By: James Williams

Marina Gladchenko is one of those rare figures who create not just dance, but the potential product of the stage of the future. A choreographer–producer, teacher, visionary — and at the same time a professional in the entertainment industry — she builds performances as a complete system: from the creative idea to logistics, from emotion to result. Her show won more than a dozen prizes across several categories at The 20th Anniversary Dance Championship, which took place in late November 2016 in the German city of Riesa. Behind this is not only inspiration but also a strategic approach: the stage is viewed as a product that requires careful management.

We talked with Marina about choreography as a profession of the 21st century, managing children’s talents, beginners’ mistakes, and the formula of a real show.

Q. Marina, your path began with rhythmic gymnastics. How did you come to choreography?

I was seven years old when I first ended up in the gym. Gymnastics gave me an incredible physical base, discipline, and an understanding of form. But already as a teenager, I felt that the body was somewhat limited within the confines of sport. I moved into choreography and immediately found a different world: expressive, emotional. At first, I simply danced, then I began to teach, and then to create.

Already then I understood: a performance is not just movements. It is a product that has an idea, a goal, an audience, and an intended result.

Q. Between sports and the stage, there was another turn — you studied economics.

Yes, this is an important part. I have a choreographic education, which became my second higher education. The first one is in economics. I graduated from an economics university and worked in parallel: I was an event manager, led projects, and produced events. At some point, I realized: my strength is precisely in management.

Choreography became a natural continuation: I manage a show as a product, not just stage a dance. This is what distinguishes my approach — from idea to scenography, from costume to the audience’s emotion.

Q. You call yourself a “manager of choreography.” What does that mean?

It means that I think not only as a creator but also as a strategist in the show industry. There is a stage, there is an audience, there are participants, there are limited resources — and there is a task: to create an impactful experience. I design choreography as an experience. For me, it is not “to put together a combination,” but to create a cohesive, creative product in which every detail works for the idea.

I think in categories of concept, meaning, visual, and marketing. Because a modern show is more than “coming onto the stage,” it is a full-fledged product.

Q. You launched your own school. What was its philosophy?

I started by staging my pieces for children in studios, but I saw that this was not enough. I wanted to create an environment in which children would not just repeat movements, but understand the stage as a language.

Thus, the idea of the school was born, where I could not only teach but also manage the process of a student’s development. We worked like a production team: a coach, a teacher of acting, of stage speech, and me, as a creative director. We created performances, musicals, and full-fledged shows with decorations and costumes. It was a new vision of a children’s theater.

Q. One of your projects became highly acclaimed worldwide. Tell us about the performance based on the story of Oskar Schindler.

It was a piece created for the World Championship in Paris. I chose a heavy theme — the Holocaust, the rescue of children, and Schindler. For many, it was an unexpected decision: we were participating in a dance competition, not on a theatrical stage, but it was precisely this unexpected depth that became our strength.

There were 19 people on stage in total — a large production. We achieved remarkable success and won. It was not just a performance — it was a statement.

Q. How do you work with children so they can understand this level of meaning?

That is exactly my method. I teach not just movements, but the thinking of an artist. A child must understand why they make this movement, what they are saying with their body, what idea they carry. We rehearse not only in the studio — we talk, discuss, read, watch. An artist is formed through understanding, not through copying.

Q. Many people think that choreography is a talent. But you, you’re a tech-person?

I am an analyst of choreography. There is emotion, but there is structure. There is inspiration, but there is a product. This is my approach: to carefully structure the formula of a show.

It’s like mathematics and poetry. If you don’t understand the numbers, you won’t create music. It’s the same in dance. I structure a lot: the storyline, the emotion, the music, the visuals. Only then does a true stage impression appear.

Q. Now you live in Lisbon. What has changed?

The move gave me scale. I saw how European productions work, how the market thinks. In Russia, I already had a school, a team, and success. Here I am learning to be flexible. I have new projects: I teach, I consult teams, and I take part in international productions. I am building a new version of myself in a more open, global context.

Q. How do you fight burnout when you are constantly creating?

Honestly? There are moments when you hate everything. No ideas, everything seems trivial. In such moments, you need to disconnect from the race. I leave, walk, read, watch, stay silent.

And I also keep my own “image bank,” constantly collecting pictures, words, scenes, and associations. This is my resource. You cannot produce an idea out of emptiness. But if you have a reserve, it will always come through.

Q. What is your dream?

To create my own musical. A full, big one, with dramaturgy, scenography, music, a story. Where choreography is not decoration but a language. Where dance speaks more than text.

Q. And finally, a piece of advice for beginners?

Don’t wait for inspiration. Think like a manager. Build your art as a product. Manage it. And never be afraid to do things in a new way.