Kirkland-based International Ballet Academy’s (IBA) participation in the International Dance Open Ballet Festival in St. Petersburg showed that regardless of world politics, dancers know how to stay en pointe.

IBA students first went to the festival in 2004, in an effort to expose the dancers to not just a different culture but one in which ballet has a long and rich history, according to artistic director Vera Altunina. A native of St. Petersburg, she said the trip, the seventh one they’ve taken, helps provide a broad education in ballet she seeks to provide for the dancers, as they get to learn from artistically and technically advanced performers.

This year, however, there were concerns by some, she said, due to the recently growing tensions between the Russian and the United States governments. Those fears were put to rest, however, Altunina said, when they arrived and none of the political discord showed in how they were treated.

For the IBA dancers like Sammamish resident Lauren Zimmermann and Kirkland resident Melisa Gulliams, the difference between their home communities on the Eastside and St. Petersburg were evident almost as soon as they arrived. During the week-long festival, they stayed at a renovated palace converted into a hotel where, from the ninth floor, they were able to get a full panorama of the city’s skyline.

“I was just so impressed not just by the dancing but when looking at buildings,” Gulliams said, who lives in Juanita and goes to Finn Hill Middle School.

Touring St. Petersburg, long considered Russia’s cultural capital, they saw historic buildings like the Catherine Palace and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

“It’s just a different lifestyle from here,” Zimermmann said, who attends the International Community School in Kirkland. “We never saw independent homes or neighborhoods.”

They were also struck by the emphasis the culture placed on the arts and the degree of prestige given to dancers and performers.

This emphasis, they said, was conveyed during the morning classes, where they were taught by a first soloist from the Mariisnky Ballet Company. As a new teacher, her enthusiasm showed in how she instructed them, insisting that their posture and technique were immaculate.

“They paid so much attention to detail,” Gulliams said. “And the teacher, she ran across the room to correct people.”

“She was very hands on,” Zimmermann said. “She was open, but kind and gentle.”

Although their teacher spoke only Russian, the dancers were able to follow her instructions based on her body language and gestures. Altunina also watched the classes and assisted if something was being lost in translation.

“Ballet is like a universal language,” Zimmermann said.

In the afternoons, dancers also worked on a pre-planned jazz-inspired piece, while Gulliam had a solo piece, which they eventually performed at the end of the festival on stage.

They also were able to watch performances on the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre. Opened in 1860 and named after Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Tsar Alexander II, it is one of the oldest stages in St. Petersburg. The theatre was severely damaged but later restored after a 872-day siege in World War II during the German-led invasion of Russia.

To the dancers, Altunina said, the theatre, with its historical significance, offered them a chance to see performances, such as “Legend of Love,” which are rarely performed in the United States.

“It’s the aura,” she said. “It’s about the environment. There’s a history to that stage…If you were to see the real thing, that’s the place to go.”

Zimmermann and Gulliams said they saw the ballet performance, based on the legend of “Farhad and Shirin,” in videos online. However, seeing it live on stage was an incomparable experience.

“I think they’re really amazing,” Zimmermann said. “To see them live is a completely different experience from watching on YouTube. It’s the moment of ‘am I really here?’”

For Altunina, the trip had accomplished exactly what they had intended for the students when they returned.

“I feel…everyone had changed,” she said. “They became more open and respectful. They learned of how important the culture is.”