Ulyana Lopatkina

Ulyana Lopatkina

Lopatkina at the curtain call of Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House, 2009.
Born Ulyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatknina
(1973-10-23) 23 October 1973
Kerch, Crimea, Ukrainian SSR
Education Vaganova Ballet Academy
Occupation Ballet dancer
Known for Swan Lake, Giselle
Awards Selected: Honored Artist of Russia (2000), People's Artist of Russia (2006)

Ulyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatkina (Russian: Ульяна Вячеславовна Лопаткина; born 23 October 1973) is a Russian ballet dancer, currently employed as Prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. 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.[1][2] Lopatkina had been married to Vladimir Kornev, architect and writer (divorced in 2010), and has one daughter (Masha, born 2002).[3][4]

Performances and repertoire

Lopatkina excels in classic and dramatic roles. She is a perfect example of the Russian (Kirov) school with long limbs, great strength and a classical purity of line, as well as noted musicality.[5][6]

Her repertoire includes: Giselle (Giselle, Myrtha), Le Corsaire (Medora), La Bayadère (Nikia), Grand pas from Paquita, The Sleeping Beauty (Lilac Fairy), Swan Lake (Odette-Odile), Raymonda (Raymonda, Clemans), The Swan, Schéhérazade (Zobeide), The Fountain of Bakhchisarai (Zarema), The Legend of Love (Mekhmeneh Bahnu), Leningrad Symphony (The Girl), Pas de quatre (Маria Taglioni), Serenade (ballet), Piano Concerto No. 2 (Ballet Imperial), Symphony in C (2nd Movement), La Valse, Jewels (Diamonds), In the Night, The Nutcracker (highlights: Teacher and Pupil), Le Jeune Homme et la Mort, Goya-Divertissement, Le Baiser de la Fee (Fairy), Le Poeme de l´Extase, In the Middle.[1][2]

Daily life

Lopatkina revealed details about her daily life in an interview to The Sunday Times in 2005. She wakes up between 9am to 10am and drinks a glass of grapefruit juice or a cup of tea for breakfast. When not in a hurry, she also eats oatmeal or a buckwheat porridge. Rehearsals start after 11am. At the Kirov she first attends a class with other dancers and followed this with a personal rehearsal with Ninel Kurgapkina, until the latter's death. After a break, Lopatkina has more rehearsals or helps teaching younger dancers. She often skips lunch.[4]

Lopatkina is among the world's tallest major ballerinas: she is 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) and wears shoes size 10.5 US (8 UK). Lopatkina uses two pairs of shoes in each performance which are specially made for her.[7]

Awards

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ulyana Lopatkina – Short Bio at the Mariinsky Theatre site (retrieved 30 December 2007)
  2. 1 2 3 Dyukova, L. and Haegeman, M. Ulyana Lopatkina. www.ballet.classical.ru. (retrieved 30 December 2007, in Russian)
  3. ↑ Dissanayake, Natasha. Interview with Ulyana Lopatkina. Ballet Magazine, Jun/Jul 2005. (retrieved 30 December 2007)
  4. 1 2 Cowley, Edward. Interview with Uliana Lopatkina. The Sunday Times, 17 July 2005. (retrieved 1 January 2008)
  5. ↑ Bedell, Geraldine (16 August 2009) Mariinsky Ballet: Swan Lake; Homage to Balanchine. The Guardian.
  6. ↑ Crompton, Sarah (10 August 2009) Swan Lake by the Mariinsky Ballet, Covent Garden – review. The Daily Telegraph.
  7. ↑ Gilbert, Jenny. HOW DO I LOOK? The Kirov's Uliana Lopatkina on her transformation. The (London) Independent, 23 June 2001. (retrieved 1 Jan 2008)
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