Christine Shevchenko ( uk, Крістіна Шевченко, born 1988) is a

Ukrainian-American Ukrainian Americans ( uk, Українські американці, Ukrayins'ki amerykantsi) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent represen ...

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

. She currently performs as a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

with American Ballet Theatre.

Early life

Born in the Odessa,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, her father was a gymnast, and her mother was a dancer and actor. At age four, Shevchenko started training in rhythmic gymnastics at an

Olympic Reserve School A sports school (russian: Детско-Юношеская Спортивная Школа, ДЮСШ) is a type of educational institution for children that originated in the Soviet Union. Sports schools were the basis of the powerful system of ph ...

in Odessa, under the direction of Nina Vitrychenko. When she was eight, her family immigrated to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and enrolled her in

The Rock School for Dance Education The Rock School for Dance Education is a classical ballet school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along the city's Avenue of the Arts. The school offers dance training for students age three and older, with pre-professional programs for stu ...

, under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. Shevchenko danced the children's lead (Marie) in Pennsylvania Ballet's ''

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 ...

'' for three years, and was featured in the NBC special, ''Degas and the Dance''. In 2003, Shevchenko became the youngest recipient of the

Princess Grace Award The Princess Grace Foundation – USA is a charity organization named after Princess Grace of Monaco, which supports emerging performers in theater, dance, and film in the form of awards, grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The Foundation hol ...

, and she later won several awards at international competitions, including

Youth America Grand Prix Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world's largest non-profit international student ballet competition and scholarship program, open to dance students of all nationalities, 9–19 years old. YAGP annually conducts regional auditions in the Unit ...

USA International Ballet Competition The USA International Ballet Competition, or USA IBC, is one of the world's top competitions for ballet. Located in Jackson, Mississippi, this competition is attended by dancers from all over the world to represent their country for bronze, silver, ...

, and Moscow International Ballet Competition. Shevchenko studied with Lev Assaulyak and Olga Tozyiakova. She also worked with choreographers

Fernando Bujones Fernando Bujones (March 9, 1955 – November 10, 2005) was an American dancer. Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century and hailed as one of the greatest American male dan ...

Benjamin Millepied Benjamin Millepied (; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has also ...

, Elena Tchernichova, and Vladimir Shoumeikin.

Career

Christine Shevchenko by Klaudia Suleiman

In 2006, Shevchenko joined the

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

, where she danced in several classical and contemporary pieces. The following year, she joined the main company as an apprentice and became a full time member of the corps de ballet in 2008. In 2013, when she was still in the corps, Shevchenko replaced an injured

Gillian Murphy Gillian Murphy ( ; born April 11, 1979) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Early life and education Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Murphy was a member of Columbia City Ballet before at ...

in ''Piano Concerto #1''. Though she only knew half of the choreography and learned the rest an hour before the show, her performance was praised by critics. She became a soloist in 2014. In the 2017 Metropolitan Opera House season, Shevchenko debuted as Kitri in ''

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 ...

'', which was her first leading role. The following week, she filled in for an injured dancer as Medora in '' Le Corsaire'', after learning the role during the weekend. She ended the season with her debut in Balanchine's ''Mozartiana'', and was promoted to Principal Dancer later that year. She has since danced other principal roles such as Odette-Odile in '' Swan Lake'', Myrtha in '' Giselle'' and Mademoiselle Marianne Chartreuse in ''

Whipped Cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, an ...

''. Shevchenko was coached by

Irina Kolpakova Irina Aleksandrovna Kolpakova (russian: Ирина Александровна Колпакова; born 22 May 1933)Mariinsky Ballet.

Awards

, 2003 *Bronze Medal in the

in Jackson, Mississippi, 2005 *Gold Medal and Title of Laureate at the Moscow International Ballet Competition *The George Zoritch of Ballet Russe Award for Talent Recognition *Margaret Moore Dance Award, 2010

Repertoire

Shevchenko's repertoire with the American Ballet Theatre includes:

References

External links

*
Christine Shevchenko
at American Ballet Theatre * Ukrainian page for Christine Shevchenko * Russian page for Christine Shevchenko {{DEFAULTSORT:Shevchenko, Christine 1988 births Living people Prima ballerinas American Ballet Theatre principal dancers Princess Grace Awards winners 21st-century ballet dancers Ukrainian emigrants to the United States Ukrainian ballerinas