Lucia Lacarra and Marlon Dino in Spiral Twist

Lucia Lacarra and Marlon Dino in Spiral Twist, music by Max Richter, choreography by Russell Maliphant. Shot in the State Kremlin Palace (Moscow, Russia) on 15.10.2016, Kremlin Gala 2016.

Check out all galleries, shot at Kremlin Gala 2016

Check out all galleries, shot at Kremlin Gala 2016

Lucia Lacarra (b.1975) is a Spanish ballet dancer who has been a principal with the Bayerisches Staatsballett (Bavarian State Opera Ballet) since 2002. A recipient of the Prix Benois de la Danse, she was named the Dancer of the Decade in 2011, at the World Ballet Stars Gala in Saint Petersburg. Born in the Basque town of Zumaia, Gipuzkoa, Lacarra was interested in dance from an early age but only received training from the age of 10 when a ballet school opened in her home town. Attended Víctor Ullate’s school in Madrid, along with Tamara Rojo and Angel Corella. She soon became a member of his Ballet de Victor Ullate, dancing George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante when she was 15.
After four seasons with Ullate, she moved to Roland Petit’s Ballet de Marseille as a principal, dancing leading Esmeralda in his Notre Dame de Paris. In 1997, she joined the San Francisco Ballet where she performed in various classical and contemporary works, taking the title role in Helgi Tómasson’s Giselle (1999). There, she paired with the Frenchman, Cyril Pierre, whom she married in 1998. In 2002, Lacarra moved to Munich where she became a principal with the Bayerisches Staatsballett, partnering Cyril Pierre with whom she has participated in guest performances around the world. From 2007, she began a dancing partnership with Marlon Dino which led to their marriage in 2010. In 2002, Lacarra received the Nijinsky Award. In 2003, at a gala in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre she was awarded the Prix Benois de la Danse as best female dancer for her role of Tatjana in Cranko’s Onegin. In 2011, at the World Ballet Stars Gala in St Petersburg, she was named the Dancer of the Decade.

Marlon Dino was born in Albania and trained at the School of Choreography and Ballet in Tirana. In 1998, he joined the Genève Dance Center under the direction of David Allen. Thereafter in 2001 he danced for the Ballet of the Vienna State Opera. He became member of the Corps de ballet of the Bavarian State Ballet in 2002, where he danced a solo part in Jiří Kylián’s Six Dances. He created two choreographies within the State Ballet’s Young Choreographers programme. He was promoted to Soloist rank in autumn 2005 and at the beginning of the season 2007/2008 to Soloist rank. During the season 2009/2010 he became Principal Dancer.

Russell Maliphant (born 1961 in Ottawa, Canada) is a British choreographer who trained at the Royal Ballet School and graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet. As a performer Maliphant worked with companies such as DV8 Physical Theatre, Michael Clark Company, Laurie Booth Company and Rosemary Butcher. He has studied anatomy, physiology, bio-mechanics, and the Rolfing Method of Structural Integration. In April 2000, he received an Arts Council Fellowship. He has created over 20 pieces to date, collaborating closely with lighting designer Michael Hulls, and has set works on renowned companies and artists including: Lyon Opera Ballet, Ricochet Dance Company, The Batsheva Ensemble and Ballet de Lorraine.
In 2003, Russell created Broken Fall with Sylvie Guillem and George Piper Dances and music by Barry Adamson. Broken Fall premiered at the Royal Opera House in December 2003 and was awarded an Olivier Award in 2003. Rise and Fall – an evening of work at Sadler’s Wells Theatre including Broke Fall – was awarded a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Choreography (Modern) in 2006. Broken Fall marked the beginning of a collaborative relationship with Sylvie Guillem, which has seen further fruit with the award winning Push and Solo. These two works premiered at Sadler’s Wells in Autumn 2005 in a programme entitled PUSH. The duet Push danced by Guillem and Maliphant has been presented by The Tokyo Ballet in Tokyo and on tour in Japan. Maliphant received a South Bank Show Award and an Oliver Award (2006) for the work; Guillem also received a Time Out Live Award for Solo (2006). This collaboration with Guillem continued in 2009 with the premiere of a new production, Eonnagata, created with the Canadian Director Robert Lepage. Eonnagata is touring through 2012. Russell does however continue to work with his own company, the Russell Maliphant Company, which acts as his creative lab for the development and presentation of new work. In the past two years, the Company have been touring Push, reworked for and presented by two of the company dancers, alongside the new female quintet, Transmission, and a new male solo, Flux. In 2007,the Company featured in Cast No Shadow, a new work exploring the ideas of identity and migration created in collaboration with the visual artists Isaac Julien. Russell Maliphant is Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells and Wycombe Swan.

Max Richter (born 1966) is a German-born British composer who has been an influential voice in post-minimalist composition and in the meeting of contemporary classical and alternative popular musical styles since the early 2000s. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the Royal Academy of Music and studied with Luciano Berio in Italy, and is also strongly influenced by punk and electronic music. Richter is known for his prolific output, composing and recording his own music; writing for stage, opera, ballet and screen; producing and collaborating on the records of others; and collaborating with performance, installation and media artists. He has recorded seven solo albums and his music is widely used in cinema.

Photo by Jack Devant ballet photography © with kind permission of the State Kremlin Palace, Kremlin Gala production company, special thanks ms. Alisa Aslanova.