Evgenia Obraztsova
Encyclopedia
Evgenia Obraztsova (b. January 18, 1984, St. Petersburg), is a Russian ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...

 who dances as First Soloist
Soloist (ballet)
In ballet, a soloist is a dancer in a ballet company above the corps de ballet but below principal dancer....

 with the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...

 (ex-Kirov) in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

. She is frequently invited as a guest soloist to other countries, and is known for dancing leading roles in ballets such as Romeo and Juliet, Ondine, Giselle
Giselle
Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...

, and La Sylphide
La Sylphide
La Sylphide is one of the world's oldest surviving romantic ballets. There were two versions of the ballet; the version choreographed by the Danish balletmaster August Bournonville is the only version known to have survived....

. She has won several awards, including the Gold Medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 2005. Also an actress, she portrayed a ballerina in the 2005 film The Russian Dolls
The Russian Dolls
The Russian Dolls is a 2005 French-British film, the sequel to L'Auberge espagnole . Cédric Klapisch wrote and directed the film, whose settings include Paris, London, Saint Petersburg and Moscow...

, and was one of the ballerinas profiled in the 2006 documentary Ballerina
Ballerina (documentary)
Ballerina is a 2006 documentary film that follows the training sessions, rehearsals, and everyday lives of five Russian ballerinas at different stages in their career. The film features footage of classes at the Vaganova Ballet Academy as well as performances in the Mariinsky Theatre....

.

Biography

She was born in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...

 (now St. Petersburg) into a family of dancers, as her mother studied under Natalia Dudinskaya
Natalia Dudinskaya
Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya was a Russian prima ballerina who dominated the Kirov Ballet in the 1930s and 1940s.Dudinskaya's mother was Natalia Tagliori, a ballerina coached by Enrico Cecchetti. Trained by Agrippina Vaganova, Dudinskaya matriculated from her school in 1931. She danced all the...

 and was a member of the company at the Moussorgski Theatre
Mikhaylovsky Theatre
The Mikhaylovsky Theatre is one of the oldest opera and ballet houses in Russia. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on the Arts Square in St. Petersburg...

. Obraztsova discovered her dance talents early and successfully passed the entrance exams for the Vaganova School
Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet
The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The school was previously known as the Imperial Ballet School, becoming the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute during the Soviet era...

, which trains young dancers in preparation for joining the Mariinsky troupe. She graduated in 2002, having studied with Marina Vasilieva, before joining the company and rapidly proceeding through the ranks, protected and guided by a previous ballet star, the renowned Ninel Kurgapkina
Ninel Kurgapkina
Ninel Alexandrovna Kurgapkina was a Russian dance teacher and former prima ballerina for the Kirov Ballet with over 50 years stage experience. She was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1974....

. Obraztsova soon learned by reading one of the theater brochures that she had been promoted from "Corps de ballet" to Coryphee (Ballerina) - no one at the theater had informed her of her promotion.

During the 2005/2006 season, she continued to advance, and was offered opportunities to dance in three ballets created for her. In November, Carla Fracci
Carla Fracci
Carla Fracci is a ballet dancer and actress. Her career highlights include Nijinsky, Giselle , Complete Bell Telephone Hour Performances: Erik Bruhn 1961-1967.-FAO Ambassador:...

 (director of the ballet of the Rome Opera) invited her to perform in Cinderella
Cinderella (Prokofiev)
Cinderella is a ballet, Op. 87, composed by Sergei Prokofiev to a scenario by Nikolai Volkov. It is one of his most popular and melodious compositions, and has inspired a great many choreographers since its inception. The piece was composed between 1940 and 1944. Part way through writing it he...

.
In March, Pierre Lacotte chose her for the title role in the reconstruction of the ballet Ondine
Ondine (ballet)
Ondine, ou La naïade is a ballet with choreography by Jules Perrot and music by Cesare Pugni, with a libretto inspired by the novel Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Pugni dedicated his score to the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Augusta, a long-time balletomane and patron of the arts in...

, and two months later, she returned to Rome to dance in Faust by Luciano Cannito. Inspired by artists such as Diana Vishneva
Diana Vishneva
Diana Vishneva is a prima ballerina with both the Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, and American Ballet Theatre in the United States. She was born in St. Petersburg and was trained at the Vaganova Choreographic Institute and upon her graduation in 1995, joined the company of the Mariinsky Theatre...

, Ulyana Lopatkina
Ulyana Lopatkina
Ulyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatkina is a principal dancer at the Kirov Ballet/Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. She studied at the Vaganova Academy with Natalia Dudinskaya. Upon graduation Lopatkina joined the Kirov/Mariinsky Theatre Ballet in 1991, and was promoted to principal dancer in 1995...

, and Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova is the principal dancer with the both the Bolshoi Ballet and the Teatro alla Scala.Zakharova was born in Lutsk, Ukraine, on 10 June 1979. At age six, her mother took Svetlana to learn folk dancing at a local studio. At age 10, Svetlana auditioned for and was accepted into the...

, Obrastzova was lauded for creating genuine interpretations, sensitive and intelligent for the key roles. She was particularly acclaimed for her work in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)
Romeo and Juliet is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It is one of the most enduringly popular ballets...

. In 2003, she became the youngest dancer in the history of the Mariinsky to interpret the role of Juliet and it became one of her favorite roles.

In high demand, she was again asked to dance the leading role in Vikharev Sergei's The Awakening of Flora in 2007. She also participates in numerous tours with the company, whether in Japan, the United States, France, Austria or Israel, as well as several international galas. In 2008 she took the lead role in Shurale, a ballet by Leonid Jakobson. In November 2009, Obraztsova was also invited to the Royal Ballet, dancing as Aurora in their production of The Sleeping Beauty,partnered with David Makhateli
David Makhateli
David Makhateli is a Georgian ballet dancer and a Principal of the Royal Ballet in London, England.-Biography:David Makhateli was born in Tbilisi, Georgia and began training in classical ballet at the State Choreographic Institute in Tbilisi...

. She then danced at the Rome Opera, in Giselle
Giselle
Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...

in February 2010.

After Ondine, she rejoined Pierre Lacotte in the summer of 2010, replacing Isabelle Ciaravola for the role of Constance Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers, a newly choreographed production, along with dancers such as Mathias Heymann, Mathieu Ganio, Dorothée Gilbert
Dorothée Gilbert
- TRAINING :* 1990-1995 Toulouse National Conservatoire* 1995-2000 Paris Opéra Ballet School* 2000 Joins the Corps de Ballet of the Paris Opéra* 2002 Promoted to Coryphée* 2004 Promoted to Sujet* 2005 Promoted to Première Danseuse...

, and Marie-Agnès Gillot. A few months later, she danced again with Mathieu Ganio, and both were invited by the Stanislavsky Theater to dance Giselle in Moscow.

In 2005, she took a role as an actress in Cédric Klapisch
Cédric Klapisch
Cédric Klapisch , is a French film director.Klapisch was born at Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to Auschwitz. He studied cinema at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle as well as at the University of Paris VIII...

's The Russian Dolls
The Russian Dolls
The Russian Dolls is a 2005 French-British film, the sequel to L'Auberge espagnole . Cédric Klapisch wrote and directed the film, whose settings include Paris, London, Saint Petersburg and Moscow...

, where she played Natasha. It was a role very close to her actual life, as Natasha was a young ballerina in the Mariinsky Theater. She never had to audition for the film, and was just noted by chance by Klapisch when he was visiting the Mariinsky. Obraztsova was also profiled in the 2006 documentary Ballerina by Bertrand Normand, which explored the artistic life of dancers such as Ouliana Lopatkina, Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova is the principal dancer with the both the Bolshoi Ballet and the Teatro alla Scala.Zakharova was born in Lutsk, Ukraine, on 10 June 1979. At age six, her mother took Svetlana to learn folk dancing at a local studio. At age 10, Svetlana auditioned for and was accepted into the...

, and Diana Vichneva.

Awards

  • 2002 : Médaille d'or du Prix Vaganova of Saint Petersburg
  • 2005 : Gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition
  • 2006 : Prix Léonide Massine in Italy
  • 2007 : Masque d'or for best dancer for Ondine
    Ondine (ballet)
    Ondine, ou La naïade is a ballet with choreography by Jules Perrot and music by Cesare Pugni, with a libretto inspired by the novel Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Pugni dedicated his score to the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Augusta, a long-time balletomane and patron of the arts in...

     by Pierre Lacotte
  • 2009 : Principal Dancer Prize, Esprit de la Danse

Repertoire

  • Ondine : Ondine
  • Romeo and Juliet
    Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)
    Romeo and Juliet is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It is one of the most enduringly popular ballets...

     : Juliet
  • Le Corsaire
    Le Corsaire
    Le Corsaire is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem The Corsair by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to the music of Adolphe Adam, it was first presented by the ballet of...

    : trio of Odalisques
  • Apollon musagète : Terpsichore
  • Sleeping Beauty: Princess Aurora
  • Le Bourgeois gentilhomme : Nicole
  • Don Quixote
    Don Quixote (ballet)
    Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...

    : Kitri
  • Carnival of Venice
    Carnival of Venice
    The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts 40 days before easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday , the day before Ash Wednesday.-History:...

    : Colombine
  • Shurale : Siyumbike
  • The Fountain of Bakhchisarai : Marie
  • La Sylphide
    La Sylphide
    La Sylphide is one of the world's oldest surviving romantic ballets. There were two versions of the ballet; the version choreographed by the Danish balletmaster August Bournonville is the only version known to have survived....

    : the Sylphide
  • La Légende de l'amour : Chirine
  • Cendrillon : Cendrillon
  • Le Réveil de Flore : Flore
  • Nutcracker : Macha
  • Swan Lake : cygnet
  • Faust : Margherita
  • Giselle
    Giselle
    Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...

    : Giselle
  • Le Petit cheval bossu : the Tsar-Demoiselle
  • Petrouchka : the Ballerina
  • Three Musketeers : Constance

Filmography

  • Don Quixote, with Olesia Novikova, Leonid Sarafanov, Alina Somova and other dancers from the Mariinsky Theatre
  • Swan Lake, with Ouliana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntev, Olesia Novikova and the Mariinsky dancers
  • The Russian Dolls
    The Russian Dolls
    The Russian Dolls is a 2005 French-British film, the sequel to L'Auberge espagnole . Cédric Klapisch wrote and directed the film, whose settings include Paris, London, Saint Petersburg and Moscow...

     by Cédric Klapisch
    Cédric Klapisch
    Cédric Klapisch , is a French film director.Klapisch was born at Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is from a Jewish family; his maternal grandparents were deported to Auschwitz. He studied cinema at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle as well as at the University of Paris VIII...


External links

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