20.07.2012
Natalia Osipova: The Swan Queen
Natalia Osipova is to appear as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake for the first time. Her debut is one of the most eagerly awaited events in the ballet season.
The dancer has only tested herself in the role once before, and that was when she was still studying at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Her student experience showed a great deal of promise, and now audiences at the Mikhailovsky Theatre can see one of today’s outstanding ballerinas in the most difficult role in the classical repertoire.
There is no doubt that Natalia Osipova brings her own colour to the images of the elegiac Odette and the demonic Odile. The dual image of the Swan Queen has always been a complex enigma, and many celebrated ballerinas have attempted to find the key to that enigma. Odette has always been portrayed as the embodiment of tenderness or determination, while Odile has been depicted as a wicked temptress, a soulless marionette, or a mirror image of Odette. It is impossible to foresee what ideas Natalia Osipova has for this double-sided character.
Natalia Osipova’s partner will be Marcelo Gomes, Principal Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. Brazilian by birth, this lithe, expressive dancer has rapidly made a career for himself in the American company. His appearances are followed avidly by ballet lovers in North and South America, Europe, and Japan. In 2008 he was awarded the prestigious Benois de la Danse prize for the title role in Othello. Marcelo Gomes appeared at the Mikhailovsky Theatre last autumn in the international project Kings of the Dance. The role of Prince Siegfried gives him the opportunity to fully demonstrate his unique technical prowess and distinguished style.
The dancer has only tested herself in the role once before, and that was when she was still studying at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Her student experience showed a great deal of promise, and now audiences at the Mikhailovsky Theatre can see one of today’s outstanding ballerinas in the most difficult role in the classical repertoire.
There is no doubt that Natalia Osipova brings her own colour to the images of the elegiac Odette and the demonic Odile. The dual image of the Swan Queen has always been a complex enigma, and many celebrated ballerinas have attempted to find the key to that enigma. Odette has always been portrayed as the embodiment of tenderness or determination, while Odile has been depicted as a wicked temptress, a soulless marionette, or a mirror image of Odette. It is impossible to foresee what ideas Natalia Osipova has for this double-sided character.
Natalia Osipova’s partner will be Marcelo Gomes, Principal Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre. Brazilian by birth, this lithe, expressive dancer has rapidly made a career for himself in the American company. His appearances are followed avidly by ballet lovers in North and South America, Europe, and Japan. In 2008 he was awarded the prestigious Benois de la Danse prize for the title role in Othello. Marcelo Gomes appeared at the Mikhailovsky Theatre last autumn in the international project Kings of the Dance. The role of Prince Siegfried gives him the opportunity to fully demonstrate his unique technical prowess and distinguished style.
