VIENGSAY VALDES . Biography

Ballet Nacional de Cuba

BIOGRAPHY

Viengsay Valdés began her studies at the Alejo Carpentier Provincial Ballet School and finished them at the National School of Arts, both in Havana. Ramona de Sáa was her main ballet professor. While studying, she won numerous prizes and distinctions, including being named a Principal Dancer of Ballet Nacional de Cuba. In 1993 she won the Gold Medal in the Vignale Festival of Dance, Italy. In 1994 she graduated with a degree in dance and choreography, with gold honours, and joined the company.

She has performed widely in Europe, the Americas and Asia. She is best known for her interpretations of the female lead roles in the ballets Carmen, Giselle, Swan Lake, Blood Wedding, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardee, and The Nutcracker, among others, as well as pas de deux from the Le Corsaire, Diana and Acteon, Silvia, etc. She has also performed in contemporary works by Cuban and foreign choreographers.

Since 1994, Ms. Valdes has been a participant in the International Ballet Festival in Havana. In July 2001, she was promoted to the category of Premier Dancer in the Company. In 2002 and 2004, she performed at the World Stars Ballet Gala in Budapest and was awarded the Prize for Popularity in 2004. In 2003, she was a guest in the World Gala, “Les Étoiles du XXIe Siècle,” which took place on the Champs Elysées in Paris. That year she was awarded the Medal “Alejo Carpentier” by the Ministry of Culture of Cuba. In 2004, she danced Swan Lake in the 1st Festival of Ballet of Beijing. In 2005 she was awarded at the Etoiles du Ballet 2000 Festival in Cannes. In 2006, she participated in the World Ballet Festival in Tokyo.

VIENGSAY VALDES

Ballet Nacional de Cuba

LORNA FEIJOO

Boston Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Lorna Feijóo studied at the The National Ballet School in Havana and became a principal dancer at the National Ballet of Cuba. She has performed in several International Ballet Festivals in Havana and on worldwide tours, and has won critical acclaim in leading roles of many classical and contemporary ballets. Feijóo has received numerous awards, including a gold medal at both the Vignali-Danza Contest and the Positano Contest of Young Talents in Italy. She has been a guest artist with The Royal Ballet, Rome Opera Ballet, La Scala and Zurich Opera Ballet, and has performed at worldwide Festivals and Ballet Galas in Spoleto, Italy; Gala des Etoiles, Canada; Gala des Etoiles du XXI Siecle, Paris; and Japan.

Her repertory at Boston Ballet includes Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, James Kudelka's Cinderella, Sir Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardée, August Bournonville's La Sylphide, Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote, John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew, Val Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias and Lambarena, Mark Morris' Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes and Up and Down, Peter Martins' Distant Light, George Balanchine's Serenade and Stars and Stripes, Michel Fokine's The Dying Swan, and Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, and Raymonda, Act III.

LORNA FEIJOO

Boston Ballet

BIRGIT KEIL

Stuttgart Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Birgit Keil was born in Kowarschen (today Kovárov) in the Sudetes region. She studied classical dance at the ballet school of the Württembergische Staatstheater Stuttgart, from which she was accepted into the corps de ballet of the Stuttgart Ballet in 1961. Her outstanding talent soon won her a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London, where she spend a year polishing her technique. Upon her return to the Stuttgart company in 1963, she was appointed a soloist and in later years first ballerina of the Stuttgart Ballet by the company director John Cranko.

As a member of the Stuttgart Ballet she gained international acclaim during worldwide tours with the company and often invited as a guest she became "the German Ballerina", dancing with Richard Cragun, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. She danced leading roles in all the company's productions of the classic and the modern repertoire. She inspired choreographers as Cranko, MacMillan, Wright, Teteley, Kylian, Neumeier, Spoerli, Scholz, van Manen, Feld and Haydée to create ballets especially for her. In 1980 she was granted the honorary titel "Kammertänzerin". Since 1968 she has been both in a private and professional partnership with Vladimir Klos, principal dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet from 1972 to 1997.

In the fall of 1995 Birgit Keil finished her active stage career with a magnificent farewell gala at the Staatsoper Stuttgart. At that time she initiated the dance foundation carrying her name, together with the Milanese Machesa Maddalena Mina di Sospiro. Since March 1997 Birgit Keil teaches at the Academy of Dance, University of Music and Performing Arts, Mannheim, and was given the title of a Professor by the prime minister of Baden-Württemberg. In July 1997 she became director of the Academy of Dance and with the beginning of the season 2003/04 she will in addition take over the direction of the ballet company of the Badische Staatstheater Karlsruhe.

BIRGIT KEIL

Stuttgart Ballet

TATIANA RIABOUCHINSKA . Biography

(1917 - 2000)
Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo

BIOGRAPHY

Tatiana Riabouchinska was born in Moscow in 1917. She studied with Mathilde Kshessinska in Paris. Made her debut at 15 years in De Basil's Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. She was one the three "baby ballerinas" (with Tamara Toumanova and Irina Baronova). Danced with the American Ballet Theatre 1944-45 and 1952-53.

Later she settled in Los Angeles and started teaching. She died in 2000.

DOROTHÉE GILBERT

París Opera Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Dorothée Gilbert started her training at the Conservatoire de Toulouse. In 1995 she entered l’Ecole de danse at the Paris Opéra. She was engaged in the Corps de ballet of the Paris Opéra Ballet in 2000. She was promoted to coryphée in 2002, to sujet in 2003 and to premiére danseuse in 2005.

Repertoire includes:
Peasant pas de deux in Giselle, Tchaikovsky pas de deux, Concerto Barocco, Liebeslieder Walzer, Emerald pas de trois in Jewels, Effie in La Sylphide, Kitri in Don Quixote, Spring in Cinderella, the Ballerina in Etudes, Polymnie in Apollo, Pas de trois in Swan Lake, Gamzatti in La Bayadère.

DOROTHÉE GILBERT

París Opera Ballet

ANNA NIKULINA

Bolshoi Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Anna Nikukina was born in Moscow. After graduation from the Moscow Academic Choreography School (class of Elena Vatulya) she was admitted to the ballet company of the Bolshoi Theatre in 2002. She rehearses with Ekaterina Maximova. In 2004, at the age of 19 years, she danced for the first time Odette-Odile in Swan Lake.

Repertoire includes:
Marie in The Nutcracker, Liuska in The Golden Age, River Kongo in Pharao's Daughter, Shadow (2nd and 3rd variation) in La Bayadere, and roles in La Sylphide, Passacaglia, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Legend of Love, Swan Lake and Raymonda amoong others.

GHISLAINE THESMAR

París Opera Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Ghislaine Thesmar was born in 1943 in Beijing (China). She studied at the Paris Conservatoire. She danced with Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas (1961), Lacotte's company Ballet National des Jeunesses Musicales de France, Ballet Rambert, Petit's company Les Grand Ballets Canadiens, and then as Etoile with the Paris Opera Ballet from 1972 to 1985. She also appeared as a guest artist with New York City Ballet. She lead the Ballets de Monte-Carlo with her husband Pierre Lacotte from 1986 to 1988, and later taught at the Paris Opera Ballet.

She created roles in Formes (Petit, 1967), Catulli Carmina (Nault, 1969), Pas rompu (Nault, 1969), La Sylphide (Taglioni, restaged by Lacotte, 1971), Schéhérazade (Petit, 1974) and La nuit transfigurée (Petit, 1976). Among her best roles were in Swan Lake, Giselle, Tudor's Lilac garden and Nijinska's Les Noces.

OLGA STEBLETSOVA

Bolshoi Ballet

ISADORA DUNCAN

(1878 - 1927)
Autodidacta - Expresionismo y Danza

ELAINE FIFIELD

(1930 - 1999)
Royal Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Fifield, Elaine (1930 - 1999)

Elaine Fifield was born in Sydney where she studied at the Frances Scully School and with Leon Kellaway. After winning a Royal Academy of Dance scholarship she went to London and studied briefly at the Sadler's Wells School. She joined Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet in 1947 where she reached the status of principal dancer. In 1954 she joined Sadler's Wells Ballet and became ballerina with that company in 1956. During this English phase of her career Fifield created roles in John Cranko's Trisch Trasch Polka and Pineapple Poll (1951) and in Frederick Ashton's Madame Chrysantheme (1955) and Birthday Offering (1956). During this period of her career she married the conductor John Lanchbery.

Fifield returned to Australia in 1957 to dance with the Borovansky Ballet but retired in 1958. She danced briefly with a small Sydney-based company directed by Robert Pomie and then married a plantation owner from Papua New Guinea, Les Farley. She came back to dancing in 1964 when she joined the Australian Ballet. She danced with the flagship company until 1965 and then again for a short period from 1969. During Fifield's time with the Australian Ballet, Ray Powell created his Beethoven Dances for her (1971). In the 1970s Fifield also guested with West Australian Ballet and with Ballet Victoria when Laurel Martyn created Cloth of Gold (1972) for her and Rex McNeill.

In an obituary in The Times (London) Fifield is described as 'everyone's idea of the perfect dancer: small-boned, her lovely head and neck, beautiful legs and feet were complemented by a true dedication to dance'.

LUBOV EGOROVA

(1880 - 1972)
Mariinsky Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Lubov Egorova was born in St Petersburg in 1880. She studied at Imperial Theatre School in St Petersburg for Enrico Cecchetti, Ekaterina Vazem and Anna Johansson. Graduated 1898 and started out as a coryphée in the Imperial Ballet. She was a lyrical dancer, her style was characterized by softness and cantilena more than the virtuosity style then popular. Promoted to ballerina in 1914. She gave her farewell performance at the Mariinsky Theatre 22 January 1917 in Swan Lake. Then in 1921 she danced Aurora in Diaghilev’s famous Sleeping Princess production in London. She was a influential teacher in Paris 1923-1968, among her pupils where Serge Lifar and Anton Dolin.

Her most important roles were the title role in Petipa's Blue Dahlia 1905, Myrtha in Giselle 1907, the title role in Raymonda 1910, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty 1911, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake 1913 and title role in Giselle 1914. She also danced Kitri in Don Quixote, the title role in Laurencia and Auspicia in Pharao’s Daughter.

LORNA FEIJOO

Boston Ballet

LYDIA KYASHT

(1885 - 1959)
Mariinsky Ballet

BIOGRAFIA


Lydia Kyasht (Kiaksht, Kyaksht) was born in St Petersburg in 1885. She graduated from the Imperial Ballet School (class of P. Gerdt) in 1902 and joined the Mariisnky Theatre. She become second dancer in 1906 and first dancer in 1908. She was also a soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet 1902-1903. She claimed to be the first to dance Fokine's Dying Swan in 1905. In 1908 she went to London to succeed Adeline Genée as prima ballerina at the Empire Theatre, where she stayed until 1913. She also danced with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1912 and 1919. She returned to Russia 1914-1917 to dance concert performances. After that she settled in London and founded her own ballet school. In 1939 she also founded her own company, Ballet de la jeunesse Anglaise, which toured England and Europe. From 1953-1959 she taught at the Legat School. Her memoirs Romantic Recollections were published in 1929.

EKATERINA KRYSANOVA

Bolshoi Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Ekaterina Krysanova was born in Moscow. She trained at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, where she graduated in 2003 and joined the Bolshoi Ballet. Her coach at the Bolshoi Theatre is Svetlana Adyrkhaeva.

Repertoire includes:
Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Autumn, Waltz Soloist/Soloists, Cinderella in Cinderella (Yuri Possokhov), Lyuska in The Golden Age, Grand Pas variation in Raymonda, Friend to Shireen in Legend of Love, Typist/Typists in The Bolt, Temptation in Les Presages (Leonide Massine), Polish Bride in Swan Lake, Soloist Part 4 in Symphony in C, Dryad/Three Dryads in Don Quixote, Sylphide/Sylphides in La Sylphide, Guadalquivir in La Fille du Pharaon.

Awards:
3rd prize at Vaganova-Prix International Ballet Competition in St Petersburg 2002.
2nd prize at International Ballet Competition in Moscow 2005.

MARÍA KOCHETKOVA

San Francisco Ballet

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Moscow, Maria Kochetkova trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School for eight years before dancing with The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet in London. She joined the San Francisco Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 2007.

Her classical repertoire includes the title role in Giselle, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and the title role in Alice in Wonderland. She has also performed in George Balanchine's Jewels, Divertimento 15 and Violin Concerto, William Forsythe's In the middle, somewhat elevated and ballets by Mark Morris, Yuri Possokhov, Helgi Tomasson, Jorma Elo, Christopher Wheeldon, David Dawson and Hans Van Manen.

Kochetkova's prizes and awards include medals at the International Ballet Competitions in Seoul (Gold, 2005), Rome (Gold, 2005), Riety (Gold, 2005), Luxembourg (Gold, 2003), Varna (Silver and the Press Jury Prize, 2002), Moscow (Bronze, 2001). She is also a winner of the Prix de Lausanne (2002).

IRINA DVOROVENKO

American Ballet Theatre

MARÍA SOKOLNIKOVA

Imperial Russian Ballet