The Nutcracker by Nacho Duato at Mikhailovsky Theatre

The Nutcracker at Mikhailovsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia. cast: Masha Oksana Bondareva, The Nutcracker/Prince Leonid Sarafanov. Spanish Dance Valeria Zapasnikova and Andrey Kasyanenko; Drosselmeyer Marat Shemiunov; Mouse King Nikolay Korypayev.

Choreographer: Nacho Duato; Musical Director and Conductor: Pavel Bubelnikov; Musical Director’s Assistant: Alexey Nyaga; Stage Designer: Jérôme Kaplan; Lighting Design: Brad Fields; Choreographer’s Assistants: Tony Fabre, Gentian Doda. Taken at 10.12.2013.

Juan Ignacio Duato Bárcia, also known as Nacho Duato (born in Valencia, 1957) is a Spanish modern ballet dancer and choreographer. After a long and successful career, he was selected by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education as the artistic director of the National Spanish Dance Company (Compañía Nacional de Danza de España) in June 1990. In July 2010 Nacho Duato was appointed the artistic director of the ballet at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, effective from January 2011. 2014 Nacho Duato became the chief of the Berlin State Ballet.

Oksana Bondareva is the First Soloist at Mikhailovsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. She was born in 1987 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, graduated from the Ballet School of the Dnepropetrovsk Opera and Ballet Theatre in 2002 and the same year joined the Ballet Company of the Theatre. In 2008-2009 Oksana trained at the Moscow State Ballet Academy.

Leonid Sarafanov is Principal with Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet Company in St Petersburg, Russia. He was  Born in Kiev. In 2000 he graduated from the Kiev State school of Choreography and the same year he became a soloist with National Ballet of Ukraine. In 2002 he joined the Mariinsky Ballet Company. In January 2011 he joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet Company.

Photo by Jack Devant ballet photography © with kind permission of the Mikhailovsky Theatre, special thanks to Nacho Duato, Valeria Rodionova and Darina Timofeyeva.