Ballerinas of the 20th century. Russian ballerinas with world fame (11 photos) Modern Russian ballerinas
Behind the airy and light dance of a ballerina is a colossal daily work of classes and rehearsals. It is not for nothing that previously only a dancer who managed to reach the pinnacle of choreographic skill and was honored to perform leading roles in classical performances was called a ballerina. “Beauty does not tolerate amateurism. To serve her means to devote yourself entirely to her, without a trace,” said the great Anna Pavlova. And biographies of truly great dancers confirm her opinion. The Russian ballet school is still considered exemplary to this day, so among the many famous dancers, we chose only its students.
Avdotya Istomina
Pushkin sang the legendary St. Petersburg ballerina in “Eugene Onegin”, and was also going to dedicate a story to her. Avdotya Istomina discovered her talent at an early age and, while still a student at the St. Petersburg Ballet School, performed at the Imperial Theater. At the age of 17, the dancer won championship in the troupe after the debut of Acis and Galatea. Istomina's repertoire was varied, as the artist also had extraordinary dramatic talent. She also played in vaudeville and performed brilliantly in conversational roles. In addition to her stage talent, the ballerina also became famous for her ability to charm men - she was always surrounded by crowds of fans. It was she who became the reason for the famous quarter duel between Zavadovsky and Sheremetyev and their seconds Griboedov and Yakubovich.
Tamara Karsavina
The daughter of a ballet dancer, Tamara Karsavina followed in her father’s footsteps: after graduating from the Imperial Theater School, she joined the Mariinsky Theater troupe and quickly gained prima status. Karsavina successfully danced parts in classical performances - “Giselle”, “The Sleeping Beauty”, “La Bayadère” - and also inspired choreographers to create performances “for themselves”. Mikhail Fokin and Leonid Massine staged for her, and Sergei Diaghilev, having invited her to his troupe, gave the best roles. By the way, Tamara Karsavina was a close friend and adviser to the creator of Russian Seasons. In 1918, the ballerina left Russia forever and settled in England, where she taught classical dance, acting and worked on productions.
Anna Pavlova
Little is known about the ballerina’s childhood—Pavlova hid her own origins all her life. However, her career was so eventful and her talent so brilliant that the details of her early biography can be ignored without a twinge of conscience. A graduate of the Imperial Theater School, Anna Pavlova was the leading dancer of the Mariinsky Theater troupe, where she performed roles in classical ballets. The ballerina gained worldwide fame after participating in Diaghilev’s Russian Seasons, although after working with him for one season, she founded her own troupe. Nevertheless, the poster with Pavlova's silhouette remained a symbol of the famous series of touring performances. The most famous image of the ballerina is a miniature swan staged for her by Mikhail Fokin. Since 1914, Anna Pavlova lived in England and successfully toured Europe, America and even India. The great dancer died of pneumonia. It is said that her last words were: “Get me my swan costume!”
Usually ballerinas are rather “fluffy”, but Ulyana is a large ballerina. Her height is 178 centimeters, her foot size is 41. But she turned all her shortcomings into advantages with her talent - when you see her work on stage, she seems completely weightless. Thin, incredibly elegant and graceful, she usually embodies gentle and lyrical images, such as Giselle.
Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, winner of the Benois de la Danse award, known in the world as the “Ballet Oscar”. In 2008, she received the title “etoile” (star) from Milan’s La Scala. She performs at the best ballet venues in the world and is distinguished by a wide range of roles - she succeeds in both lyrical and characterful heroines.
Prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, a very characteristic ballerina with a bright appearance and very beautiful hair. She gained fame thanks to the solo number “Carmen”; she brilliantly coped with both the role of Giselle and the most difficult part of Odette-Odile in the production of the American Ballet Theater. She performed the main roles on the stage of La Scala, the Berlin State Ballet and other theaters. Has several solo projects.
Another ballerina with rather atypical physical characteristics - Polina has a breast size of 4, so the costumes for her performances are made taking into account her curvaceous figure. Costume designers have to struggle to figure out how to make sure breasts don't interfere with dancing. But the audience is delighted with Polina Simeonova. Now she mainly dances in the USA and, by agreement, at the Mikhailovsky Theater.
The legendary French ballerina was “retired” in May, but we couldn’t help but mention her in our selection. The ballerina is 42 years old, but she is still very good. Aurelie joined the Grand Opera troupe under Rudolf Nureyev, at the age of 16, and stayed there longer than any ballerina of her generation. A turning point in her career was working with the legendary German choreographer Pinou Bausch, who told her: “I chose you for your weakness, not for your strength. This is your beauty." Subsequently, it was precisely this beautiful weakness that Aurélie emphasized.
Ekaterina Kondaurova
Prima of the Mariinsky Theater. A ballerina with character, for which she was even compared to Maya Plisetskaya. It’s as if Ekaterina was created for a bright, passionate, dramatic dance. Incredibly flexible and graceful ballerina. Often performs works by contemporary choreographers. Just like Svetlana Zakharova, she is the owner of the ballet Oscar.
Prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet of Great Britain. Born in Bucharest, she studied ballet in Kyiv. After winning an international ballet competition, she received a scholarship to study at the Royal Ballet School, and later became its soloist. He loves to perform the part from Giselle. One of the interesting roles is in the ballet “Eugene Onegin”, where she plays the roles of both Tatyana and Olga.
Young prima of the Mariinsky Theater. At the age of 18 she danced the part of Odette-Odile on the stage of the Vienna Opera. 6 years later she danced in the same role on the stage of La Scala. A very technical, fast, flexible ballerina, she mainly devotes herself to classical ballet.
On the birthday of the Bolshoi Theater, which is traditionally celebrated on March 28, AiF.ru talks about the prima ballerinas who shine on the famous stage today.
Maria Alexandrova
The name of People's Artist of the Russian Federation Maria Alexandrova on the poster is an undoubted guarantee of a full house. The ballerina entered the Bolshoi Theater back in 1997, becoming a laureate of the first prize at an international competition. And almost immediately she moved from corps de ballet dancers to the rank of leading soloists. For 20 years now, not a single theater season has gone by without her participation. All prima heroines are possessors of difficult characters, strong-willed and strong women. Today at the Bolshoi Theater you can see Alexandrova in the image of Ondine from “A Hero of Our Time” and in the title role of “Giselle” in Grigorovich’s version.
Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova first performed on the stage of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater, but at the height of her career she was not afraid to start over and move to the Bolshoi. Since 2003, the artist has been performing in Moscow, and in 2008 she even became a prima ballerina of the famous Milan theater La Scala. We can say that Zakharova managed to dance all the solo parts of cult ballets, including “Giselle”, “Swan Lake”, “La Bayadère”, “Carmen Suite”. But, despite her worldwide fame, the prima remains devoted to the Bolshoi Theater, and her last work is Mary in the ballet “A Hero of Our Time.”
Evgenia Obraztsova
Another former prima of the Mariinsky Theater, and since 2011 a star of the Bolshoi Theater, is Evgenia Obraztsova. An elegant, fragile girl is the ideal heroine of all romantic fairy tales, which is why she has behind her such gentle images as Sylphide, Giselle, Bayadère, Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Juliet. However, the ballerina does not seek to limit herself to a narrow role: the main thing for her is to dance in such a way that the audience believes what they see on stage. Obraztsova tours a lot and even stars in foreign films.
Ekaterina Shipulina
Ekaterina Shipulina is one of the most sought-after ballerinas in Russia today. After graduating from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe, where she managed to work with absolutely all the choreographers. Critics note Shipulina's desire for absolute precision in execution. The star's repertoire includes dozens of leading roles: Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Esmeralda in Notre Dame, Giselle in Giselle. Today you can see Prima on the Bolshoi stage in the image of Ondine in the ballet “Hero of Our Time”.
Ekaterina Krysanova
The biography of this prima may surprise many, because Ekaterina Krysanova’s first education was not choreographic. At first, the famous ballerina studied at the Moscow Center for Opera Singing. Vishnevskaya and only after that she entered the Moscow Academy of Choreography. She did not immediately receive prima status, but after participating in the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty,” she once and for all became a favorite of audiences and theater critics. Krysanova's last work at the Bolshoi Theater was Russian Seasons and the role of the Parisian ballerina Coralie in Lost Illusions.
Nina Kaptsova
Nina Kaptsova in 1996, immediately after graduating from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe. She was an excellent student since childhood and was not used to working hard. The result of hard training is obvious: in 2011, Kaptsova received the title of prima of the Bolshoi. After which she consolidated her success with leading roles in the ballets: “Emeralds”, “Ivan the Terrible”, “Onegin”. Today the prima ballerina can be seen on the Bolshoi stage in the image of Marguerite Gaultier in “The Lady of the Camellias”, as well as in “Classical Symphony”.
The best representatives of Russian ballet are Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova.
Ballet is called an integral part of the art of our country. Russian ballet is considered the most authoritative in the world, the standard. This review contains the success stories of five great Russian ballerinas who are still looked up to today.
Anna Pavlova 
Anna Pavlova is an outstanding Russian ballerina.
The outstanding ballerina Anna Pavlova was born into a family far from art. She developed a desire to dance at the age of 8 after the girl saw the ballet production of “The Sleeping Beauty.” At the age of 10, Anna Pavlova was accepted into the Imperial Theater School, and after graduation, she was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater.
What is curious is that the aspiring ballerina was not placed in the corps de ballet, but immediately began to give her responsible roles in productions. Anna Pavlova danced under the direction of several choreographers, but the most successful and fruitful tandem, which had a fundamental influence on her performance style, was with Mikhail Fokin. 
Anna Pavlova as a dying swan.
Anna Pavlova supported the choreographer’s bold ideas and readily agreed to experiments. The miniature “The Dying Swan,” which later became the hallmark of Russian ballet, was practically impromptu. In this production, Fokine gave the ballerina more freedom, allowing her to independently feel the mood of “The Swan” and improvise. In one of the first reviews, the critic admired what he saw: “If a ballerina on stage can imitate the movements of the noblest of birds, then this has been achieved: in front of you is a swan.”
Galina Ulanova 
Galina Ulanova is an outstanding ballerina, to whom monuments were erected during her lifetime.
Galina Ulanova's fate was predetermined from the very beginning. The girl’s mother worked as a ballet teacher, so Galina, even if she really wanted to, was unable to bypass the ballet barre. Years of grueling training led to Galina Ulanova becoming the most titled artist of the Soviet Union.
After graduating from the choreographic technical school in 1928, Ulanova was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. From the very first performances, the young ballerina attracted the attention of spectators and critics. A year later, Ulanova was entrusted with performing the leading role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. Giselle is considered one of the ballerina’s triumphant roles. Performing the scene of the heroine's madness, Galina Ulanova did it so soulfully and selflessly that even the men in the audience could not hold back their tears. 
Galina Ulanova performs the role of Giselle.
Galina Ulanova has reached unprecedented heights in her performance skills. They imitated her, teachers of the leading ballet schools in the world demanded that their students do steps “like Ulanova.” The famous ballerina is the only one in the world to whom monuments were erected during her lifetime.
Galina Ulanova danced on stage until she was 50 years old. She was always strict and demanding of herself. Even in old age, the ballerina began every morning with classes and weighed 49 kg.
Olga Lepeshinskaya 
Olga Lepeshinskaya is a ballet dancer and ballet teacher.
For her passionate temperament, sparkling technique and precision of movements, Olga Lepeshinskaya was nicknamed “The Jumping Dragonfly”. The ballerina was born into a family of engineers. From early childhood, the girl literally raved about dancing, so her parents had no choice but to send her to the ballet school at the Bolshoi Theater.
Olga Lepeshinskaya easily coped with both classic ballet (“Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”) and modern productions (“Red Poppy”, “Flames of Paris”.) During the Great Patriotic War, Lepeshinskaya fearlessly performed at the front, raising the fighting soldier spirit. 
Olga Lepeshinskaya - ballerina with a passionate temperament
Despite the fact that the ballerina was Stalin’s favorite and had many awards, she was very demanding of herself. Already at an advanced age, Olga Lepeshinskaya said that her choreography could not be called outstanding, but her “natural technique and fiery temperament” made her inimitable.
Maya Plisetskaya 
Maya Plisetskaya - Russian and Soviet ballet dancer
Maya Plisetskaya is another outstanding ballerina, whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Russian ballet. When the future artist was 12 years old, she was adopted by Aunt Shulamith Messerer. Plisetskaya’s father was shot, and her mother and little brother were sent to Kazakhstan to a camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland.
Aunt Plisetskaya was a ballerina at the Bolshoi Theater, so Maya also began attending choreography classes. The girl achieved great success in this field and after graduating from college she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe. 
Maya Plisetskaya is an outstanding ballerina.
Plisetskaya's innate artistry, expressive plasticity, and phenomenal jumps made her a prima ballerina. Maya Plisetskaya performed leading roles in all classical productions. She was especially good at tragic images. Also, the ballerina was not afraid of experiments in modern choreography.
After the ballerina was fired from the Bolshoi Theater in 1990, she did not despair and continued to give solo performances. Overflowing energy and incredible love for her profession allowed Plisetskaya to make her debut in the production of “Ave Maya” on her 70th birthday.
Lyudmila Semenyaka 
Lyudmila Semenyaka - Russian and Soviet ballerina.
The beautiful ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater when she was only 12 years old. The talented talent could not go unnoticed, so after some time Lyudmila Semenyaka was invited to the Bolshoi Theater. Galina Ulanova, who became her mentor, had a significant influence on the ballerina’s work.
Semenyaka coped with any part so naturally and effortlessly that from the outside it seemed as if she was not making any effort, but was simply enjoying the dance. In 1976, Lyudmila Ivanovna was awarded the Anna Pavlova Prize from the Paris Academy of Dance. 
Lyudmila Semenyaka, Andris Liepa and Galina Ulanova at a rehearsal.
At the end of the 1990s, Lyudmila Semenyaka announced her retirement from her ballerina career, but continued her activities as a teacher. Since 2002, Lyudmila Ivanovna has been a teacher-tutor at the Bolshoi Theater.
Ballerinas of Russia are the national treasure of the country, their names are real brands. Lopatkina, who is celebrating her birthday today, Vishneva, Zakharova, Osipova are real cultural beacons. InStyle has chosen the main dancers of modern Russia. They, like Kshesinskaya in her time, are real pop stars, they are more than ballerinas.
Ulyana Lopatkina
Last summer, Lopatkina, the one who is called the style icon of Russian ballet, announced the end of her dancing career. The reason is the consequences of injuries. “I thank everyone who met me on my creative path! Everyone who became a mentor, friend, assistant for me, who inspired, demanded, consoled and cared for me, believed, thanked and supported! Everyone who worked next to me and with me! All my viewers, everyone who understood me and gave me applause from the audience in response!” - this entry appeared on the ballerina’s website. Two months later, Lopatkina became a student at St. Petersburg State University and decided to study Environmental Design. And this spring, the Imperial Porcelain Factory released figurines of the star. Lopatkin, as well as Vishnev, are symbols of St. Petersburg, it’s time to erect monuments.
Diana Vishneva
Perhaps the most famous ballerina in Russia is her. Vishneva. “They didn’t want to take me to the choreographic school. Almost no one believed that I could first become the best student, then win competitions, and then get into the Mariinsky Theater. I can’t say that from childhood it was clear that Diana Vishneva would become what she is now,” says Vishneva, adding: “I rather consider myself an artist.” Prima of the Mariinsky Theater, a world star, the hostess of her own international festival CONTEXT, she declares that she is not a ballerina, but an artist. And that's true. Vishneva is already more than ballet.
Svetlana Zakharova
Modern Russian dancers and ballerinas are real citizens of the world. Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi and La Scala, Zakharova is also a true cosmopolitan. She lived in Germany, worked at the Mariinsky Theater, then moved to Moscow, and is closely connected with Italy. This is not counting the constant movements from one point of the globe to another. The ballerina's November schedule is Beijing, Seoul, Sofia and Moscow. Zakharova was also in the State Duma, she is also a wife and mother, and loves her well-deserved popularity. The only pity is that Instagram is rare: the last post today is dated August.
Ekaterina Kondaurova
Another Mariinsky prima performed an unexpected everyday pirouette. She was born in Moscow, moved to St. Petersburg and does not want to live in her hometown.
“When I began to live alone, I discovered St. Petersburg, I had more friends, and my visits to Moscow even became a burden to me. And now I generally try to avoid it. I don't like Moscow at all. I feel uncomfortable there, it’s stuffy and everything’s not right,” admits Kondaurova.
In her interviews, the ballerina appears to be very rational, but in dancing... “She is more spontaneous on stage than most of her colleagues. And everything that often looks like improvisation is actually well rehearsed,” Alexei Ratmansky speaks of her.
Maria Alexandrova
The great ballerinas of Russia have always had different characters. Here is Maria Alexandrova - this prima of the Bolshoi resigned from the theater in May last year. Herself. A lengthy post published by Alexandrova on social networks did not explain anything, but the decision was firm. “I remained at the Bolshoi on a contract, and in general I remained under a contract everywhere. Now I exist as a free artist, dancing and working where I am needed. But I remained in a relationship with the theater outside the system,” she said recently in an interview. Life goes on - Maria launches projects, dances, enjoys life.
Natalia Osipova
The list of “famous ballerinas of Russia” will be incomplete without this dancer. In her generation, Osipova is the number one star. And in general, she remains - deservedly so! - in the top list of names in world ballet. Independent, searching, Natalya changes venues, theaters, countries and everywhere shows herself in all her beauty and talent. Bolshoi, Mikhailovsky, American Ballet Theater, London Royal Ballet. From London she flies to Perm, from there to St. Petersburg and further - everywhere. But Britain is a second home for Osipova, just as Sergei Polunin is one of the main stage partners.