Duetto Inoffensivo by Nadja Saidakova and Elisa Carrillo Cabrera

Duetto Inoffensivo by Nadja Saidakova and Elisa Carrillo Cabrera, choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti, music by Gioacchino Rossini. Taken on 20.1.2014, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Malakhov and Friends — The Final ballet gala.

Nadja Saidakova is First Soloist at Staatsballett Berlin. She was born in Izhevsk, Russia. She studied at State Ballet Academy in Perm. She danced with the Moscow Classical Ballet before she in 1991 joined the Deutschen Oper am Rhein as a soloist. In 1995 she joined the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin (now Staatsballet Berlin) as a principal.

Elisa Carrillo Cabrera is a First Soloist in Staatsballett Berlin. She was born in Texcoco, Mexico and studied in Escuela Nacional de Danza Clásica (Mexico, 1990-1997), the she received scolarship from National English Ballet School London in UK (1999).  In 1999 she was accepted to Stuttgarter Ballett, starting from 2004 as demi-soloist; from 2006 as soloist; from 2007 as demi-soloist at Staatsballett Berlin,  2009 she became Soloist and 2011 as First Soloist.

Mauro Bigonzetti, born 1960, Rome, Italy, is an internationally acclaimed choreographer of contemporary ballet. Bigonzetti trained at the ballet school of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and entered their company in 1979. In 1983 he joined the Reggio Emilia company Aterballetto, renowned for its contemporary repertory.
Bigonzetti began to choreograph first on Aterballetto in 1990. In 1993 he joined Balletto di Toscana as Resident Choreographer and in 1997 returned to Aterballetto as Artistic Director. Throughout his choreographic career Bigonzetti has maintained a close relationship with Aterballetto. He continues there as Principal Choreographer, although his career now centers on commissions written for major companies abroad.

Photo by Jack Devant ballet photography © with kind permission of the Staatsballett Berlin and Vladimir Malakhov. Special thanks to Eva Czaja.