Anna Tsygankova (russian: Анна Цыганкова; born 1979) is a Russian ballet dancer. After terms with the Bolshoi and the

Hungarian National Ballet The Hungarian National Ballet ( hu, Magyar Nemzeti Balett) is a classical ballet dance company based in Budapest, Hungary. The ballet company is attached to the Hungarian State Opera House, which is also home to the Hungarian State Opera company ...

, she joined the

Dutch National Ballet The Dutch National Ballet (Dutch: Het Nationale Ballet) is the official and largest ballet company in the Netherlands. History The Dutch National Ballet was formed in 1961 when the Amsterdam Ballet and the Nederlands Ballet merged. The company h ...

in 2008 where she is a principal dancer.

Early life

Born in Novosibirsk, Siberia, she received her training at the Novosibirsk Ballet Academy and the Académie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo.

Career

While she was with the Bolshoi Ballet in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, she was coached by Raisa Struchkova. In 2004, she joined the Hungarian National Ballet in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

before moving to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

in 2007 to join the Dutch National Ballet as a principal dancer. Tsygankova's repertoire include '' Giselle'', Nikita in ''

La Bayadère ''La Bayadère'' ("the temple dancer") ( ru. «Баядерка», ''Bayaderka'') is a ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. The ballet was staged especiall ...

'', Odette/Odile in '' Swan Lake'', Aurora in '' The Sleeping Beauty'' and repertory by George Balanchine, Rudi van Dantzig, Wayne Eagling, William Forsythe, Kenneth MacMillan and Hans van Manen. Her role creations include Kitri in Alexei Ratmansky's ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' and Christopher Wheeldon’s ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. She had made guest appearances with the

Hong Kong Ballet The Hong Kong Ballet () is a classical ballet company founded in 1979. History The company was created in 1979. Since 1997, The Hong Kong Ballet has concluded more than 30 tours to 10 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. I ...

and

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

in 2014 and 2015 respectively, dancing Kitri in ''

'' with both companies. Reviewing her performance of ''Cinderella'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' noted that emotionally, "she carries the piece." In 2017, Tsygankova took time off from dancing to prepare for her child's birth. She returned to the Dutch National Ballet in October 2018 with ''La Dame aux Camélias''. Tsygankova's performances in ''

'', '' Giselle'', ''

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed ...

'', ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...

'', and ''

'' have been filmed in recent years.

Awards

*1995, Prix de Lausanne (Switzerland), silver *1996, International Balletconcours, bronze *2008, Alexandria Radius Award *2012, Nomination Benois de la Danse *2014 Grand Prix, Dance Open Festival, St Petersburg *2016 Mrs. Expressivity award, Dance Open Festival, St. Petersburg *2017 Dancer of the Year – Critic's Choice *2017 Merit Award – Dansersfonds '79

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsygankova, Anna Russian ballerinas Dutch National Ballet principal dancers Prima ballerinas 1979 births Living people People from Novosibirsk Russian expatriates in Hungary Russian expatriates in the Netherlands 21st-century Russian ballet dancers