The Tchernychevs operate as a non-profit with three staff members, six teachers, two pianists and a half dozen volunteers. Six days a week, Monday-Saturday, volunteers are at the studio helping out in any way they can. Some volunteers have even started to help with writing grants. The loyalty these volunteers show through their readiness to help can be attributed to the family-friendly environment the Tchernychevs have created.

To better understand how SDAB came to be what it is today, it’s helpful to learn something more about Maxim and Sylvia Tchernychev. Maxim Tchernychev was a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1994, he toured with the Bolshoi to perform Swan Lake and The Nutcracker at the San Diego Civic Theatre. At a later date, Tchernychev returned to the U.S. to relocate permanently. Upon settling here in San Diego, Tchernychev met his wife, ballerina Sylvia Poolos. Together, the couple went on tour to perform with various ballet companies around the country. (To read the entire article, please see the May/June 2008 issue of Dance San Diego!)

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