The “My Maya” production, created with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives along with a team of professionals and dedicated to what would be Maya Plisetskaya’s 100th birthday this November, took place ahead of other celebrations in mid-September at the Bolshoi Dramatic Theatre in Saint Petersburg. Produced by Sergey Velichkin, the gala concert evening included 11 short ballets by leading dancers from all across Russia. Shaped by artistic director Alexander Sergeev, known for creating multiple successful ballets including “Not on Time,” “12”, “Concert Dances”, and his full-length Coppelia (2024) set for the Mariinsky, the evening focused on both the classical works in which Plisetskaya herself excelled, and new pieces that underscored her openness to new genres and choreographies.
There are stars that are born and those that are made. Minchul Jeon, who trained in Korea, veers more to the latter group, given his long lines, easy jumps, perfect carriage and smooth turns. This newcomer to the Mariinsky drew much anticipation after colleague Kimin Kim recommended him to the troupe. Jeon brought not only nobility to the leading role of Solor in “La Bayadere” on the Mariinsky stage at his July 17th debut, but a grace unseen by many males onstage. His finely honed pantomime exuded notes of imperial carriage, particularly fitting for this formerly Tsarist theatre. This was Jeon’s first leading role at the Mariinsky and only his second performance. He performed the pas de trois in Act I of “Swan Lake” just a few weeks prior
Solor is, above all, a warrior. And many may argue that the role requires sternness or a harsh approach. There is no question that Jeon attacks his allegro work with certitude, but he infused his Solor with lyricism and grace while still maintaining a commanding presence on stage. While this may appear too “soft” for some who prefer to see a stricter hero, the contrast makes the role uniquely his.
After 11 years with the Mariinsky, Nail Enikeev finally received some well-deserved recognition. In the spring he was appointed a second soloist as he continues to perform solo character roles in numerous classical ballets. VaganovaToday discusses his artistic path and the recent changes in the theatre with him. Click here to read the Russian language version of this interview.
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You come from Ufa and studied under Mansur Enikeev at the Vaganova Academy. Are you related?
We have the same last name, but we aren’t related. Everyone thought we were at the Academy, that I was his nephew or grandson. I just ended up in his class when I arrived in Petersburg.
You began to dance in Ufa?
Yes, in my childhood I loved dancing to music, just moving. And at age 3, at family celebrations I forced my grandparents to dance, and in kindergarten the teachers advised my parents to put me into dance when I began first grade.
Although less well known in some areas of the world, Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita” retains immense popularity in Russia, where musical, opera and film versions have drawn significant attention. But no ballet version of the famous book existed until Zurich choreographer Edward Klug set his version at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2021 — a version that the Bolshoi brought to the Mariinsky for the first time in July 2025.
Consciously approaching the task with symbolism, the libretto is set on a giant empty stage that, upon further observation, is a pool that triples as a hospital and metro station depending on the props. As with all symbolism, it presents both challenges and benefits. No competition (no existing ballet productions) but also a level of abstraction that removes it from Bulgakov’s text.
Prokofiev’s heart-wrenching score for “Romeo and Juliet”, with its deep musical symbolism and imminent emotion, is timeless, especially when paired with world class dancing. In the Mariinsky version with choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky, the libretto highlights the main parts of Shakespeare’s poetic tale with a rhythm of its own. On June 8th, two rising Mariinsky stars performed a double debut in the title roles, foreshadowing a strong future for Mariinsky ballet productions in terms of the quality and depth they offer in tried and true classics.
Maria Iliushkina, just a few years ago a rising soloist, is now proving herself a polished ballerina of significant standing. Her length, grace, and tender heartedness — all characteristics that come through when meeting her in person– easily projected into the far reaches of the audience in her Juliet.
Once a year, the Mariinsky presents Jakobson’s “Spartacus” which now holds extra weight since new director Andrian Fadeev ran the Jakobson troupe for more than a decade. While the Mariinsky repertoire doesn’t actively perform other Jakobson works –that’s left to the Jakobson troupe itself when they appear on the Mariinsky stage— this production is a stable feature of the permanent repertoire that nonetheless appears only about once per season.
This year’s mid-May run featured four performances back-to-back in the new pseudo-block format adopted by the theatre of late. The opening scene welcoming formations of legionnaires returning home from battle offers an ongoing parade of Roman warriors in battle gear, cheered on as their swords and shields are raised aloft. Roman crowd fills every bit of the stage, giving the sensation of a well-populated nation. Against the backdrop of Adam Khachaturian’s celebratory introductory notes expertly led by conductor Vladislav Karklin, the initial atmosphere encompasses pride and triumph.
The 2017 Paquita created by Yuri Smekalov with Yury Burlaka is now in it’s 8th season on the Mariinsky stage, and the three-act dancing extravaganza combines everything from gypsy and Spanish character dancing to one of the most classical Grand Pas in the classical repertoire. Last month, the four-performance run featured a number of debuts and showed the troupe in top form.
Petersburg audiences typically crowd in to see several Mariinsky dancers, and Renata Shakirova, one of the troupe’s youngest primas, is one of them. She performed the leading role of Paquita alongside Timur Askerov on April 26th.
This ballet’s overly long libretto is slightly confusing, shifting from a wealthy upper class Spanish mansion, to a gypsy camp replete with a smoking campfire and wild dancing, with a “horse” that gets lassooed by the newly appointed gypsy, Andres, and finally to the wedding of Andres and Paquita. Much of the corps de ballet dancing en masse is done in character style, while the soloists perform frequent saut de basques, and pique turns that open into arabesque with Spanish port de bras that decorate the choreography throughout.
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.