Vyacheslav Samodurov’s “Tanz Tseni”, or “Dancing Scenes”, set to Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony in C, is a 30-minute modern ballet void of a storyline that offers unique step combinations in clever combinations against a backdrop of trendy, neon strip lighting and flashy costumes. The last ballet of an all-Stravinsky contemporary bill, the work premiered on April 8th and serves as an example of what Russian choreographers offer in the neoclassical and modern genres.
One of the audience’s favorite Mariinsky ballerinas, Ekaterina Osmolkina is now in her 26th season with the company and not just performing but rehearsing other dancers as well. She offered VaganovaToday the rare chance to speak with her about her long career and her professional philosophy. Read on for more details and click here for the original Russian version of this interview.
How did you get started in the ballet world?
I don’t come from a ballet family. I was born in Moldova, in the former Soviet Union, in the city of Kishinev. I studied choreography and other things at an art school and attended endless children’s classes. I also studied music. The choreography teacher was a graduate of the Leningrad Choreographic School. He graduated from Boris Bregvadze’s class. He also recommended to my mother that we go to Leningrad to audition.
We came here in August, and I was accepted to the school in a supplemental audition, then my mother returned home on her own. I was only 10 years old, and they put me in the dormitories.
Despite the conglomerate of French and Hungarian influences in a slightly confusing libretto, the ballet “Raymonda”, set in a Middle age castle, is a decidedly Russian work of art. Vaganova Today first witnessed this balletic masterpiece in 2007 when prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina reprised the leading role twice in the three-night block. Nearly 20 years later, a handful of new faces have renewed “Raymonda”, infusing new talent into the old ballet.
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Maria Iliushkina led the four-night run alongside Even Capitaine, the local Frenchman who is her frequent partner. In addition to exquisite positions and precision technique, Iliushkina infused her Raymonda with radiance and soulful warmth, adding a human element and infusing her character with love. Not a single misstep – from the quick retire passé section, to the tricky dance with the long white tulle shawl—occurred in her expert delivery, but more intriguing is Iliushkina’s complete embodiment of the character. Gentleness overshadows regal bearing. She is less the unattainable princess and more the well-bred, soft-mannered girl taken aback by the rough, uncouth mannerisms of Abderakhman who attempts to gain her hand by any means possible, even violence. For this performance, Roman Belyakov performed an aggressive bloodthirsty Abderakhman easily killed by de Brienne. Belyakov excels at romantic roles (his recent “Romeo” proved excellent), but this performance proved his talent in character roles as well.
One of the Mariinsky Ballets First Soloists who often performs principal roles, Evgeny Konavalov is now an audience favorite. Vaganova Today discussed his career path and philosophy with him. The original Russian version of this interview can be found here.
You were born in Potsdam, Germany – do you have German roots?
No, my relatives are not German. We lived in Samara, my mom and dad went to work as a nurse in a maternity hospital in Germany, and I was born there. Some videos were left where I was already walking there with my dad holding my hand. We were there for about a year. Then she sent me to my grandmother in Samara and continued working in Germany. I lived with my grandmother for a year, then my mom came back and we stayed in Samara.
For those in the know, and even those who aren’t, not too long ago, Mariinsky prima ballerina Viktoria Tereshkina married soloist Roman Belyakov, and the two have become a common fixture not just on city sidewalks and the Petersburg stage, but various stages around the world. Vaganova Today attended their performance of “Romeo and Juliet” in early March which confirmed that the pair definitely brings their offstage romance onstage with them – at least in this ballet.
The Lavrovsky “Romeo” is hardly new to fans of Russian classical ballet, and it is this version that runs at the Mariinsky. The Bolshoi has two versions – Lavrovsky’s version and Ratmansky’s renovated version – but their recent Petersburg visit showed that their Lavrovsky has shiny new sets and simplified choreography especially in some sections of the corps de ballet dances which slightly disappointed many pure classicists. The Mariinsky version allows for no adjustments to the steps, and the result is high-quality dancing and the maintenance of a decades-long tradition.
Belyakov’s stately Romeo –he seems taller than most– appears on the city square, meandering, dreaming and as far away from war and conflict as anyone could be. Belyakov easily embodied the peace-loving romantic as he stared lovingly at the statue in the square. As we know, it’s not until his friends Mercutio and Benvolio persuaded him to attend the masked ball that the trouble begins.
Just 30 years old this year, prima ballerina Prisca Zeisel has loads of experience under her belt. At age 15, Manuel Legris invited her to join the Vienna State Opera Ballet where she quickly became a soloist. Now she’s a favorite prima ballerina with the Mikhailovsky troupe. Read on to learn more about her story.
Despite having seen the Mariinsky’s “Swan Lake” hundreds of times, it has been, surprisingly, quite some time since VaganovaToday has covered one. Covid and other life events have intervened, but on February 1st, a unique opportunity arose to watch some of the Mariinsky’s brightest stars in the leading roles of this Tchaikovsky classic.
Exquisite lines and proportions are the hallmarks of both Oksana Skorik, who danced Odette, and Nikita Korneev, who performed the role of Prince Siegfried. This onstage couple are frequently paired together and have achieved a flawless synastry in their respective roles. Skorik, with impeccable lines and meticulous placement, is perhaps the highest echelon of a ballet physique across the world today.
From the far away Udmurt Republic, Elena Evseeva is now a sought-after soloist with the Mariinsky who’s not only dancing but teaching. She granted Vaganova Today a detailed interview about her path from Izhevsk to the Perm Choreographic School, and ultimately to Saint Petersburg. Read below for her story, or click here for the Russian version of this interview.
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A Muscovite raised in Germany, Nikita Korneyev is now in his ninth season with the Mariinsky and has long been dancing solo roles. Vaganova Today sat down with him to learn more about his international career path. For the Russian version of this interview, please click here.
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You come from a ballet family?
My parents were both dancers, we have a dynasty in my family. They worked in the N.Kasatkina-V.Vasilyov troupe in Moscow but we moved to Germany in 2000. First they worked at the Semperoper in Dresden and later in Weisbaden and Essen.
Did you also want to dance?
Yes, I wanted to dance as well. My father, on the other hand, told me that it was a very difficult and hard profession. But that didn’t scare me. During my childhood I did lots of sports: I played tennis, track and field, and soccer. But when I started to take ballet, I understood that with my parents it would be a lot easier in this sphere, because they know a lot more about it than any of my other pursuits, and with their experience it would be easier for me to study.
I was in the theatre throughout my childhood since my parents worked there. I saw things backstage, from the wings, in the dressing rooms, and the performances. My first experience onstage was in Moscow when I was 5 years old in “The Nutcracker”. We rode on sleighs in the first scene, it’s a slightly different version of the ballet.
With one of the cleanest techniques in classical ballet and an enviable physique, ballerina Oksana Skorik has had a difficult path to the top, yet created a furor among ballet fans when she began her career. She told VaganovaToday about her story and philosophy. Click here for the original Russian version of the interview, and read on for more.
How did you begin dancing?
People often say when someone wants to become a ballerina that the desire was most likely their mother’s wish. My mother also took ballet in her childhood, but just for two years. Then she moved and no longer took classes. But I was always dancing, jumping and skipping, and my mom sent me to arts school to direct my energy there.
Nobody counted on or intended on me becoming a ballerina, there was no focus on the idea that I should become a ballerina or fulfill my mother’s dream. I’d say they sent me to ballet class to “give me something to do.”
In Kharkov, we had a school of the arts; they taught drawing, music and choreography. At the age of 5, I attended preparatory classes there. But it’s difficult to call what they did “choreography” — we didn’t turn out our legs. They would sit us down, for example, in the butterfly position, stretch us in the splits a tiny bit, bend back a little bit, so that we would be able to stand in fifth position later on, and we learned some choreographic elements.
From Saratov, Russia to San Francisco, California, former Kirov Ballet soloist Nikolai Kabaniaev shares his philosophies about the art of ballet and teaching classical ballet in America. The Russian original of this interview can be found here.
How did you get started in ballet?
My mother worked in the Makeup, Hair and Wig Department of the Chernishevsky Saratov Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and from the age of two I spent time backstage in the theatre.
It is with shock that we post about the loss of one of ballets biggest superstars, Vladimir Shklyarov, who passed away overnight. The Honored Artist of Russia, a superstar in the ballet world known for his electric onstage expression and virtuoso technique, was born in 1985 and joined the Mariinsky in 2003. Our condolences to his two young children, his ex-wife, friends, fellow dancers, and all of the viewers whose lives he touched. Rest in peace.
Ramanbek Beyshenaliev has been with the Mariinsky for 10 years and is attracting increasing attention. Read more about his journey from Kyrgyzstan to the capital of Russian ballet. The original Russian version of this interview can be found here.
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I’d like to talk about your biography. You were born in Kyrgyzstan. How did you enter the world of ballet?
Yes, I was born there and studied there. I didn’t want to dance per se, but my uncle is a ballet dancer and he wanted me to dance. He saw my physical traits and each year said “Take ballet classes, take ballet classes.” For three years he begged me. I studied in regular school until the 5th grade. My sister started to take ballet classes and I decided to go with her. I continued because I enjoyed it.
My parents also supported me in ballet.
In the Mariinsky version, set by Harry Christ in 2010, the curtain opens to turn-of-the-century Maslenitsa celebrations on a Petersburg square somewhere near the Admiralty building. Three dolls, the Moor, the Ballerina and Petrushka dance for viewers, but before they enter, street performers entertain the crowd for money, and drunken merchants perform traditional Cossack type knee-bends while guards dressed in long cobalt coats maintain order.
With 30 years’ experience on stage at the Mariinsky Theatre, from the corps de ballet to solo parts, Nikolai Naumov now primarily performs acting roles. He spoke with VaganovaToday about his career and about acting technique on stage in the great theatre. The Russian version of this interview can be found here.
You were born in the city of Pushkin. How did you start dancing?
Prior to me, my family had no relationship to the theatre, much less to ballet. But two family members participated in the world of music, my aunt Vera, who is an amazing piano teacher, and her daughter who is my cousin Nadia, an incredibly talented pianist and simply an ace in her profession!
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.
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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!”
Since January 2023, Even Capitaine has been working with the Mariinsky Ballet as a first soloist. We learned the details about his intriguing path in the world of ballet and in Russia. You can find the Russian language version of this interview here.
You have a unique story. How did you enter the world of ballet?
I attended a typical academic school and my mother wanted me to do something other than school. First I took fencing classes for 2 years, from ages 5 to 6, but then it ceased to be of any interest to me. At age 8, since my younger sister took ballet, I decided to try it. I went to a non-professional school after academic school once a week. For two years I did that, and then said I wanted to study more professionally. I was living in the French countryside in the small city of Sistelle near Toulouse. There aren’t many people there.
And so you had to travel to Paris?
Yes. At first they didn’t accept me. I continued to study ballet and did home school so that I could devote more time to ballet classes. I continued that way until I was 13 and the second time I applied, they accepted me in Paris.
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.
To close out the 241st season, the Mariinsky presented the premiere of its new “Coppelia”, a ballet that has not run in the company’s repertoire since Oleg Vinogradov presided over the ballet troupe. Choreographer/dancer Alexander Sergeev, with significant choreographic experience already under his belt, created a full-scale contemporary production that uses multimedia, novel pastel-hued costumes, steps from well-known neoclassical ballets, and a slight twist to the libretto that adds intrigue to this old story.
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.