St Petersburg Ballet Theatre

The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) is one of Russia’s leading classical ballet companies. It was founded in 1994 by Konstantin Tachkin, who has continued to direct the company over its 25-year history. The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is housed in a complex on Liteyniy prospect, situated in the heart of Saint-Petersburg, which in Imperial Russia had served as the House of Officers.

History[]

St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT)

This ensemble of sixty dancers is the only major classical ballet company in the world that exists independently without government funding, any major sponsor, reliance on state subsidy or private sponsorship.

Although the company performs frequently in its home city and throughout Russia it also has a reputation for its international touring, giving up to 250 performances each and every year. The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre tours have ranged over six continents, travelling to Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Turkey, Israel, United Arab Emirates, the USA, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s sixty professional ballet artists are all either graduates of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg or from one of several other Russian ballet schools. Famous dancers of the past now work as ballet masters and mistresses, coaching the company’s principals, soloists and corps de ballet: People’s Artist of Russia, Lyubov Kunakova; Merited Artist of Russia, Yuri Gumba; and are just three of these renowned former dancers now passing on their knowledge and expertise to today’s performers. The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre have created many home-grown stars of its own over the past two decades. Among the principals, soloists and character dancers who have come to maturity within the company are artists such as Margarita Avdeeva, Dmitriy Akulinin, Sitora Khismatova, Elizaveta Barkalova, Sergei Fedorkov and others. The prima ballerina is Irina Kolesnikova.

The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre remains the centre of attention for the world’s press, performing at theatres such as the London Coliseum, the Royal Albert Hall, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the National Theatre in Washington, the Bunkamura Hall in Tokyo, the National Theatre of Taipei, the National Theatre in Beijing and the Princess Theatre in Melbourne.

Irina Kolesnikova[]

Irina Kolesnikova, prima ballerina of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre

Irina Kolesnikova is the Principal dancer of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre. She graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in 1998 and she joined the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre of Konstantin Tachkin (SPBT). With this corps, she has toured internationally, playing mostly Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. Other roles in her repertoire include Giselle, The Nutcracker, St Petersburg's Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Romeo and Juliet, Paquita, Chopiniana and others.

Here is just a small selection of what has been said about the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre's prima ballerina:

“..the overall pure joy of Kolesnikova’s interpretation is not only a true reflection of some of the most beautiful and evocative music Tchaikovsky ever wrote but an affirmation of the power and joy of dance”^[1]

Jeffery Taylor, The Sunday Express, UK

“Kolesnikova is a real artist whose gifts include expressive arms, a pliant torso and a meltingly slow, expansive yet detailed style that draws us right to her...Kolesnikova is a dream of an Odette.”^[2]

Donald Hutera, The Times, UK

“Irina Kolesnikova looks like a princess straight out of Russian fairy tales..This is the first time that the mastery of Russian ballet is being represented not by the ballerinas of the Bolshoi or the Kirov, but by a star from an independent company”

Nina Alovert, Dance Magazine, USA

Paris Theater des Champs-Elysees[]

Irina Kolesnikova's season at the Paris Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Feb 2018

In 2018, St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) celebrated the 10th anniversary of Irina Kolesnikova's annual Parisian seasons, which regularly have taken place on the legendary Theater des Champs-Elysees stage.

During this time, in addition to with world’s favourite Swan Lake the other masterpieces of world choreography were presented to the Parisian public, such as:

Don Quixote (2009, 2016)
Giselle (2009, 2017)
La Bayadere (2009, 2015)
The Nutcracker (2011)
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
St Petersburg’s Nutcracker (2013, 2016)
Romeo and Juliet (2014, 2015)
Chopiniana and Paquita (2018)

It was during these seasons that Journal du Dimanche published a review by respected Parisian critic Nicole Duault, who called Irina "a diva of dance, with whom very few stars can compare”

Performances[]

References[]

^ Taylor, Jeffery (2015-03-15). "Swan Lake by St Petersburg Ballet Theatre Ballet review". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
^ Hall, Donald Hutera at Albert. "Swan Lake". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-09-22.

External links[]

[1] Taylor, Jeffery (2015-03-15). "Swan Lake by St Petersburg Ballet Theatre Ballet review". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-09-22.

[2] Hall, Donald Hutera at Albert. "Swan Lake". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-09-22.

[1]

[2]

v t Ballet companies
Africa	Cairo Opera Ballet Company Cape Town City Ballet
Asia	Ballet Manila Ballet Philippines Guangzhou Ballet Gwangju City Ballet Hong Kong Ballet Iranian National Ballet Company Israel Ballet K-ballet Korea National Ballet National Ballet of China New National Theatre Tokyo Philippine Ballet Theatre Seoul Ballet Theatre Shanghai Ballet Company Singapore Dance Theatre State Ballet of Georgia Tokyo Ballet Universal Ballet
Europe	Ballet Cymru Ballet Ireland Ballet Romand Ballet Zürich Les Ballets Persans Ballets Russes Barcelona Ballet Bayerisches Staatsballett Béjart Ballet Berlin State Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet Bolshoi Ballet Cork City Ballet Royal Danish Ballet Donetsk Ballet Dutch National Ballet Eifman Ballet English National Ballet Finnish National Ballet Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet Greek National Opera Hamburg Ballet Hungarian National Ballet Kyiv Ballet La Scala Theatre Ballet Mariinsky Ballet Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Moldova The Monte-Carlo Ballet National Opera and Ballet of Bulgaria Northern Ballet Norwegian National Opera and Ballet Novosibirsk Theatre Ballet Original Ballet Russe Paris Opera Ballet Perm Theatre Ballet Polish National Ballet National Ballet of Portugal The Royal Ballet Rambert Dance Company Russian State Ballet of Siberia Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre Scottish Ballet Spanish National Dance Company Stanislavski Ballet Stuttgart Ballet Royal Swedish Ballet Théâtre du Silence Turkish State Opera and Ballet Vienna State Ballet
North America	Alabama Ballet Alberta Ballet Company Alexandra Ballet Alonzo King LINES Ballet American Ballet Theatre American Midwest Ballet American Repertory Ballet Anaheim Ballet Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Atlanta Ballet Atlanta Festival Ballet Ballet Arizona Ballet Austin Ballet BC Ballet Des Moines Ballet Fantastique Ballet Hispanico Ballet Magnificat! Ballet Memphis BalletMet Ballet Minnesota Ballet Nouveau Colorado Ballet Quad Cities Ballet San Jose Ballet Theatre of Maryland Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Ballet West Ballez Bay Pointe Ballet Boston Ballet Les Grands Ballets Canadiens California Riverside Ballet Carolina Ballet Charlotte Ballet Chicago Ballet Chicago Festival Ballet Cincinnati Ballet Cleveland Ballet (1935 · 1972 · 2014) Colorado Ballet Complexions Contemporary Ballet Cuban National Ballet Dance Theatre of Harlem Dayton Ballet Greensboro Ballet Houston Ballet Joffrey Ballet Kansas City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet Louisville Ballet Moscow Ballet (United States) National Ballet of Canada National Ballet Theater of Puerto Rico New Jersey Ballet New York City Ballet Oklahoma City Ballet Oregon Ballet Theatre Pacific Northwest Ballet Pennsylvania Ballet Pittsburgh Ballet Royal Winnipeg Ballet San Francisco Ballet The Washington Ballet Tulsa Ballet
Oceania	The Australian Ballet Ballet Theatre of Queensland Queensland Ballet Melbourne City Ballet Royal New Zealand Ballet West Australian Ballet
South America	Ballet Municipal de Lima Chilean National Ballet Colon Theater Ballet National Ballet of Uruguay