VESA TONOVA - Opera Nacional de Sofía - Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Her talent was appreciated as early as when she was a student with the State School of Choreography, from which she graduated in 1989. She was a pupil of the prima-ballerina Emilia Dragostinova. From 1989 she joined the cast of the National Ballet Company. She performed the leading parts in "Romeo and Juliet", "Giselle", "The Nutcracker", "The Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderella", "Swan Lake", etc. At the International Contest in Jackson, US, in 1986, she ranked fourth. She was twice conferred the Prize for Achievemt of a junior ballet couple, with Vladimir Roger as a partner, at the International Ballet Competition in Varna (1986, 1988), with the Prize for Partnership and the Prize for Performance of Modern Choreography from the International Ballet Contest in Varna (1990), finalist at the competitions in Osaka (1988) and Moscow (1989).

She was born in the town of Vratsa. She graduated from the State School of Choreography, in the class of Natalia Koneva.
From 1985 her teachers were ?milia Dragostinov? and Rumen Rashev, who were also her educators, and soloists with the National Opera and Ballet House, and they taught her until 1989, when Vesa Tonova graduated.
In that time she achieved a lot of success at international ballet competitions and festivals. A laureate and holder of a number of prestigious prizes and distinctions, among which were the ballet couple prize, together with Vladimir Roger they were invited by André Philippe Epsain at the opening of the International Ballet Contest in Paris in 1986.
Many participations followed afterwards in international competitions: in Jackson - US, Varn? - Bulgaria, Moscow - Russia, ?sak? - Japan, the festivals in Germany and France, the Ballet Academy in Varna, in 1987 – choreographies by George Balanchin, under the direction of Brigit Thom, and in 1989 – John Kranko, under the direction of Hans Vogel, when Vesa Tonova and Vladimir Rouge were a demonstrative couple.
She was invited in 1991 to Berlin by Hans Vogel to participate in a concert under his choreography.
She became in 1992 prima-ballerina with the National Opera and Ballet House, and she made a break-through for the first time before numerous audience of the international classical repertoire, with neoclassical and contemporary ballet. With the Ballet Company of the National Opera and Ballet House, she was a guest-artist in Europe, Asia and South America. As a private guest-artist, chosen by lot in New Caledonia, Australia, she took part in a "Concert Of The International Ballet Stars" - 1993, in the ballet "The Nutcracker" - Florida – 2004, and others. In 2003 she became a laureate of the "Christal Lyre" for ballet art.

I was delighted by the premiere of "The Sleeping Beauty". The performance of Aurora (Vesa Tonova), a ballerina of staggering qualities left me speechless. Her movements are graceful and pure, her arms are so expressive - they just took my breath away; her fouetté is explosive. She is a ballerina of remarkable skills and professionalism, her performance observes the rules and makes me shiver.
Mahar Vaziev (Director of the ballet at the Mariinskij Theatre), Kultura Weekly


"Giselle of Vesa Tonova was received with enthusiasm, where she was brimming with fascinating naiveté and conquering emotional power. An airy lightness, fixing of the sculptural attitudes, plastically nuanced transitions in the dancing dialogues, were the characteristics of her interpretation."
Ana Alexandrova, the newspaper "Dum?"

"Vesa Tonova is a natural born Silfida – tender, exalted, poetic. Her dancing in this play was marked by irreproachable musicality, a sense of style and carving the details."
Teodor Popov, "Musica"