Alena Shkatula and Friedemann Vogel in Manon

Alena Shkatula as Manon and Friedemann Vogel as Des Grieux in Manon, choreography by Kenneth MacMillan and music by Jules Massenet. Taken on 12.02.2014, National Ballet of Estonia.

Alena Shkatula is first soloist with Estonian National Ballet. She graduated from Minsk Ballet School in 2003. In 2001–2003 she danced in the ballet troupe of Belarus Opera, as demi-soloist. She became a soloist in 2003. Since 2008 she is the soloist of the Estonian National Ballet.

Friedemann Vogel was born in Stuttgart, Germany. He started formal training at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgartand completed his ballet training at the Princess Grace Academy of Classical Dance in Monte Carlo with the John Gilpin scolarship from Princess Antoniette de Monaco. He showed his outstanding talent by winning several international ballet competition awards. In 1997 he won the Prix de Lausanne,the Gold medall in the Prix de Louxembourg, Eurocity competion in Italy and 1998 he won the Jackson Competition USA. In September 1998 Friedemann Vogel joined the Stuttgart Ballet and quickly rose through the ranks. In 2002 he was promoted to first soloist, the company’s highest rank. In the same year he also won the much-coveted Erik Bruhn Prize in Toronto Canada. Friedemann Vogel has been elected Dancer of the Year 2010 by the international dance critics survey of the magazine TANZ and recently In June 2012 Friedemann was appointed by the Italian dance magazine Danza & Danza as best male dancer.His repertory includes title roles in the classics, as well as principal roles in pieces by Choreographers ranging from Cranko and Balanchine to Robbins and Kylián ,from Neumeier to Forsythe and McGregor.

Photo by Jack Devant ballet photography © with kind permission of the National Opera of Estonia, special thanks to Toomas Edur, Age Oks and Ylla Veerg.