Her dance variations were called legendary or simply "Vaganov's". The teaching method developed by Vaganova became the foundation of world ballet pedagogy, and her students captivated the most discerning audiences around the globe.

Agrippina Vaganova was born in St. Petersburg in 1879, the youngest of three daughters. Her father, Akop Vaganov, served as a non-commissioned officer in Astrakhan, and after retiring, moved to the capital, where he worked as a conductor in a theater. The family lived in cramped conditions, huddled in one of the basements on Officer Street.

From childhood, Vaganova dreamed of dancing. At the age of 10, she entered the St. Petersburg Theatre School for ballet, motivated by the opportunity to relieve her family of an extra mouth to feed, as successful students were accepted on full board.

"Poverty in the dance school was 'inappropriate', and we were incredibly ashamed of it. Despite all the childhood love for sweets, we, the children of poor parents, saved up excess sugar and sent it home, often hiding it from each other. How my poverty tormented me, how I constantly hid the fact that I didn't even have a coin for necessary expenses..."

Vaganova's first teacher was Alexander Oblakov, who demonstrated dance movements to the class, practiced to perfection. The lessons were not easy for the girl, but thanks to her perseverance, she soon became one of the best students. At the end of her first year of study, Agrippina tried to combine the learned elements into a short dance, a "variation".

In the second grade, the young ballerinas already received roles in performances. Agrippina's first role was a small Cupid in the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" at the Mariinsky Theatre. Then she played a page, the companion of the fairy Lilac, and danced in the "peasant waltz". Vaganova tried not only to cope with her part but also to "sneak a peek" at the dance technique of professional ballerinas to later practice the movements on her own.

After a few years, the dancer was transferred to the class of Ekaterina Vazem, where they analyzed the technique of performing elements and did exercises, understanding their future benefits. Ekaterina Vazem was strict and attentive to her students. Agrippina wrote: "No matter how large the class, Vazem saw everything; no one escaped her gaze."

In 1895, Vaganova graduated from the school, receiving 11 points out of 12 on her final exam. However, she had to stay until she turned 17, as the theater only accepted dancers of that age. She studied choreography in Pavel Gerdt's class, and a year later, she was admitted to the corps de ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre. She recalled her first performance: "Hurrying to the stage, I slipped and fell down the stairs, hitting the back of my head on the steps. Sparks flew from my eyes, but I got up, recovered, and ran. Yes, that was my pathetic 'debut'."

Vaganova did not have the natural data to become a ballerina: she was not tall, graceful, or flexible. She had to train longer and harder than others. Vaganova constantly honed her technique, studying the methods of the Italian school and French ballet. While studying classical dance with Nikolai Legat, the ballerina began to develop her style. The features of her technique included a "steel toe", strong jumps, and refined movements. Nikolai Legat choreographed a solo piece for her.

"Vaganova's variations will remain among the legends of ballet art forever. Vaganova demonstrated phenomenal mastery of flight with prolonged pauses in the air. She takes off from the spot without a run and hangs motionless in the air for several seconds. The entire hall applauded, from the top to the front rows of the theater."

Critics dubbed Agrippina Vaganova the "queen of variations". However, despite the high praise, she did not receive solo parts. Later she would write: "Only at the end of my career, completely exhausted morally, did I achieve the title of ballerina."

During these years, Vaganova met retired Colonel Andrei Pomerantsev and became his common-law wife. In 1904, she gave birth to a son, Sasha. When her sister died, she and her husband took in the remaining orphans.

In 1914, Vaganova was offered to dance a part in "Chopiniana". This happened by chance when Tamara Karsavina, who was performing the lead role, twisted her ankle. Vaganova recalled: "I, not spoiled by fate on stage, was graced with great happiness. My 'audacity' was appreciated, and the success was great." However, even after her triumph at the Russian Seasons, she was not invited again. A year later, she was given a solo part in the ballet "The Stream", which had a resounding success. Later, Vaganova played Odette, Odile in "Swan Lake", and the Tsar Maiden in "The Humpbacked Horse".

In 1914, the artist turned 36, and her career at the Mariinsky Theatre ended "due to length of service". With the onset of 1917, Vaganova faced hard times: her husband could not cope with the political upheavals and took his own life. To feed her children, Vaganova performed concerts and began teaching. Taking a position as a choreography teacher at a private school, she realized that teaching dance was her calling.

In 1921, she was hired at the Theatre School (later the Leningrad Choreographic School, today the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet). She developed her teaching methodology, combining dance exercises and arranging them into small variations. Vaganova explained to future ballerinas how muscles work and how to make movements more graceful and light. In 1923, Agrippina Vaganova graduated her first students: Olga Mungalova and Nina Mlodzinskaya, and a year later, Natalia Kamkova and Elena Tangieva. In 1925, Marina Semenova took the stage. After her performances, critics wrote: "If Vaganova had taught only Semenova to dance like that, it would have been enough for her to leave a legacy as the best teacher of her time... She discovered and masterfully polished a precious diamond, making it shine brighter than the sun."

"A unified style, a unique handwriting of dance, manifested most vividly in harmonious plasticity and expressiveness of the arms, in obedient flexibility and at the same time the steel aplomb of the torso, in the noble and natural posture of the head, these are the distinctive features of the 'Vaganova school'."

In 1931, Agrippina Vaganova became the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre ballet. Two years later, she staged "Swan Lake" on its stage. The ballerina was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1934, and the ballet continued to be performed at the Mariinsky for another 10 years. During these years, she published the book "Fundamentals of Classical Dance" (1934), which was reprinted six times and translated into many European languages. The book was called "a work that should be on the bookshelf of every ballet artist."

In 1937, Vaganova was relieved of her duties as artistic director and offered to return to teaching. She again sought new techniques and improved her teaching methodology. After the evacuation of the Leningrad Choreographic School to Perm, Vaganova was called to teach at the Bolshoi Theatre. Two years later, she returned to Leningrad and continued her work at the school.

Agrippina Vaganova died after a long illness in Leningrad in 1951. She is buried at the Volkovo Cemetery, where a dancer with a book in her hands is depicted on her gravestone.