From a mining town in Siberia to the Mariinsky stage, soloist Maxim Izmestiev is living proof that positive thoughts can turn dreams into reality. Read below for the details of his story, or click here for the Russian version of the text.
How did you get involved in ballet?
My sister was the first to attend the Novosibirsk Choreographic School, and my mother decided to send me as well. When my mom told me that I was going to study ballet, I started crying and locked myself in my room. But now I’m very grateful to her that she sent me on this journey.
Did you have any physical training for ballet as a child?
I was actively involved in soccer (British football) where I had regular training sessions. I also studied the accordion at a music school, and I think it helped to develop my musical ear. I remember when we were admitted to the Novosibirsk Choreographic School, they placed us in a line and told us to walk in time with the music. They put me first, because I always fell on the beat of the music.I don’t have the strongest ballet skills, but I do work hard.
Did you live in a dormitory at school? Yes, it was my first time living in a dorm, and I was very sad at first. I was homesick. I was taken to another world, to the world of ballet, where I did not know what awaited me.
Who among the teachers in Novosibirsk influenced your artistic path? Of course that would be Irina Stepanovna Kudrina, and I’ll be grateful to her all my life. She’s like a ballet mom to me. She tried to make me an intelligent artist. She instilled hard work in me, taught me how to hide my flaws, and made me fall in love with ballet. I remember Irina Stepanovna telling me, “The more you work on yourself, the faster you will achieve your goal.” And even now at the Mariinsky Theatre, I go to the studio in the evenings and try to work on myself further. Irina Stepanovna, if you’re reading this, I love you very much and I am very grateful to you!
When did you enter Vaganova Academy?
During the first “course” [Editor’s note: the last 3 years of study are called “courses”] I studied in Novosibirsk, and during my second course, I decided to try to attend the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. It was a spontaneous decision. I just wanted to develop as a dancer, and I knew that the Academy would give that to me. There was a ballet class for the Academy audition, and after that I was accepted into the school. And so began my new life at the Vaganova Academy.
Who taught you at the Academy?
Feton Miozzi and Andrey Anatolyevich Ermolenkov. I graduated under Andrey Anatolyevich.
What did they give you?
When I first saw everyone at the Academy, I was shocked by the cleanliness in movement that they displayed, because we didn’t have that. You could feel the St. Petersburg school, everyone had particularly beautiful arms. Both Feton and Andrey Anatolyevich jointly gave me an understanding of the purity of performance in dance, they taught me how to hide my flaws. The Academy gave me purity in performance and positions, because I hadn’t felt that before. I still pay attention to this – what position I’ll end up in, how the arms should be held so that the elbow doesn’t hang, so that everything is beautiful. Novosibirsk gave us technique, and the Academy gave us cleanliness, it refined everything.
Did you want to join the Mariinsky Theatre or go to back to work in Novosibirsk?
I dreamt of joining to the Mariinsky Theatre. Of course, there was a chance that they wouldn’t take me, but at the audition I wanted to show everything I could do, and I think the theater management appreciated that. I was accepted into the company.
What was the adjustment like for you, during your first season at the Mariinsky?
I had to prove myself all over again, because when you join the company, they don’t know how you think, how you learn productions, and what you’re capable of. I consider myself lucky that in the first month of my work I was given the opportunity to dance in Maxim Petrov’s “Ballet Number2”(Editor’s note: Petrov is currently the artistic director of the Ural Ballet). It was a great joy and a great responsibility for me, as it was my first performance in the theater as a ballet dancer.
Did you have a specific pedagogue (coach)?
The first was Igor Yuryevich Petrov. One morning Igor Yuryevich was standing at the service entrance, he was always standing there and smoking. And we had a typical conversation. He said, “Listen, let’s work together, see what you can do, let’s figure out some variation.” I said, “Are you serious?” He replied, “Yes, we’ll schedule a rehearsal, get ready!” I had such a smile on my face, the suggestion gave me goosebumps, because that was a huge event for me.
It seems like that sort of encounter used to be a big deal,but now lots of dancers have a coach, even when the dancer is young.This is also good,because you have to train from a young age in order for a dancer to grow. The earlier you have a pedagogue, the earlier you can start developing. So I began working with Igor Yurievich. When he passed away, I didn’t know who I was going to work with and I didn’t even want to think about it, it was hard. But I had to keep working, and Konstantin Zverev (our first soloist and now also a pedagogue) approached me and asked,”Max,what do you think if I become your teacher and we work together?” I couldn’t even consider that Konstantin could take me on as a student, since he is still an active dancer himself. I was very pleased with this offer and, of course, I agreed with great honor! Igor Petrov also used to coach Konstantin.
What was your first big role?
James in “La Sylphide”. It was my first big role and of course it was exciting. Complex choreography, purity of performance, adherence to a certain style. I really fell in love with this ballet and I think that even as a dancer I grew while preparing for this ballet.
What are your favorite roles?
Lankedem and Ali in “Le Corsaire”, and James in “La Sylphide”. I used to dislike the peasant pas de deux in “Giselle”, it’s heavy and treacherous, but there was a period when I danced it 4 times in 10 days because someone got sick. And there were just different partners. And I began to love this pas de deux. Nurali in “Fountain of Bakchisarai” is a difficult role, not only technically and in terms of acting, but because you have the most powerful dancing at the end of the performance, you wait a long time for the last act, then you need to accelerate your body to the limit in order to give all your energy to the audience.
Is there a role you’re dreaming of?
Basil in “Don Quixote” and Ali Batyr in“Shurale”. Actually, I have a story. During my first season in the theater, I really wanted to dance Nurali in “Bach Fountain”. I’d come home, turn on the music and visualize how I would dance it, and literally a month later they would give me Nurali! I was shocked and thought, how does that even work?! Now I dream of dancing Basil in “Don Quixote”, who knows, maybe it will work again this way! (smiles)
So your thoughts become reality! Have you ever turned down a role?
Never. Because I think you need to accept any job they give you and do it well, otherwise suddenly there won’t be another chance.
What’s the most difficult part of your job?
For me, it’s probably the character in a given role, the difficulty of conveying it to the viewer so that everything is clear. But the preparation for any performance is incredibly interesting.
Is it easier to work as a soloist than in the corps de ballet? It’s also hard in the corps de ballet, you rehearse a lot each day, and they demand high quality everywhere. It’s just that when you’re a soloist, you have a lot of responsibility for the performance. Of course, the corps de ballet does too, but it feels morally easier in the corps. I still think it’s physically easier in the corps de ballet –despite dancing almost every night– because my legs didn’t hurt as much then as they do now. It’s a heavy shock load right now, because my repertoire is all jumps and turns, it all affects my body’s recovery.
Do you train your body outside of ballet?
Absolutely. Your body needs to be helped, and this is one of the important points. Pumping your abs and back, strengthening your body’s core – it helps a lot both in dance and in duet. I don’t spend much time on it, maybe 25 minutes a day, I probably need more but for now that’s it. Overall, I feel very good. I think I’ll increase that workload in the future.
Do you watch your weight?
Yes, I try to stick to a weight that I feel good at. Especially when I’m preparing for performances, I try to choose the right diet so as not to strain the body, but I won’t say that I’m fixated on it. As my friend said, an artist’s body should always be athletic.
The company has a huge staff, and now you’ve become a soloist. Do you still communicate with people in the corps de ballet?
Of course! Nothing has changed in communication. Sure, we may see each other less often, but we’re always happy to talk with great pleasure!
Your wife works as a make-up artist at the Mariinsky Theatre. Does this help you?
Yanochka is always very worried about me. Sometimes I have to tell her,”Don’t worry so much, everything will be fine.”When I perform, I know that she’s always there, ready to help! I thank her very much for that! Generally speaking, we’re just one big team that works together to make the performance wonderful.
Is there competition or help from your colleagues?
There’s always competition, it’s just that I probably don’t like this state of competition very much, and I try not to notice it. I’m better off just going into the studio and developing myself, to improve even more.
Does the St. Petersburg audience differ from the Moscow audience?
I can’t say that I have a lot of experience in this topic, but it feels like they differ. In St. Petersburg, the audience is more restrained and intelligent. The audience reacts more vividly to the same performance in Moscow, as if they’re less emotionally restrained.
Do you have any superstitions or rituals before going on stage?
When I feel my heart beating faster, I cross myself and breathe. And I’ll tell myself, for example: “You can always dance badly–have fun and dance well now”. But now I deal with any anxiety easily, I don’t experience it like I did before. When I performed my first solo parts, I was so worried that my palms were sweating. Now I have experience. I just want to show the work I’ve done with my coach in the studio, so that it won’t be in vain, and I go out and dance as best as I can.
Do you believe in Fate?
Yes, 100%.
If not ballet, then what?
Soccer. 100% (laughs)
How do you relax?
I love wake-surfing. I used to love soccer, but I stopped because it was too injury-prone. I have gone snowboarding and skiing. But I also had to stop those. I really like to go fishing, even if I don’t catch a fish. I can get up at 5 a.m. and go to the lake, I like the atmosphere. And travel, to go somewhere, see new nature.
Do you have a dream for the future?
I love ballet, I love dancing. I like to live here and now, set goals for myself in advance, achieve them and then move on. And Fate will determine what happens next. I hope that I won’t stop, that my work will always be interesting, and that I’ll always be able to find strength in myself.
Do you have any advice for the young?
As Irina Stepanova told me in Novosibirsk, “Many of your friends will have a weekend off, but you have to work on weekends to get better.” Advice, then, is to work, work, work with a clear head and be able to evaluate yourself correctly. To get rid of this veil that “I’m the best, I’m such a hard worker, why don’t they let me dance.” So that there is no envy of others. It should be an incentive to develop, so that there are no such qualities.
Everyone has their own path, both in life and in ballet. It’s important to love your job! To keep our interest in work alive, this is our engine forward! Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if it doesn’t work out yet. Believe in yourself, sometimes only you can know what you are capable of.
Photographs all courtesy of and copyright by the Mariinsky Theatre by the following photographers. From top: with Maria Shirinkina in “Young Girl and the Hooligan” (2023) by Mikhail Vilchuk; as the Hooligan (2023) by Alexander Neff; as Nurali in “Fountain of Bakchisarei” by Natasha Razina (2024); as Lankedem in “Le Corsaire” (2024) by M. Vilchuk; as Mercutio in “Romeo and Juliet” (2023) by Natasha Razina; and as James in “La Sylphide” by Alexander Neff (2023).