Debuts by Anastasia Matvienko and Ilya Petrov

Scene from the ballet Romeo and Juliet

Anastasia Matvienko, with her “burning, cool and arrogant fire,” is famed for the “natural and unconditional nature” of her dance. Performing the female title role in Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet marks the dancer’s debut in choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky. The ballerina has already appeared as Juliet, albeit in versions different in style and plastique – first as Prokofiev’s traditional heroine in Oleg Vinogradov’s version at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, and also as an utterly different and contemporary Juliet in the Russian premiere of Edward Clug’s ballet Radio and Juliet, staged at the Mariinsky Theatre during the Stars of the White Nights festival last season with dancers from the Mariinsky Ballet Company. On 9 November the role of Romeo will be performed by Anastasia Matvienko’s onstage partner and husband Denis Matvienko. They were hailed as the best duet at the Dance Open 2011 festival.

Corps de ballet dancer Ilya Petrov, who created a “brisk and cunning” and “carefree and charming” image as the Humpbacked Horse in Alexei Ratmansky’s eponymous ballet, will be making his debut as Mercutio.