Uliana Lopatkina

Lopatkina, principal dancer at the Mariinsky, has provided radically new interpretations of classical ballet roles over the past fifteen years and introduced a totally new plasticity, sophisticated lines and exquisite drama to the St. Petersburg ballet classics. Lopatkina remains one of the symbols of the Mariinsky ballet, epitomizing a link between its past and future.
Lopatkina joined the Mariinsky ballet in 1991.

The phenomenal expressive­ness of her tall, slim, ideally chiseled body and the smooth harmony of her movements looked amazing after the stiff rigidity of Soviet classical dancing. No less striking was the complicated psychology that she put into her interpretations of “Swan Lake” and “La Bayadère.” She became a leader for a new generation of dancers with the premiere of Balanchine’s “Symphony in C” in St.Petersburg (1996). Her extreme musicality, crystal clarity and the melodically beautiful “Viennese classicism” of her dancing made her one of the best contemporary interpreters of Balanchine’s choreography (“Serenade,” “Diamonds”). Today Lopatkina remains an ardent propagator of modern ballets at the Mariinsky. Choreographers love her versatility (from the fragility of ...