Don Quixote by Anastasia Matvienko and Denis Matvienko

Grand Pas from Don Quixote by Anastasia Matvienko and Denis Matvienko (both with Mariinsky Ballet), music by Ludwig Minkus, choreography by Alexander Gorsky. Taken at Dance Open Vilnius 2013.

Anastasia Matvienko is a soloist at Mariinsky Ballet, St Petersburg. Nastya was born at 1982 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. From 1996 to 2001 Anastasia studied at Kiev State Choreographic school. From 2001 to 2007 she was the first soloist of National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. From 2007 to 2009 Anastasia was a principal dancer of Opera and Ballet Mikhailovsky, St. Petersburg, Russia. March 2009 Anastasia became a first soloist of Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Denis Matvienko is principal dancer of Mariinsky Theatre. He was born in 1979 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. From 1989 to 1997 he studied at Kiev State Choreographic School. At June 1997 became the principal ballet-dancer of National opera and ballet theatre of Ukraine. From March 2001 to March 2002 he worked at Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg) as the leading ballet dancer. At January 2003 Denis returned to Kiev state theatre of opera and ballet as principal dancer. From October 2007 to March 2009 Denis was a principal dancer of Mikhailovsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia. Starting from March 2009 – principal dancer of Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia.

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.