Natalia Osipova and Leonid Sarafanov in Giselle second act

Natalia Osipova (rus. Наталья Осипова) and Leonid Sarafanov in Giselle second act. Ekaterina Borchenko (rus Екатерина Борченко) as Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. Music by Adolphe Adam. Choreography by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa. Shot in Mikhailovsky Theatre, 13.09.2014.

 

Natalia Osipova (Russian: Наталья Осипова), born 18 May 1986, is a Russian ballerina, currently performing as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.

She began her formal ballet training at the age of eight at the Mikhail Lavrovsky Ballet School and completed her studies from 1996 to 2004 at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, under the tutelage of Marina Kotova and Marina Leonova. At the age of 18 she joined the Bolshoi Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. In 2005 she danced the role of Kitri in Alexei Fadeyechev’s production of Don Quixote, was promoted to soloist in 2006. She was named one of the “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine in 2007, was awarded the Prix Benois de la Danse in 2009 and promoted to leading soloist. In 2010, she became a principal dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet, but resigned from the company in 2011, citing “artistic freedom” as her reason for leaving.

After leaving the Bolshoi, she joined American Ballet Theatre as a guest dancer for their Metropolitan Opera House season. She danced Don Quixote with José Manuel Carreño, and both The Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet with David Hallberg. In December 2011, she joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet.

On 8 April 2013, it was announced that Osipova would join The Royal Ballet as a principal dancer, having previously danced as a guest artist in Swan Lake. She debuted on 21 November 2013, in Romeo and Juliet, partnered by Carlos Acosta. She has also danced in The Nutcracker and Giselle, with Acosta and Federico Bonelli. /Wikipedia/

Leonid Sarafanov (rus. Леонид Сарафанов) is principal with Mikhailovsky Ballet. He was born in Kiev, Ukraine. In 2000 Sarafanov graduated from the Kiev State School of Choreography and in 2002 joined the Mariinsky Ballet Company. He’s a guest principal with the Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Tokyo Ballet, The Vienna State Opera. He performs principal roles in classical and contemporary repertory. In 2006 he was awarded the International Benois de la Danse Prize. In January 2011 he joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet Company.

Photo by Jack Devant ballet photography © with kind permission of the Mikhailovsky Theatre and mr Mikhail Messerer, special thanks Valeria Derkach.