Sasha De Sola and Bakhtiyar Adamzhan in the Grand Pas from Don Quixote

Sasha De Sola (San Francisco Ballet) as Kitri and Bakhtiyar Adamzhan (Astana Opera) in the Grand Pas from Don Quixote, variation Anastasia Cheplyansky, music by Ludwig Minkus and choreography by Marius Petipa. Petipa Awards Gala 2023, San Francisco 23.9.2023, organised by the Petipa Heritage Foundation, Vasily Medvedev and Stanislav Feco.

Born in Winter Park, Florida, Sasha De Sola trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. on full merit scholarship where she studied under the guidance of Ludmila Morkovina, Anatoli Kucheruk, Alla Sizova and Vladimir Djouloukhadze. In 2004, Ms. De Sola was awarded a scholarship for studies at the Paris Opera Ballet School. At the age of 17, Ms. De Sola joined San Francisco Ballet where she rose through the ranks and was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer for the 2017 season. In 2020, she was appointed the Diane B. Wilsey Principal Dancer.

Bakhtiyar Adamzhan is a principal dancer of the Astana Opera and Ballet Company. Born in the town of Sary-Ozek in Almaty Region, he trained at Almaty Choreographic College Named after A.V. Seleznev (2003-2011). From 2011 to 2013, he was a soloist with the Abay State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. He joined Astana Opera as a soloist in 2013, and was appointed a leading soloist in 2015.

Photos by Jack Devant ballet photography © with kind permission of Petipa Heritage Foundation, special thanks to mr. Vasily Medvedev and mr. Stanislav Feco.