The opening of the ballet season

One of the most dazzling productions in the jewel box of classical dance will see two debuts – the role of Raymonda will be danced by Olesya Novikova and that of Jean de Brienne by Vladimir Shklyarov.

Natalia Dudinskaya reigned on the stage of the Kirov Theatre for thirty-three years. She was know as the greatest dancer of heroic roles, scaling immense heights in virtuoso classical dance, and the refined and aristocratic Raymonda is rightly considered to be one of her finest roles. One critic wrote that “The nature of dance engaged her to the utmost degree. A ballet starring Dudinskaya was destined to be a grandiose and festive gala performance.” Even today, it is no secret that only an exceptional ballerina can undertake this stunningly virtuoso role in the classical parade of classical dance that this three-act ballet to music by Alexander Glazunov with choreography by Marius Petipa is (revised version by Konstantin Sergeyev). The role of Raymonda is one of the most demanding in the classical repertoire. The ballerina must be able to perform five variations, codas, adagios, a pas d’action and, finally, a Hungarian Grand pas. In the autumn of 2011 Olesya Novikova danced as Raymonda to great acclaim at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in a revival of the original production. Novikova’s inherent refinement, virtuoso technique as a ballerina and pure lines have allowed her to tame this extremely complex role.
The performance will see a further two debuts – the Variation in the Grand pas will be danced by Maria Shirinkina, while the second pas de quatre will see a performance by Keenan Kampa who was invited to join the Mariinsky Theatre, leaving the Boston Ballet at the end of last season.