Ulyana Lopatkina and Andrei Yermakov in Trois Gnossiennes

Ulyana Lopatkina (Rus. Ульяна Лопаткина) and Andrei Yermakov (Rus. Андрей Ермаков) in Trois Gnossiennes, music by Erik Satie, choreography by Hans Van Manen. Stars of Benois de la Danse 2015 – Laureates of Different Years, shot on 27.5.2015 in the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

The Gnossiennes are several piano compositions written by the French composer Erik Satie in the late 19th century. The works are for the most part in free time, lacking time signatures or bar divisions and highly experimental with form, rhythm and chordal structure. The form as well as the term was invented by Satie.

Ulyana Lopatkina (written also Uliana Lopatkina; Rus. Ульяна Лопаткина) is prima ballerina with Mariinsky Ballet, St. Peterburg, Russia. Ulyana was born on 23th of October 1973 in Kerch (Ukraine). From the early age Ulyana took dancing classes and was admitted to the Academy of Russian Ballet named after Vaganova (St.Petersburg) where she studied the art of dancing from Galina Novitskaya in primary school and Natalia Dudinskaya in higher school. Still being a student of the Academy, Uliana took won at Vaganova-prix Competition (St.Petersburg, 1991). After graduation from the Academy in 1991 Ulyana joined Mariinsky theatre company (St.Petersburg). In 1994 Ulyana successfully made her debut as Odette/Odille in the “Swan Lake” ballet in St.Petersburg, for which she was awarded with “Golden Sofit” as best debut in St.Petersburg. In 1995 Ulyana was called the principal dancer of Mariinsky theatre where her teachers were Olga Moiseeva and Ninel Kurgapkina. Presently Ulyana’s coach is Irina Chistyakova.

Andrei Yermakov (also Andrey Ermakov, Rus. Андрей Ермаков) is currently First Soloist with Mariinsky Ballet. He was born in Leningrad. Graduated from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 2005. Joined the Mariinsky Ballet in 2005.

Hans van Manen (born 1932 in Netherlands) is a Dutch ballet dancer, choreographer and photographer. He studied under Sonia Gaskell, Françoise Adret and Nora Kiss. Van Manen wrote many ballets. He worked for the Dutch National Ballet from 1973 to 1985.

Photos by Jack Devant Ballet Photography with kind permission of the Benois de la Danse and Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, special thanks to Nina Kudriavtseva-Loory, Regina Nikiforova and Denis Savchenko.