The
WONDERFUL World of Dance
Limited Edition ALENA KOVALEVA BOLSHOI BALLET
ACT III
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Alena Kovaleva, Bolshoi Ballet 6 Photo by Darian Volkova
Contents 8 WHAT’S ONLINE
10 SERGEI POLUNIN 16 CARLOS ACOSTA 18 IRINA KOLESNIKOVA, ST PETERSBURG BALLET 22 EDWARD WATSON, THE ROYAL BALLET 26 TINA PEREIRA, THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA 32 ALENA KOVALEVA, THE BOLSHOI BALLET 40 SOPHIE MARTIN, SCOTTISH BALLET 46 CHRISTINA RILEY, DANCE PHOTOGRAPHER 48 DANIEL MCCORMICK, ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET 54 MARY CARMEN CATOYA, ARTS BALLET THEATRE OF FLORIDA 60 JUEL D. LANE, CHOREOGRAPHER 66 EKATERINA MOSIENKO, BOLSHOI BALLET ACADEMY 72 BRAZILIAN DANCERS BY AMANDA ZAREMBA 76 DANCE WEAR 104 FASHIONISTA 122 DANCE BEAUTY 130 DANCE TRAVEL 142 DANCE BOOKS 146 PODCASTS
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S G P U 10
E E O N I
R I L N
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Carlos Acosta celebrates 30 years
Photo by Johan Persson
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Carlos Acosta reflects on his incredible 30 year dance career, his company and his future... Greatest Moment “Winning Prix de Lausanne at sixteen is a moment that I will always treasure. When I won, I thought to myself, ‘perhaps I have a shot at this. If I work hard, I can come out of poverty, I can help my family and I can have a great lifestyle’.” MY Favourite Roles “Romeo and Spartacus are among the greatest roles I ever played. But it’s Don Quixote that remains special, as I not only danced the role with the Royal Ballet, but I also choreographed my own production with my vision for the role. It was so rewarding, because you have these elements, choreographic and performance, coming together. It was the ultimate reward, because it summarised everything that I wanted at that point to cultivate throughout my career. It was also the role that I danced when I won the Prix de Lausanne.” Leaving The Stage “Any transition is nerve-racking. But I have to say it was seamless, because I was always someone who was doing many things at the same time. So when that particular moment arrived, I already planned to create my company. Nevertheless, I was very nervous. I thought that perhaps whatever comes next wasn’t going to bring me as much fulfilment, but it has.” Acosta Danza “I wanted to build my company in Cuba to give back to my country; to give audiences in Cuba the chance to see the world’s best choreographers and at the same time, bring Cuba’s talents out from obscurity. I looked for dancers from classical and contemporary backgrounds with strong technique that could provide a foundation from which to build. It’s not about the obvious talent that everybody knows; it’s about the talent that nobody knows. To find them, discover them and bring them to light. There is a lot of talent in Cuba that would never have the chance that I had. So that is the foundation of the company - to find them and provide an outlet, so that the talent can grow.” Words of Advice “It is possible to be born in the streets of Havana with no future and become a principal dancer at one of the greatest companies like the Royal Ballet. It is possible; it is not a cliché. I have done it and I did it by working hard. There are always going to be people who will say that you are not good enough, or you are not going to get anywhere; or maybe a teacher that shouts at you and makes you turn away from a role or fall out of love with this wonderful world that we call dance. You are always going to have obstacles, but in the end you have a choice about what you do with those obstacles. My advice is, just work hard and try to be focused and never, ever give up on your dreams for noone. Nobody should have that power over you and your dreams. Ultimately your work will prevail and your talent will flourish. It might take longer and you have to work harder, but eventually you will get there.” acostadanza.com
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Irina Kolesnikova Prima Ballerina
St Petersburg Ballet Theatre
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EDWARD WATSON THE ROYAL BALLET
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..................................................... Tina Pereira, First Soloist, The National Ballet of Canada, founder of ballerina couture dance wear designer, & entrepreneur
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........................ Photo by Albert Ayzenberg
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Dressed by Valentin Yudashkin
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