Diana and Acteon by Anastasia Stashkevich and Mikhail Lobukhin

Pas de Deux from La Esmeralda, Diana and Acteon (Diane and Actéon) by Anastasia Stashkevich and Mikhail Lobukhin (both are with Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow), music by Cesare Pugni, choreography by Agrippina Vaganova. Dance Open Vilnius 2013.

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La Esmeralda is a ballet in 3 acts, 5 scenes, inspired by Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, originally choreographed by Jules Perrot; with music by Cesare Pugni. It was first presented by the Ballet of her Majesty’s Theatre, London on March 9, 1844. Today the ballet is presented in its full-length form only in certain parts of the world; Russia; parts of Eastern Europe. Outside of Russia, Eastern Europe and New Jersey only excerpts are given – the La Esmeralda Pas de Deux and the Pas de Six, but mostly the Diane and Actéon Pas de Deux is given, which in all actuality is not originally from the ballet (it is often miscredited as having been added by Petipa to his 1886 revival of La Esmeralda).

Anastasia Stashkevich is leading soloist in Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow. In 2003 she graduated from the Moscow State Choreographic Academy (class of Tatyana Galtseva) and joined the Ballet Company of the Bolshoi Theater. Now her teacher-repetiteur is Svetlana Adyrkhaeva.

Mikhail Lobukhin is principal dancer in Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia. He was born in Saint Petersburg (then Leningrad). In 2002, he graduated from the the Vaganova Ballet Academy (Saint Petersburg). Received a Diploma Certificate Bachelor of Arts with honors (teacher Boris Bregvadze), that same year he was admitted to the ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre. In January 2010, joined the Bolshoi Ballet Company (teachers Mikhail Lavrovsky and Valery Lagunov).

Photos by Jack Devant Ballet Photography © with kind permission of the Dance Open, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, special thanks to Ekaterina Galanova, Karina Matvejeva and Adelia Mukhamedzhanova.