Ulyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatkina (russian: Ульяна Вячеславовна Лопаткина; born 23 October 1973) is a Russian

prima ballerina 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 yea ...

who performed with the Mariinsky Theatre from 1991–2017. She studied at the

Vaganova Academy The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief hi ...

with

Natalia Dudinskaya Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya (russian: Ната́лия Миха́йловна Дуди́нская; , in Kharkiv – 29 January 2003, in Saint Petersburg) was a Soviet prima ballerina who dominated the Kirov Ballet from the 1930s to the 1950 ...

. Upon graduation Lopatkina joined the Kirov/

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

Ballet in 1991, and was promoted to

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 ...

in 1995.Ulyana Lopatkina
nbsp;– Short Bio at the Mariinsky Theatre site. Retrieved 29 June 2019.Dyukova, L. and Haegeman, M

www.ballet.classical.ru. (in Russian). Retrieved 29 June 2019. Lopatkina did not dance during the 2016–2017 season due to injury, and her retirement from the Mariinsky was announced on the company's website on 16 June 2017.

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. Her repertoire includes: ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

'' (Giselle, Myrtha), *'' Le Corsaire'' (Medora) *''

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 ...

'' (Nikia) *Grand pas from ''

Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French compo ...

'' *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' (Lilac Fairy) *''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'' (Odette-Odile) *''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky ...

'' (Raymonda, Clemans) *''

The Swan A swan is a bird of the genus ''Cygnus'' (true swans) or ''Coscoroba'' (coscoroba swans). Swan, swans, or The Swan may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film and television * ''The Swan'' (1925 film), a 1925 silent film * ''The Swa ...

'' *''

Scheherazade Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the ''One Thousand and One Nights''. Name According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' deri ...

'' (Zobeide) *''

The Fountain of Bakhchisarai ''The Fountain of Bakhchisaray'' (russian: «Бахчисарайский фонтан», ''Bakhchisaraiskiy fontan'') is a poem by Alexander Pushkin, written during the years 1821 to 1823. Pushkin began writing ''The Fountain of Bakhchisa ...

'' (Zarema) *'' The Legend of Love'' (Mekhmeneh Bahnu) *''

Leningrad Symphony Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60, nicknamed the ''Leningrad'', was begun in Leningrad, completed in the city of Samara (then known as Kuybyshev) in December 1941, and premiered in that city on March 5, 1942. At first dedica ...

'' (The Girl) *''

Pas de Quatre ''Grand Pas de Quatre'' is a ''ballet divertissement'' choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845, on the suggestion of Benjamin Lumley, Director at Her Majesty's Theatre, to music composed by Cesare Pugni. On the night it premiered in London (12 Ju ...

'' (Маria Taglioni) *''

Serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...

'' *Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Ballet Imperial) *'' Symphony in C'' (2nd Movement) *'' La Valse'' *'' Jewels (Diamonds)'' *''In the Night'' *''

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 Tchaiko ...

'' (highlights: Teacher and Pupil) *''

Le jeune homme et la mort ''Le Jeune Homme et la Mort'' is a ballet by Roland Petit, choreographed in 1946 to Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, with a one-act libretto by Jean Cocteau. It tells the story of a young man driven to suici ...

'' *''Goya-Divertissement'' *''

Le baiser de la fée ''Le Baiser de la fée'' (''The Fairy's Kiss'') is a neoclassical ballet in one act and four scenes composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1928 and revised in 1950 for George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's sh ...

'' (Fairy), '' Le Poeme de l´Extase'' *''In the Middle''

Personal life

Lopatkina was married to architect and writer Vladimir Kornev until their divorce in 2010. They have a daughter, Masha, born 2002.Dissanayake, Natasha
Interview with Ulyana Lopatkina.
Ballet Magazine, Jun/Jul 2005. (Retrieved 30 December 2007).Cowley, Edward

The Sunday Times, 17 July 2005. (Retrieved 1 January 2008). Lopatkina revealed details about her daily life in an interview to ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' in 2005. She wakes up between 9am to 10am. At the Kirov, she first attends a class with other dancers and followed this with a personal rehearsal with

Ninel Kurgapkina Ninel Aleksandrovna Kurgapkina (russian: Нинель Александровна Кургапкина; 13 February 1929, Leningrad – 10 May 2009, Beloostrov) was a Soviet and Russian dance teacher and former prima ballerina for the Kirov Ball ...

, until the latter's death. After a break, Lopatkina has more rehearsals or helps teaching younger dancers. Lopatkina is a tall ballerina: she is and wears shoes size 10.5 US (8 UK). Lopatkina uses two pairs of shoes in each performance which are specially made for her.Gilbert, Jenny
How Do IU Look? The Kirov's Uliana Lopatkina on her transformation.
The (London) Independent, 23 June 2001. (Retrieved 1 January 2008).

Awards

*International Vaganova-prix Competition (St. Petersburg, 1991). *Golden Sofit (1995) *The Golden Mask (1997) *

Prix Benois de la Danse The Benois de la Danse is a ballet competition held annually in Moscow. Founded by the International Dance Association in 1991, it takes place each year on or around April 29 and it's judged by a jury. The members of this jury change every year and ...

(1997) *The Baltika Prize (1997) *The Evening Standard (1998) *State Prize of Russia (1999) *

Honoured Artist of Russia Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: link=no, Заслуженный артист Российской Федерации, ''Zasluzhenny artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii'') is an honorary title in the Russian Federation. The title is ...

(2000) *The Baltika Prize (2001) *

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: Народный артист Российской Федерации, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an h ...

(2006).

Filmography and photo gallery

Lopatkina's Filmography.
MSN Movies (retrieved 30 December 2007)

at www.ballerinagallery.com (retrieved 30 December 2007)

References

External links