Yulia Makhalina

• People´s Artist of Russia.
• Won the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Fourth International Ballet Competition in Paris (1990) and was a recipient of the Italian Prix de Lumiere.
• Won the Benois de la dance prize (1998).

Born in St Petersburg.
Graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy (class of Professor Marina Vasilyeva).
Joined the Mariinsky Theatre in 1985. Principal since 1989.

Repertoire includes:
La Sylphide (Sylphide);
Giselle (Giselle, Myrtha);
The Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora, Lilac Fairy);
The Nutcracker (Masha);
Don Quixote (Kitri);
Le Corsaire (Medora);
Swan Lake (Odette-Odile);
La Bayadère (Nikia, Gamzatti);
Raymonda (Raymonda);
"Paquita" Grand Pas;
Pas de Quatre (Мarie Taglioni);
The Fountain of Bakhchisarai (Maria);
Romeo and Juliet (Juliet);
The Legend of Love (Mekmene-Banu);
Аnna Karenina (Anna);
Cinderella (Fairy);
Le Sacre du Printemps(The Chosen One);
Goya-Divertissement (Contess Alba);
Balanchine´s Theme and Variations, Apollo (Terpsichore), The Prodigal Son (The Siren), Symphony in C (2nd Movement);
Robbins´ In the Night (3rd Movement);
Roland Petits´s Carmen (Carmen), Le Jeune Homme et la Mort (La Mort);
MacMillan´s Manon (Manon);
Alexey Ratmansky´s Le Poeme de l´Extase, Cinderella (Stepmother);
Vladimir Anjelov´s Last Horizon;
Fokine´s Shéhérazade (Zobeide), Firebird (Firebird), The Dying Swan.

Has appeared throughout the world as a guest dancer and toured with the Kirov Ballet.

Yulia Makhalina is almost like a woman’s love story. She is the embodiment of what women dream of for themselves and what they can empathise with: a victress and a femme fatale who knows how to suffer; a victim of intrigues and circumstances; despairing, vulnerable and yet powerful and stylish. She is not always correct, but she is always sincere and honest with her audience. She has repaid all of the ‘advance fees’ given her by destiny with interest. Makhalina’s greatest achievement was becoming the face of the ballet generation ‘after’ Mezentseva and ‘before’ Lopatkina. And not every ballerina, not even an outstanding one, has the right to her own time in the history of theatre.

Nezavisimaya gazeta

Yulia Makhalina’s creative individuality is defined by her abundant temperament and attraction towards extremes. The tremendous inner message inherent in her nature thirsts to be free and flow liberally and mightily. The naturally huge pas, the flying leaps and the super-dynamic spins facilitate this.

Moskovsky muzykalny vestnik