Renata Shakirova seems to be everywhere at once. As one of the most “in-demand” ballerinas of the Mariinsky, she is constantly performing around the world, from Europe to Asia, even during her time off. This lovely young lady brings the same sparkling presence to an in-person conversation as she does to each performance. Read on to learn about her journey from Tashkent to Petersburg, and what life is like for a young Mariinsky Prima. You can find the Russian version of this interview here.

– – – – – – – – – –

You were born in Tashkent. Is your family from the world of ballet?
My mother’s roots are from Bashkiri. When I was about 4 years old, we returned to the republic of Bashkortostan to the city of Sterlitamak. In childhood, I was very active. My mom was a teacher. When her students graduated, she took me with her and I danced all evening. Everyone was surprised, “Such a small child and she doesn’t get tired!”

The 2024-2025 season at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatres, now both headed by director Valery Gergiev, began the first week in September. While the Bolshoi has already presented “The Sleeping Beauty” to start off its season, the Mariinsky audiences are awaiting the 17th of September when “Swan Lake” will be performed  in traditional fashion as the first ballet for the new performing year.

In his Moscow press conference last week, Gergiev announced plans to bring some new ballets into the repertoire, naming those set to music by Stravinsky and Prokofiev. He alluded to “young talented choreographers” (we assume he refers to Alexander Sergeev, whose premiere of “Coppelia” for the Mariinsky took place 2 months ago), as capable of bringing some of the ballet scores into movement form. He specified “Scythian Suite” which would be a completely new work, alongside “Prodigal Son” (which used to run in the Balanchine version at the Mariinsky), and “Firebird” and Petrushka” (both of which are already in the Mariinsky repertoire). Hopefully the repertoires of the two largest theatres will not start to duplicate each other, but it sounds like he intends to bring the ballets that exist up north to Moscow. We shall wait and see.

 A young Californian boy completed his training at the Vaganova Academy and joined the Mariinsky Ballet not long ago. We met with Kian Manghise and discussed his career trajectory and what it’s like to dance in Russia.

Kian, how did you start dancing? It’s a pretty classic story, my sister was dancing in a winter show in California, where I grew up. The school needed toy soldiers for the production and said, “if anyone has a brother or cousin, bring them in.” I really didn’t want to go at all, and I was about 10 and thought ballet was just for girls. Typical. They forced me to go after a long conversation, and I ended up really liking it.

This year’s White Nights festival has included numerous changes at the Mariinsky Theatre:  the troupe’s second “tour” to the Bolshoi stage set for mid-July with “Fountain of Bakchisarei”, the appointment of the troupe’s first “artistic director” in many decades, the premiere of a new version of “Coppelia” (coming July 25^th) and also a few debuts in the existing classical repertoire.

On 13 July, Evgeny Konovalov performed the role of Solor for the first time alongside prima ballerina Renata Shakirova. (We have an interview with Renata in the coming weeks, please stay tuned). Konovalov, a graduate of the esteemed Gennady Seliutsky and now in his 12th season with the company, is a polished performer with lovely lines, supple arches and considerable flexibility. His princely onstage demeanor plainly depicted Solor’s noble rank. In the Act 2 variation, crisp, elevated  double cabrioles soared above the stage, and his tours à la seconde displayed a steely leg with a perfectly pointed foot finishing the line. His partnering was faultless, especially the challenging Act 1 overhead lifts (Solor must not overstep the fire pit, which has happened with other performers). And Act 3’s final manège of double assembles brought goosebumps.

With the White Nights Festival in full swing, some of the Mariinsky’s traditional ballets feature relative newcomers on stage, not yet seen by most Western ballet fans. The administration has dipped into the ranks providing some of th youngest dancers with opportunities to dance principal roles.

On 04 July, Daria Kulikova, a long-legged, expressive beauty still in her first season with the company and ranked coryphée, danced Medora in “Le Corsaire”. The role carries much of the weight of the libretto forward, both in terms of steps and choreography, and although no one can compare to Altynai Asylmuratova in this role, Kulikova’s extensions and joyful smile, at least in physical terms, reach some approximation.

The experienced Timur Askerov, honored artist of Azerbaijan, partnered her as the pirate Conrad with ease in both the solo and duet sections. He infused sharp accents where needed and maintained clear pantomime, seeming to enjoy his stage time and the role.

The 282nd graduating class of the Vaganova Academy demonstrated the results of their training in 3 performances on the Mariinsky’s historical stage in a three-act mixed bill in early June.

An except from “Flora’s Awakening” featured two girls cultivated by Academy rector Nikolai Tsisaridze. Ekaterina Morozova, who essayed Flora and, in Act 3, the Lilac Fairy, seemed the most polished and graceful of the bunch. She accented well-centered turns in arabesque with graceful port de bras and appropriate épaulement.

The non-intuitive sequence of tendus into à la seconde and then retiré passé did not phase Ekaterina Efimova, a graduate of pedagogue Irina Zhelonkina, whose welcoming smile added warmth to her role. Polina Parfenova, also one of Tsiskaridze’s charges, performed a driven, sharp-edged Diana and later reappeared as the Silver Fairy in the final act of the evening (from “The Sleeping Beauty”). As Geba, Veselina Ilieva from Bulgaria skimmed across the floor in ballonés and carved soaring arcs with her ronds en l’air, demonstrating a legato softness alongside strong musicality in her delivery.

Coinciding with the birthday of the city of Saint Petersburg, the Mariinsky’s annual White Nights Festival began on 27 May with summer heat flowing through the city. A full house ushered in the start of this yearly celebration of dance, symphony, and opera delights.

Although they’ve not performed together in this ballet previously, Oksana Skorik and Nikita Korneev joined forces in the leading roles of “Giselle” on opening night. The dashingly handsome Korneev, a first soloist since 01 May this year and now regularly performing principal roles, danced an emotionally engaged Albrecht who managed to lift Skorik like a feather in Act II.

Not everyone becomes a prince overnight, but Anton Osetrov might just be on his way. Now in his third season at the Mariinsky, the corps de ballet member recently assayed the role of Prince Siegfried in the White Swan Adagio as part of the “Theatrical Lesson” series for students from public schools citywide. In late March 2024, he debuted in the role of the Student in “Anuita”. VaganovaToday spoke to this young artist about his beginnings and aspirations. For the Russian version, click here.

Why did you start dancing?
I’ll start with the fact that I went into ballet myself, my family isn’t from the ballet world. My parents don’t like ballet. My mom loves opera and my father only likes dramatic theatre. They’re both artists though, my mother is an illustrator for books and my father restores historical paintings. 

With over 20 years of stage experience, Mariinsky soloist Grigory Popov is still performing, but has recently added new forms of dance to his repertoire. The Mariinsky has recognized his skills in ultra contemporary movement and features him in a new educational program called “Theatrical Lesson” in which he performs his own choreography influenced by various modern masters. VaganovaToday sat down with him to discuss the trajectory of his career, this new direction, and what the future holds. Click here to read the Russian version of this interview.