Svetlana Zakharova
People's Artist of Russia
Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia
Born in Lutsk (Ukraine). At the age of 10, she entered the Kiev Choreographic School (class of Valeria Sulegina). At the age of 15, she took part in the international competition of young dancers Vaganova-Prix in St. Petersburg, took second place and received an invitation straight to the graduating class of E.V. Evteeva at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. There, Svetlana immediately attracted attention and six months later received an invitation to perform a solo part in the ballet Don Quixote on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, and upon graduating from the Academy, she was accepted into the legendary Mariinsky troupe. Under the guidance of the outstanding teacher O.N. Moiseyeva she made her debut in the performances: “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” (Maria), “Le Corsaire” (Gulnara), mazurka “Chopiniana”, “Giselle”. At the age of 18, Svetlana officially became prima. Her repertoire is expanded by classical and modern performances: “Sleeping Beauty”, “Swan Lake”, “La Bayadere”, “Don Quixote”, ballets by George Balanchine. The meeting of the young ballerina with the great choreographer John Neumeier revealed Svetlana Zakharova as an ultra-modern performer who is master of all styles of dance.
That’s where world fame starts. In 2001 — the first contract with the Paris Opera (“La Bayadere”). Zakharova tours all over the world: the Metropolitan Opera (New York), London’s Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, the Vienna Opera, the National Theatre in Tokyo, the stages of many cities in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. La Scala Theatre signs a long-term contract with her and assigns her the status of étoile. The ballets “Swan Lake”, “La Bayadere” and “Giselle” with her participation are recorded on DVD. Since 2003, Svetlana Zakharova has been the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre. Svetlana Zakharova is a unique and versatile performer of classical ballets, who demonstrates her skills in Russia and around the world. She continues to expand her repertoire with modern performances. She experiments without fear and uses modern technical capabilities.
In 2007, Svetlana Zakharova was awarded the State Prize of Russia for her talented embodiment of stage images and the development of the great traditions of Russian ballet.
As a bright representative of Russian culture, in 2014 Svetlana Zakharova took part in the Opening Ceremony of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
Svetlana Zakharova performs on the most famous stages of the world. Performances and gala concerts with her participation are regularly held in Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, the USA and Japan. She is the “étoile” of the ballet troupe of the Milan La Scala Theatre since 2008.
In 2011, the ballerina established her own charitable foundation, which annually supports young talented dancers of the country, Svetlana Zakharova Foundation scholarship recipients, and provides support to stage veterans.
Since 2015, the annual charity Children’s Dance Festival “Svetlana” has been held under the patronage of the outstanding Russian ballerina. It provides an opportunity for young artists to make a name for themselves on the professional stage.
She initiated two projects: Amore (premiere — 2016) and Modanse (2019). The first program, shown in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theatre, St. Petersburg, a number of cities in Italy, Greece, Monte Carlo (Monaco), Perelada (Spain), London, Helsinki, Sofia, Prague, Beijing, Tokyo and elsewhere, included the one-act ballets Francesca da Rimini to music by P. Tchaikovsky (choreography by Y. Possokhov), Strokes Through the Tail to music by W.A. Mozart (choreography by M. Donlon) and the choreographic number Before the Rain Falls to music by J.S. Bach, O. Respighi and C. Pino-Quintana (choreography by P. de Bana). The second program consisted of the one-act ballets Like Breathing to music by G.F. Handel (choreography by M. Bigonzetti) and Gabrielle Chanel by I. Demutsky (choreography by Y. Possokhov). This program was shown in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theatre, London, Beijing, St. Petersburg.