Prima Ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova Swan Lake by St Petersburg Ballet Theatre Interview

Prima Ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova Swan Lake by St Petersburg Ballet Theatre Interview

Hailed from London to Paris, the internationally acclaimed St Petersburg Ballet will arrive in Melbourne in June 2015 to present their full-length classic production of the world's most loved ballet, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

First performed in St Petersburg in 1895, the immortal and enchanting Swan Lake, with its unrivalled 'white acts", its spectacular and dramatic ballroom scene, sublime music and deeply moving story, is the ballet that towers above all others.

Swan Lake will be presented at the new performance venue, Plenary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Saturday June 20 2015. This will be the first time a ballet presentation will be hosted at Plenary, a plush, state-of-the-art theatre space that has previously hosted performances by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and other major theatre events. Tickets for the limited Melbourne season go on sale at 9am on Monday October 27 2014.

Founded in 1994, The St Petersburg Ballet is renowned globally not just for its beautiful Vaganova trained dancers but also for its stunning, grand, full-length productions. The Company travels internationally complete with breathtaking scenery and magnificent costumes. It is the only classical ballet company in the world that is completely independent of government financial aid or sponsor funding. The Company has in its repertoire the classical masterpieces Giselle, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Les Sylphides, Paquita, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. The incredibly popular company is in such demand that it gives 200 to 250 performances every year.

As producer of the tour with decades of experience in presenting quality Russian ballet in Australia, Andrew Guild said, 'The St Petersburg Ballet is truly traditional Russian classical ballet at its very best. This is the real thing, grand-scale Russian ballet. A complete classical full-length work. If you see only one ballet in your life, let it be this."

The 55 member St Petersburg Ballet continually collects rave reviews around the world. Since inception, the Company has toured to six continents with performances in Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, USA, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, China, Macau and Taiwan. The Company first performed in Australia in 1999. They are regularly seen in Paris at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and have been seen on such celebrated stages as the Royal Albert Hall, Bunkamura Hall in Tokyo, the National Theater in Tapei and the National Theatre in Beijing.

The 2015 Melbourne season is part of an international tour that includes performances in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Singapore and Perth. In Perth the company will be presenting Swan Lake and Giselle at His Majesty's Theatre.

In August 2015, following the Melbourne season of Swan Lake, The St Petersburg Ballet will be presenting Swan Lake and La Bayadère at the London Coliseum.

Swan Lake The St Petersburg Ballet
Presented by Andrew Guild & Simon Bryce
Date: Saturday 20 June 2015, 2pm & 7:30pm
Venue: Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre,
1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, Melbourne * next to the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf
Booking Details: www.ticketmaster.com.au | Phone: 136 100
Prices: $69-$199
Groups discounts available- phone 1300 889 278
Duration: 3 hours including 2 intervals
www.st-petersburg-ballet.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/stpetersburgballet

Interview with Irina Kolesnikova – The Pearl of St Petersburg Ballet

Irina Kolesnikova was born in St Petersburg - regarded by many as the most beautiful city in Europe - in 1980. Her first dream was to be a doctor. Her father – a lawyer - and mother, who taught at a St Petersburg kindergarten, encouraged Irina to pursue many sporting goals. First, she excelled at swimming; followed by ice skating and gymnastics. It was her prodigious talents in these two artistic sports that led young Irina, aged 9, on her journey towards ballet stardom, which began through the doors of St Petersburg's famous Vaganova Ballet Academy, the inspirational cradle of Russian ballet. Irina studied at the Academy under Elvira Kokorina and, following nine years' of hard work, she graduated in the summer of 1998, her 18th year.

Later that same year - in December - Irina was accepted into Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre as a soloist where her first teacher was former Kirov Ballet star and Honoured Artist of the USSR, Svetlana Efremova. Within two years, Irina's extraordinary dancing talent and acting abilities were recognized by her promotion to principal. By 2001, Irina Kolesnikova had become the company's Prima Ballerina, aged just 21.

Her many great roles cover a wide repertoire of classical and romantic ballet include Clara in Nutcracker; Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty; Kitri in Don Quixote; Nikiya in La Bayadère; the title role of Paquita and, of course, any ballerina's most coveted roles – in the title role of Giselle and as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. Today, Irina Kolesnikova works under the tutelage of Lyubov Kunakova, herself honoured as a People's Artist of Russia, who coaches Irina for all her major roles and oversees her strict training regime.

It is in the definitive role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake that Irina has made her most impressive mark, both in Russia and abroad. Her portrayal of the Swan Queen has become an indelible personal trademark.

The Parisian Journal, Danse Magazine, aptly summarised the many rave reviews that Irina has received for her interpretation of the white and black swan, when respected dance journalist, Margarita Medina, wrote:
'Thanks to this amazingly supple dancer, an artist from head to toe, we got to see the truly ideal Swan. Her tenderness and timidity were very touching.

…Irina united drama with virtuosity in her marvelous illustration of the double-sided nature of this role. Her Black Swan was imposing and self-assured. Her perfect pirouettes and double and triple fouettés electrified the audience of the Théatre des Champs Elysees.

Her lack of any internal tension, freedom of movement and her expressiveness, all combine to allow us to place this Saint Petersburg star, pleasant behind the scenes and brilliant on stage, at the summit of a choreographic Olympia alongside the other outstanding talents of her generation.

In 2008, Irina enriched her repertoire by venturing into the sphere of contemporary dance for a season at the Apollo Theatre in London's West End, where she danced the role of Hollywood legend Judy Garland, in Peter Schaufuss's hugely successful dance spectacular, Divas.

As a member of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, Irina has toured extensively across six continents to Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Finland, the USA, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Macau and Taiwan.

Irina is the recipient of numerous Russian and International dance prizes:
Natalia Makarova Prize and the Silver Medal at Arabesque 2002 in Russia
Silver Medal at the world-renowned International Ballet Competition in Varna

Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Prague
Nomination for the international prize at Benois de la Danse
Silver Medal at the 5th Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition
Nomination by the Critics' Circle of the UK as a finalist for Best Female Dancer in the National Dance Awards

A photographic album of her career, entitled simply Irina Kolesnikova has been published, featuring more than one hundred superb photographs of the ballerina on and off stage. The introduction to the album is written by the legendary Russian-American ballet critic and photographer, Nina Alovert. Irina also stars in three DVDs - filmed around the world –performing the leading roles in Swan Lake, Giselle and The Nutcracker.

Back in St Petersburg, Irina's parents and her banker brother Ruslan eagerly follow her travels around the world and her astounding triumphs.
'The hardest part of a ballerina's life is missing a home life" says Irina. 'Oh, and the constant pain and the need to stay 100% fit, 100% of the time," she adds: 'I'm lucky of course, as I love to perform, love to see new countries and meet new and different cultures. Everything I see, everyone I meet contributes to my emotional palette."

In her rare, quiet moments, Irina likes to develop her embroidery skills.

Irina is married and recently returned to the stage after giving birth to her first child, a daughter, in 2014.


Question: What are you looking forward to most about performing in Melbourne?

Irina Kolesnikova: I hear that the venue, the Plenary, has a lovely big stage. For me that is a blessing. A big stage gives me freedom to really perform at my best... plenty of room for me to move freely and plenty of room for the corps de ballet in our Company to use all the space available.


Question: What should audiences expect from the production, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake?

Irina Kolesnikova: A full length production of the world's most famous classical work... lots of dazzling white tutu's, plenty of pink point shoes and beautiful scenery and gorgeous costumes.


Question: Can you talk about what it's like to be involved with The St Petersburg Ballet?
Irina Kolesnikova: Being a member of this famous troupe is a great privilege. We get to dance all over the world and in the best theatres available. In March we were in Paris at the Theatre des Champs Elysees, we have just spent 4 weeks in South Africa and a week in Singapore. Now, we are about to come to your country. What better job is there in the world? Travel, exotic places, enthusiastic audiences...


Question: What do you love most about Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake?

Irina Kolesnikova: I love this ballet as it is the bench mark for all ballerinas. I love the fact that I get to play two completely different characters in the one ballet. The soft and melancholy Odette, the white swan, and then the fiery and cunning Odile –the black swan. Two very different characters both giving me the chance to show a wide range of technique.


Question: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Irina Kolesnikova: No, not really. I am not a superstitious person so I'm not tied up in rituals but I do spend at least an hour pre show stretching every muscle in my body. For me stretching is a vital part of my pre show preparation. I also spend some time alone concentrating on my characterisation for the role I'm about to dance.


Question: What originally inspired your passion for ballet?

Irina Kolesnikova: I started as a gymnast. I was drawn to the rhythmic side of that sport. My coaches saw that I was cut out to be a dancer. As soon as I entered ballet school my love of movement became a passion and I spent 8 very happy years at the Vaganova Academy being taught my craft and my art by the world's best teachers. It was probably my teacher who instilled in me my passion.


Question: Can you talk about your training schedule, when performing?

Irina Kolesnikova: We do class every day at 10.30am then I usually have a massage. Performances are mostly in the evening although I notice we have one performance scheduled for 11 am in Melbourne... a strange time to dance and we'll need to get up really early that day to ensure we are properly warmed up and ready. If we are not on tour it's class and then rehearsal. As a dancer there is really no opportunity to stop. The moment you take a few days off you can become unfit, our bodies are so finely tuned that we need to work every day or we lose that edge.


Question: What do you find most difficult about travelling?

Irina Kolesnikova: Packing the right clothes! Then the continual packing and unpacking of suitcases.


Question: What is it like performing at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées?

Irina Kolesnikova: I have performed in Paris many times but our visit to that city in March was the first time I'd danced on the famous Theatre des Champs Elysees stage. It was a thrill to be on the same stage as was used by the Russian Ballet from St Petersburg back in 1913. And it's a lovely theatre, the auditorium is art deco. Very pink! Backstage has been beautifully renovated so it's a comfortable place to work too.


Question: Can you talk about the challenges you've had to overcome returning to the stage after giving birth to your first daughter?

Irina Kolesnikova: I have to admit that getting back into good form was much harder than I thought it would be. Firstly there is the issue of losing weight that is always a challenge for a ballerina. Then I simply had to get fit again. I didn't dance or do class for 6 months and re training my body was sooo difficult. There was a moment when I thought I'd just give up, stay home and cuddle my gorgeous little girl, but then I saw all my friends dancing and going to class each morning and I decided that I'd have both. A career and a family, so I worked very, very hard and I scheduled a couple of performances in Finland. That gave me a deadline to work to. I made it and I'm glad I did as I now have the best of both worlds.


Question: You've been highly regarded for your role in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake especially in regards to the way you carry the show - does this feedback make being away from home, easier?

Irina Kolesnikova: Although I am the Prima Ballerina of The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, it is a Company of dancers, so we actually all play a part in the success of our performances, not just me. But yes, I love performing and the applause is very seductive. As far as being away from home is concerned, yes, I miss my own home city a lot. St Petersburg is a very beautiful city. But you know when I'm on tour I bring my baby with me.. and my husband... and even my mum travels with me and helps me with the baby and helps me construct a 'home" where ever I am in the world.


Interview by Brooke Hunter