Eugene has an exemplary personal life. Titles and awards

Sergei Nikolaevich: Hello. This is the "Cultural Exchange" program on the Public Television of Russia. With you Sergey Nikolaevich. The profession of a ballerina, as you know, allows you to live a very bright life on stage, but often deprives you of the most ordinary, most familiar everyday joys. Fortunately, a brilliant career at the Bolshoi Theater could not prevent our guest from playing her main roles in life, the role of wife and mother of two lovely daughters. Our guest is prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia Evgenia Obraztsova.

Voice behind the scene: Evgenia Obraztsova - prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, Honored Artist of Russia, laureate of the Golden Mask Award. Born in Leningrad. In 2002 she graduated from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet and was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theatre, where in the first season she performed the main female part in the ballet Romeo and Juliet. A year later, she won the First Prize at the Moscow Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers, and then toured with the theater in the United States and performed the role of Cinderella in the ballet of the same name on the stage of the Rome Opera House. She repeatedly performed on the stages of various Italian theaters, including La Scala. In 2006, Evgenia Obraztsova won the Golden Mask for her role as Ondine in a production by French choreographer Pierre Lacotte. A year later, she performed the main part in the ballet Giselle, and in 2008 - in Don Quixote, with which she toured Japan. Then she made her debut in London at the Covent Garden Theater as Aurora and Sleeping Beauty. In 2010 she became a guest soloist with the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Musical Theatre. Since 2012, Evgenia Obraztsova has been the prima ballerina of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of Russia.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Zhenya, hello.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Hello.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, when I learned and read about you, I realized that in a sense you repeated the fate of many Leningrad, St. Petersburg ballerinas: they brightly started, started, made their debut on the stage of their native Mariinsky Theater, and later moved to the Bolshoi Theater. Tell me, was this some kind of completely conscious choice of yours, or was it just the circumstances?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Rather the second. I never thought that I would continue (probably, it is more correct to say so) my creative activity in Moscow. Graduating from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, I had, perhaps, only one goal, well, maybe two. The first of them was, of course, to enter the Mariinsky Theater, to try to start outstandingly and continue my first steps there. And then be sure to perform on the stage of the Grand Opera in Paris.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Yeah.

Evgenia Obraztsova: These are the tasks I graduated with, quite ambitious for a little girl. But I never thought that fate would decide that the Mariinsky Theater would have to be changed to the Bolshoi. I never thought that I would move to live in Moscow.

Sergei Nikolaevich: In general, this choice of a ballet fate, a ballet path is quite so complicated, especially since, as a rule, a child is usually decided at 8-9 years old, or did you tell your mother: “No, take me to this choreographic school, to this Academy of Russian ballet,” I don’t know if it was already called that at that time or not.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, it's already been called that. The fact is that my parents were ballet dancers, and my mother and father danced at the Mussorgsky Theater, now it is called the Mikhailovsky Theater. And of course, their proposal was probably decisive. That is, if you want it, whether you want it or not, you will go. Yes, I had a desire, but more like a child, I wanted to sing and dance. Mom, on reflection, said: "Well, then, probably, an operetta." But it is difficult.

Sergei Nikolaevich: At what age did this dialogue take place?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Sing and dance? I think 7 years. Elementary school started, I went to the first grade, like all children. And here it was necessary to decide, because for 3 years we study in elementary school, and then we need to make a choice, at 10 years old children enter the ballet academy or ballet school, because then it’s too late.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, yes.

Evgenia Obraztsova: I had to make this choice, and I think that my mother, as she later told me, decided to do so, because all the data was available. She says: “If you don’t do it, it will be just a shame, even if we don’t try to give you away, it will be a shame, it’s a shame not to try. But if they don’t take you or you don’t want to, that’s something else.”

Sergei Nikolaevich: But in general, this eversion of the spine, its condition by this age already, such physical training, at least minimal, is always assessed by teachers when entering the academy, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Certainly. The selection to the academy is generally very strict. I don’t know how it is now, but at the time when I entered, it was a very serious exam. Children were taken to the ballet hall, everyone watched, somehow peeped through the door, what was happening. They started one by one. The child is standing, in front of him is such a commission, ten people, maybe fifteen, and the teacher who receives this child begins to check the rise, eversion, jump ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Rhythm?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Rhythm, forced to perform some primitive dances, for example, polka, march. It's quite difficult. And if there is even the slightest discrepancy, the child will most likely not be accepted.

Sergei Nikolaevich: But in your case everything went well?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Fortunately, my parents gave me wonderful physical data.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, at least for the ballet you were absolutely ready?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And when did Ninel Kurgapkina appear in your life?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Immediately after graduating from the academy, I entered the Mariinsky Theatre, my first dream came true. And literally after three months, our leader met me, then it was Mahar Khasanovich Vaziev. He meets me and says: “I remember you at the graduation performance, you danced Cinderella. Do you know what? Prepare Romeo and Juliet. My legs were already buckling at that moment: how so? I am 18 years old, I joined the troupe, they never let anyone prepare such serious performances just like that. I am silent, naturally, clapping my eyes. And then he adds: “And your teacher will be Ninel Kurgapkina, look at the schedule.” I go to the schedule and see Kurgapkina, and below is "the artist E. Obraztsova." Of course…

Sergei Nikolaevich: I read “artist” to myself, there was already an artist.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Well, then they already called us that, we are young artists.

Sergei Nikolaevich: What was she like? I know that she was very close with Rudolf Nureyev, they did La Bayadère together. It seems to me that she was somehow an underestimated ballerina, but she realized herself very much in pedagogy.

Evgenia Obraztsova: She was a very bright ballerina, I think that as a teacher she was quite unique. After the death of Ninel Alexandrovna, I began to study with her student, also a ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater Elvira Tarasova. And then I finally ... I already understood it, but then I felt completely how much the tradition is passed from hand to hand literally.

Sergei Nikolaevich: From feet to feet.

Evgenia Obraztsova: From foot to foot, yes! Because everything that we did for years - and I studied with Kurgapkina for 7 years - Elvira Tarasova carefully kept the same. And after the departure of Ninel Alexandrovna, we, as it were, continued this path, that is, we did not stop, we worked in the same direction, how accurately and in Vaganov's way the teachers of the Mariinsky Theater taught and teach.

Sergei Nikolaevich: I remember very well my conversation with Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya, we did an interview. She never forgot, she stated with particular sadness that she had not received Vaganova's lessons; she suggested that she come, a different route, respectively, from Moscow to Leningrad, and make Swan Lake with her, and she was somehow already eminent, the star seemed to be in time. Did not make it. Nevertheless, this training, these very precise remarks of the teacher, this ability to tell how it is necessary, what combination of movements needs to be carried out in order to be stable, or vice versa, so that, I don’t know, to make some complex movements, - those are indispensable, priceless lessons, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. You know, I still have to note, since we are talking about Ninel Kurgapkina, how much she was Petersburg ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:... a person?

Evgenia Obraztsova:… a person, as far as she was, of course, intelligent, but at the same time, she always said what she thought. At the rehearsal, I could sometimes hear this, I even ... But she managed to say it in such a way that, as it were ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: It didn't offend?

Evgenia Obraztsova: No way. And how picky she was, I will just say so, to her hands. That is, it was not just some kind of nuance (“add a little here, make the hands softer or sharper”) - no, she was just trying to make sure that the hands were thoroughly accurate, such as she showed. And it was in the ballet "The Legend of Love" - ​​and this was her favorite performance, where she performed ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Did she dance by herself?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, she danced Shirin. And she said that she would prepare this role with me, and forbade me to watch my favorite videos of any other performers. She said: “I will show you personally,” and I remember everything to the last movement. We met her in the hall for the first time, I was ready to rehearse, teach, and she said: “Why did you put on pointe shoes? Take everything off". I took everything off, okay, I'm waiting. “Now take your hands, make such a movement, go home and walk like this for a month.” That is, this plasticity was important for Shirin, to begin with, to learn this Grigorovich plasticity, which he came up with for Shirin. And when I finally learned not to move like this, but like this, Ninel Alexandrovna said: “Well, now let's get started, let's go learn choreography.” I just think that this is a ballet that is simply suffered, worked out with her.

Sergei Nikolaevich: But what concerns the “Legend of Love” after all, everything is more or less clear here, after all, it was 50 years ago, almost 60 years ago. Still, several generations have passed, Grigorovich is still alive, that is, you can always relate to the original. But as for these ballets by Petipa, as for the ballets, just like classics, classics? Are we dancing Petipa now or is it something else?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Now I also want to remember Ninel Aleksandrovna, who would say this: “Do it beautifully, no one knows how to do it anyway.” That's what I'll tell you about Petipa.

Sergei Nikolaevich:"Do it nicely."

In general, when you think about the fate of these great women, these great ballerinas, you involuntarily begin to relate this to yourself. When you speak, you remember ... Plisetskaya, despite the fact that there Maya Mikhailovna had a completely happy family life with Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin, but still the topic of children was taboo. Before meeting with Andrei Korobtsov, did you think for yourself that no, it is impossible to exclude it from your life? "I will not only serve the ballet, I will have my own life." When you looked, I don't know, at your senior colleagues.

Evgenia Obraztsova: You know, when I started dancing, I was sick only with ballet. To be honest, I didn’t even think that there was a family, children, I just didn’t think, I didn’t say “yes” or “no” to myself. But literally in the first years of working with my teachers - and I had a lot of them, almost all of Vaganova's heirs - I constantly heard the same phrase: “What a pity that I am alone, what a pity that I have no children , because now I would really like to, I would give everything to have my son, daughter, grandchildren next to me. So said Lyudmila Safronova, my teacher from the Vaganova Academy, so said Ninel Alexandrovna Kurgapkina and not only them. And I have formed a clear conviction that no matter what career (dizzying, standard, uninteresting), I will definitely become a mother at all costs, I will never deny myself this happiness, no matter how difficult it may be. No ballet, nothing, no art...

Sergei Nikolaevich:…will not replace.

Evgenia Obraztsova:…doesn't replace it for me.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, we will come to this topic a little later, I just remembered this topic in connection with Ninel Kurgapkina.

The first seasons at the Mariinsky Theater - what were they like?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Ah ... Both beautiful and painful. I had, like everyone else, to learn corps de ballet parts.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Oh, so you were kept in the corps de ballet?

Evgenia Obraztsova: It was obligatory, it was right: no matter how outstanding a student you are, no matter what grades you bring in your diploma, you join the corps de ballet. Fortunately, they spared me, and I stood in the corps de ballet for a short time and not in the most deaf.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, in the first line?

Evgenia Obraztsova: I stood in the first line, and in some small fours, they immediately began to put me in them, I even think, not because I was such a good graduate, an excellent student, but I was just not tall, and then already there were tendencies towards taller girls in the corps de ballet, I just didn’t fit this standard. And I also lied to the order, I, unfortunately, could not line up ... Well, that is, I tried, but I succeeded with periodic success. Therefore, I was not kept there for so long, but rather ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:... pushed back.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Let dance something solo.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, in fact, this flour of the corps de ballet did not last long?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Not for long.

Sergei Nikolaevich: So it's about a season or two?

Evgenia Obraztsova: I think yes, there are two seasons, and then there were mostly solo ones.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, well, but this part of Juliet, about which Mahar said - did you prepare it?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Certainly!

Sergei Nikolaevich: And join the show?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. Along with corps de ballet performances ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:… did you continue?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Of course.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Was this a direct condition of ballet life?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, yes, no one is exempt from this corps de ballet drill, even if you are supposed to already prepare a solo part, you combine both. It is very difficult. In general, I believe that the first 5 years of becoming in the theater, if the ballerina really began to prepare and dance leading parts, are the most difficult years.

Sergei Nikolaevich: So you have to do both?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, to do ballerina parts, and dance twos and threes, and still stand in the corps de ballet?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, even the corps de ballet. It is very difficult physically, and it is also very traumatic.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Your generation, the generation when you came. Uliana Lopatkina also danced with might and main, Diana Vishneva danced, it was such a generation of the early 1990s, they were absolute prima. Did you understand how difficult it would be for you to break through to these main parties?

Evgenia Obraztsova: What are you, I didn’t even think about making my way between Ulyana and Diana, Svetlana. They are such unearthly creatures for me, to this day I admire them. This is a completely different generation, these are really absolute ballerinas who should be admired. And so they took their pedestal, that is, everyone else has other pedestals. They are no less valuable, worthy and high, but these are different pedestals. That is, we are all different. That generation is an example for me, these are such goddesses of dance, I admire them. And, probably, if it were not for them, I would not strive so high.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Up. That is, they were a very important example for you, and a symbol, and a model of what can be done on stage, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Certainly. I was very lucky that I could grow when I had such an example in front of me. Every day I saw these amazing ballerinas on the stage, danced with them in the same performances and, of course, tried to be like, to take the best.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Maybe this is such, you know, vulgar, tabloid press, which writes all the time about some kind of rivalry, about some, I don’t know, undercover fights and so on - there was nothing like this in your life?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You know, healthy rivalry is generally normal, without it there would be no growth. In general, there would be no growth, in general, if no one envied anyone a little bit, I think. Therefore, this is normal. Another thing is that generations do not compete, that is, I would not compete with Maya Plisetskaya if she were around now, because this is impossible, this ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:…incomparable.

Evgenia Obraztsova:…incomparable. That was then and this is now. Time dictates fashion, it dictates the style of performance, and technique, and even some external data. Miniature ballerinas were in fashion, then they became tall, then they became very tall, and soon, maybe, the time for miniature ballerinas will come again, I'm waiting.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And this will be your finest hour.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. And so I think that normal rivalry, even if some kind of rude word is normal, it's in any theater, it's in any office, I think it happens in any healthy and unhealthy work team. Another thing is that there are some intrigues, some terrible things, like glass in pointe shoes ... For example, I have never seen anything like this in my life and God forbid I never will. So I can't say anything about it.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Mariinskii Opera House. You have already danced on the stage of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater, of course, you already have a great career at the Bolshoi Theater. What is its uniqueness, what is its separateness and uniqueness, if you compare it with other bands?

Evgenia Obraztsova: The Mariinsky Theater is like a home. You love your home, no matter how dilapidated, old it may be, there hasn’t been a repair for a long time, but this home, where you were born, took place, took the first steps. He remembers you clumsy, remembers you rising. He is like this. And other theaters are like new apartments.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Which still needs to be lived in.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Which still needs to be lived in. But they are beautiful, you already feel more confident there, because you have already seen something else. And the Mariinsky, probably, will remain for me such a dear, cozy home, whatever it may be. I perceive the theater, namely its old part, Mariina No. 1 ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Yes, a historical scene.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, that's the only one I perceive, in fact, as the Mariinsky Theatre. For me, it is a home, the people in it remained family. I don’t know what is happening there now, I’m very bad at watching the course of life now, but this Mariinsky, which was when I danced in it, is in my heart forever.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Nevertheless, despite the fact that you had several solo parts - and "Sleeping", and "Ondine", and "Giselle", a huge repertoire - at some point you decide to leave it. How it was?

Evgenia Obraztsova: I worked at the Mariinsky Theatre, and when I came to Moscow on tour to celebrate the anniversary of Galina Ulanova, I met Sergei Filin. It so happened that I was still a very young ballerina, but I had already done a lot at the Mariinsky Theatre. And it seems to me that at that moment I did everything that could be done, that I could do at the Mariinsky Theater. And such a moment of devastation came: I danced the same performances with joy, with love, but they were the same performances.

Sergei Nikolaevich: No prospects, new.

Evgenia Obraztsova: It seemed to me that no, that it would be like this now always, always, always.

Sergei Nikolaevich: But I beg your pardon, but you left the performance of Forsythe, tried some new choreography. You didn't take part in it?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Accepted.

Sergei Nikolaevich: AND?

Evgenia Obraztsova: But all this was not enough for me. Maybe it's some kind of greed. But one way or another, a certain depression set in, a slight depression, so my inner, personal. And here I met Sergei Yuryevich Filin, who said: “Zhenya, I really like the way you dance. I am now in charge of the Stanislavsky Theatre, would you like to work there too? And I shared two stages: working at the Mariinsky Theater, as a guest, a guest ballerina, I began to work at the Stanislavsky Theater. And it was, perhaps, one of the most exciting and interesting periods in my life. I traveled from St. Petersburg to Moscow all the time, I really liked working with Sergey Yuryevich. Life was in full swing at the Stanislavsky Theater! That was exactly what I was missing so much. I danced the desired parts, I was very pleased to work with Filin. It was really, really interesting there. John Neumeier came there, I really wanted to do all this. It was 2 years when I worked St. Petersburg - Moscow ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, that is, you lived in two houses, in two theaters.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. And then for the first time I prepared the ballet "Swan Lake", it was my dream. Well, then followed by an invitation to the Bolshoi.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Tell me, is this another dream of yours, with which you came to the Mariinsky Theatre, the Grand Opera, the Opera Garnier, as they say about it, - did it happen later?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: This is when you danced at the Bolshoi Theater?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. I worked at the Bolshoi Theatre, and suddenly I receive an invitation, such a beautiful letter, where the coat of arms and the inscription "Grand Opera, Paris", an invitation to perform "La Sylphide" by Pierre Lacotte.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Did you know Lacotte?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Certainly. I knew Lacotte from my first steps at the Mariinsky Theatre. It was a very amazing story. When I entered the Mariinsky, almost immediately after 2 months they took me on tour to Paris - also unusual, because I was the only one who was allowed. I danced both the corps de ballet and small solo parts, including Manu in La Bayadère. At the same moment, Pierre Lacotte decided to stage the ballet Ondine, and he decided to do it right in Paris. He gathered a troupe, examined all of us, who fit where, and began to stage. And for some reason, he singled me out from the very beginning: “But you, little white girl, you don’t dance in the corps de ballet, get up here in a foursome ... So, no, leave the foursome, come on in a twosome ... So, teach me you are Undine." Somehow he singled me out right away, he treated me very kindly. And it so happened that I immediately began to teach ... I taught all the parts that are there, but I also rehearsed Undine along with this. As a result, I was the only performer of Ondine, because before the premiere I was left alone.

Sergei Nikolaevich: So everyone is out, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. I danced Ondine and got the Golden Mask for her.

Sergei Nikolaevich: A.

Evgenia Obraztsova: And I think that Pierre Lacotte is just, one might say, my ballet dad.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Made you... I think about that... I remember "Ondine" with Margot Fontaine, she was absolutely amazing...

Evgenia Obraztsova: This is a different setting.

Sergei Nikolaevich: But it was a different production, yes, such a cold image. Was he somehow close to you in temperament, in character?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You know, then I didn’t even think about temperament, character and even image. I was completely immersed in the complexity of Pierre Lacotte's choreography, in this kind of simply jeweler's work.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Lots of small stuff, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Small technique, complex technique and new to me. Of course, it was all doable, but I had never danced such a technically intense ballet before.

Sergei Nikolaevich: It was difficult to.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, it was difficult for me. And only after performing the first performance, I finally felt it and began to think about the image as well.

Sergei Nikolaevich: So it had to be mastered?

Evgenia Obraztsova: This test was, of course.

Sergei Nikolaevich: You appear at the Bolshoi Theater, respectively, in 2012, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, I've been since 2012.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And this is a moment of very sharp feuds and some kind of conflicts within the theater, and we all know the story with Filin. How are you in general, finding yourself in this situation of such a confrontation within the troupe, the complexities of the relationship between Tsiskaridze and Iksanov? You had to gnaw out some of your space, to distance yourself from it. What was the tactic, shall we say?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You know, everything happened, thank God, not immediately, and I managed to enjoy, perhaps, the first 1.5 years ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:…creation.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Creativity, again, in collaboration with Sergei Filin, who also arranged an interesting life at the Bolshoi Theater, because a lot of interesting performances were staged under him. In general, life was very rich and interesting, creative. And when this misfortune happened, I, of course, will say that the mood in the troupe dropped. It was just very difficult, and for a very long time, I think we could not come to our senses, because ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: This is scary.

Evgenia Obraztsova: It's scary, and you worry about the person, for his health. Somehow, in general, there is no mood even to work. It was really a painful time, painful times. But somehow, yes, you are right, I managed to abstract myself, somehow retreat into my performances, still focus on my direct activities, make performances, make them interesting, outstanding, try to discuss as little as possible, take part in some kind of idle chatter that often happens in the theater. For me, this is the law: to talk less in the theater.

Sergei Nikolaevich: We still need to talk less.

Evgenia Obraztsova: You have to perform on stage. The artist is right when he is on stage, everything else is unimportant.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, you somehow survived this conflict, this difficult, such a dramatic season, and a different life began.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Like a different lane.

Sergei Nikolaevich: The head of the ballet troupe has already changed, and again it was Mahar Vaziev.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, we met again with Mahar Khasanovich, a pleasant meeting.

Sergei Nikolaevich: I know what you have - at least I read it in some of your speeches, interviews are a dream, and now I'm thinking about how perfect you could be for this role: this is Carmen, but not the Carmen Suite , and Carmen directed by Roland Petit.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: What Rene Jeanmer danced and what, it seems, never went in Russia.

Evgenia Obraztsova: It went.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Was it going?

Evgenia Obraztsova: at the Mariinsky Theatre.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Was this "Carmen"?

Evgenia Obraztsova: And here, of course, is a compliment to Makhar Khasanovich, who at one time at the Mariinsky Theater did, in my opinion, simply impossible. This troupe danced everything, just everything. When I came to the Bolshoi, there were no unknown names for me, choreographers, whoever I didn’t know, whoever I didn’t even perform, not only didn’t know, I knew, of course. We did everything, everything. And “Carmen” by Roland Petit, my love for this performance comes from the Mariinsky Theater, when amazing ... The same Diana Vishneva, Yulia Makhalina danced this role, and I watched with bated breath how stylish it was, how beautiful it was, as if I wanted to be that Carmen.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And how do they differ, “Carmen” by Shchedrin-Bizet and “Carmen” by Roland Petit?

Evgenia Obraztsova: In my opinion, "Carmen" by Roland Petit is a more perfect performance. It's more dramatic, it's more understandable. He is complete. Carmen Suite - that's the name and is, Carmen Suite. This is an interesting suite on the theme of Carmen. And Roland Petit's Carmen is history.

Sergei Nikolaevich: It's a big, full-length play, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: This is history.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And it was very accurately made for a miniature, little dancer?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: In this sense, of course, you are very similar in type to Zizi Zhanmer and, accordingly, to this party.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Thank you.

Sergei Nikolaevich: You also wanted to dance Macmillan, as far as I understand.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: What does it depend on? Can you come and say, "I want to dance Macmillan" - or is it useless?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Well, I can say something, of course, another matter ... No, what's the matter here? The fact that the theater has a repertoire, of course, cannot be taken like this, if I want it, then it will be. The fact is that, for example, Macmillan's ballet is the most successful - it's "Romeo and Juliet" and "Manon", in my opinion, although there are, of course, "Winter Dreams" and "Mayerling", a lot is going on now at the Stanislavsky Theater . But we cannot repeat ourselves.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, yes.

Evgenia Obraztsova: And of course, the Bolshoi Theater cannot duplicate the repertoire of a theater that is literally not far away. Therefore, of course, Manon - and my dream is to dance Manon, because I danced Romeo and Juliet in Covent Garden and at the American Ballet Theatre, this dream came true. Here is "Manon", of course... I think it's a matter of time. For some reason, I have no doubt that this performance will be staged at the Bolshoi sometime, it will definitely be played, this is a very talented performance, this is a magnificent performance with amazing music by Massenet.

Sergei Nikolaevich: But he is so very pompous, accordingly, so staged, it seems that he is even in three acts ...

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, he is in three acts, he is very handsome.

Sergei Nikolaevich: It is very big and very beautiful.

Evgenia Obraztsova: And very playful, which I love very much, I just bow to the drum ballet, I need this.

Sergei Nikolaevich: You know, we are now talking about Manon, and I remembered one of the amazing performers of this part, Natalya Makarova, who was an amazing Manon, it was one of her favorite performances. At one time, when she left the USSR, her main incentive, her main desire was not to make a name (she already had a name), but to dance a new choreography. Now, when there are no such borders, when, in general, there are conditions and an opportunity to go to America, to Europe, to dance on any stages, tell me, is something stopping you here, or is this story somehow developing? You just spoke about Covent Garden, you spoke about other theatres.

Evgenia Obraztsova: When I was younger, I thought that maybe someday I would leave ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:…From Russia.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, and I will try to create some kind of creative activity in another country. I had such an opportunity, I even almost realized it. But at some point, I realized that I like being a guest much more, that is, visiting these beautiful countries, in these wonderful troupes, taking the best, trying to be like them when I perform their performances, their choreography, but that’s all. to return home. It is very important for me to understand and feel like a Russian ballerina - Russian not abroad, but Russian in Russia, but coming to different countries ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:... touring.

Evgenia Obraztsova:... touring actively. I am always happy to accept invitations. There were years when I just actually lived on suitcases, I was constantly leaving somewhere, I was being carried away somewhere. Those were very exciting times. But I always had to come back. Therefore, I no longer think that I could leave somewhere forever.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And to do what is called an international career, as Natalya Osipova is doing now, for example, and so on.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Well, you can do it the same way while living in Moscow, it is not at all necessary to leave somewhere.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Yes, you don't have to go anywhere. Nevertheless, I believe that there are some, as one play says, “magnets more attractive” than the Bolshoi Theater, namely your husband Andrei Korobtsov, these are your children. How did you meet Andrey?

Evgenia Obraztsova: We got to know Andrew in an amazing way. I was looking for a sculptor who made a sculpture of a warrior Yevgeny Rodionov - this is a young guy who died in Chechnya during the Chechen war. His story is very tragic: he was captured by the Chechens and refused to take off his pectoral cross, he refused to accept the Muslim faith, and his head was cut off. He suffered like this, I believe that he is such a Christian martyr. It was very interesting for me, I learned from the Internet that one sculptor, young as a diploma work, made a monument to this particular warrior. It just amazed me, because I was so amazed by this topic, and my mother was very interested in it. And for the sake of my mother, I decided to find an opportunity ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Are your parents also church-going, believing people?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, my mom. And I promised my mother that I will definitely find where this sculpture is, we will go and see it, get to know the author. And so I found Andrei, I learned his name, I ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Where is this sculpture located?

Evgenia Obraztsova: This sculpture is located in Kamergersky Lane, a branch of the Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of Ilya Glazunov. The main building is located on Myasnitskaya Street, and here is a branch. And my husband studied there, my future husband studied there then.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And as a matter of fact, you came to look at this sculpture and got acquainted with the artist.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, with Andrei, who himself said that "I will definitely show you this sculpture, I will give you a short tour, I will tell you." And just on the very first evening I was struck by how modest, how calm, how inspired the young man met us and with what rapture he told ...

Sergei Nikolaevich: Did you go with your mom?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, we were with my mother. With what rapture he talks about his creation.

Sergei Nikolaevich: I think that now he should sculpt you too, no? Does he do it or not?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You know, this is a whole series of works on the theme of ballet, I don’t even know how to say it ... I posed in all the images that I managed to perform on stage. Andrei understands ballet very sensitively, he somehow got into this art. He not only knows how to convey the mood of the hero, the heroine, to convey some kind of flying pose corresponding to the image, he also manages to sculpt ballet feet, hands, and head turns technically very correctly.

Sergei Nikolaevich: He has such a great model.

Evgenia Obraztsova: But he still feels very good about it. Because I saw examples of works on ballet themes that are very, very dubious, but Andrei somehow immediately ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:... this topic has gone.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, you kind of agreed on the topic of ballet and sculpture in fact?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, it was some kind of start to your already family history.

When were your girls born?

Evgenia Obraztsova: The girls were born 2 years ago, we recently celebrated their second birthday.

Sergei Nikolaevich: What are their names?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Sofia and Anastasia

Sergei Nikolaevich: Sofia and Anastasia

You had no doubts that you would lose your form, lose time, what, should you leave the ballet for this time, naturally?

Evgenia Obraztsova: It was so fast, I didn't even have time to rest. As a mother of two girls, as a ballerina who gave birth to children, I don’t even understand how you can be afraid of this pass. It is so disastrously short, it's even pointless to discuss it, it's just a vacation, it's some kind of vacation. When they say to me: “But how is it that you miss a year?” What year? I must have missed half a year without doing ballet at all. 2 months after the birth of the girls, I was on stage.

Sergei Nikolaevich: On the stage?

Evgenia Obraztsova: On the stage. The form is typed very quickly, you just need to want it, if you want it, of course. Although at first I don't want to.

Sergei Nikolaevich: That is, I wanted some other life, right?

Evgenia Obraztsova: I just wanted a family life, I wanted to be with them, to watch every day how they grow, how they change. Because every day they do something new. And surprisingly: the older they get, the harder it is for me. They give me the energy to dance and do more, to do more interesting, and at the same time, crazy sadness because I miss hours without them, studying, rehearsing in the ballet hall, playing a role on stage.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Speaking.

Evgenia Obraztsova: And these hours pass, during which they will learn to say one more word, take another funny step. And the older they get, the more scared I am, I want to be with them.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And how are your duties divided with Andrey?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Andrew is a freelance artist.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Yeah, so he can be with them quite a lot?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, he may not be with them much, but he can be with them at any time. We discuss in advance what our plans are, and Andrei can be both in the morning and in the evening, that is, he decides when it is convenient for him, he can at any time. It’s more difficult with me, because in the morning I have a mandatory class, a rehearsal, and a performance in the evening, so my family is more likely to adapt to me. And, of course, all this would not have been possible without our grandparents, who, thank God, we have in the kit.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Full set.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Complete set, two sets. Therefore, everything is in order.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Everything works out.

You returned to the Bolshoi Theater after giving birth, you already have family bonds. Has something changed in you?

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes. I stopped worrying about little things, I stopped being afraid. I became bolder. Everything is easy for me.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Easier and simpler.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, simple.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Would you like Sofia, Anastasia or both to repeat your career or even not a career, but go to the ballerinas?

Evgenia Obraztsova: I think that I would not mind if the decision of one of them or my two daughters was in favor of the ballet. If it was firm and serious, I wouldn't mind. But if I felt that they, like any girls, just want to dance, it seems to them that this is an easy profession, I probably would have tried to dissuade them.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Thank God, the career goes on, life goes on, new premieres are coming at the Bolshoi Theater. Is there anything you dream about and would like to dance? Because the ballerina's age is, in general, short, the classics leave at some point, you switch to modern, some other genres. In this case, a career can be quite long. Do you somehow plan it, somehow calculate it in advance?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You absolutely rightly said that the classics must at some point give way to something else, because we have been dancing the classics all our creative life. Probably, now I won’t even name a ballet that I wouldn’t perform, all the heroines are in the piggy bank.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Yes, virtually everything.

Evgenia Obraztsova: What would be interesting? Of course, do something new. It would be very interesting for me to make my own evening, so that within the framework of this evening there will definitely be a place for modern choreography, for some interesting performance, even if it is a one-act, or maybe even a full-fledged two-three-act performance. I would very much like a talented choreographer to stage this performance. And I am in search of a talented choreographer.

Sergei Nikolaevich: And the material? I know, we mentioned Maya Mikhailovna today (and even more than once), her such obsession was to dance Carmen, so she wanted to dance Carmen. But Carmen, which we talked about, is already a performance, so you line up with just famous, famous ballerinas. What would you like for yourself? Is there some kind of female image, someone's name, which you somehow ...

Evgenia Obraztsova: Yes, I have.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well name it.

Evgenia Obraztsova:"Princess Turandot".

Sergei Nikolaevich: Ah, she made cruel riddles.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Well, you could do without cruelty, but quite an interesting image. It seems to me that in ballet still ...

Sergei Nikolaevich:…He was absent.

Evgenia Obraztsova:… has never been, there is opera, but there has never been a ballet. Carmen also has an opera. So why not? In my opinion, a very interesting theme for ballet. And plus the opportunity to write talented music for this ballet for some other talented composer.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Well, if you do not find a talented composer, there is Puccini.

Evgenia Obraztsova: You can borrow from him, yes.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Here you told me an amazing phrase: "Dance beautifully, and there will be Petipa." Is there a ballet in his legacy that you would dream of, that you haven't danced yet?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You know, I would probably say Paquita, but there is no original Paquita. Again, the question of Petipa, what is Petipa, what is Petipa like, what kind of choreography does he have, is it exactly Petipa. It seems to me that the answer is no. So many talented artists, choreographers and teachers have already put their hands and feet into his choreography that there is probably no original. Therefore, I will call "Paquita", in whose version, edition it may be, I am interested in this image.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Wonderful.

Zhenya, I know that your life is not limited to ballet and family life alone. Recently there was a cinematic debut, you starred in Andrey Smirnov's film "Frenchman". Andrey Sergeevich recently came to our program and talked about this film, but did not say anything about you. Who are you playing there?

Evgenia Obraztsova: You won't believe the female lead.

Sergei Nikolaevich: What are you?

Evgenia Obraztsova: A ballerina named Kira.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Yeah.

Evgenia Obraztsova: It so happened that Andrei Sergeevich was looking for an actress for the role of Kira. I suspect that he was looking for her among dramatic actresses, but as a result, for some reason, he decided that no one would play a ballerina better than a ballerina, so he decided. And so I ended up on the tests, which I successfully passed and suddenly starred in a movie.

Sergei Nikolaevich: How it was?

Evgenia Obraztsova: It was very exciting, it was insanely exciting. Of course, the first day on the set was stressful for me, because we started shooting with, in my opinion, one of the most difficult scenes. When I read the script, I thought: “It would be nice to start here, here I have one word “hello”, here I lit a cigarette - fine, enough.” But Andrey Sergeevich chose a scene where he had to shout, swear, throw a cigarette, stamp his foot and say another insanely long text. That's where we started. I don’t even remember how that day went, it seems to me that I was in some kind of madness, I was so worried, I wanted to comply so much, and I didn’t know how to behave, I just acted on intuition.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Such a theatrical and ballet experience, I think, was certainly useful to you on the film set.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Of course, it came in handy, but it turned out that there was practically no need to play in the cinema, what a pity. This is a completely different game, but it was insanely interesting.

Sergei Nikolaevich: Hope to see it on screen.

Evgenia Obraztsova: Me too.

Sergei Nikolaevich: It was Evgenia Obraztsova in the program "Cultural Exchange" on the Public Television of Russia. And I, Sergei Nikolaevich, say goodbye to you. All the best, goodbye.

Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater: a brilliant career and family happiness

In February, the Bolshoi Theater announced the replenishment of the ballet troupe. The list of prima ballerinas now includes Evgenia Obraztsova, who until recently danced at the Mariinsky Theatre. Obraztsova's repertoire at the Bolshoi includes the ballets The Sleeping Beauty, Anyuta and Sylphide. Buro 24/7, the ballerina spoke about the deceptive appearance of the actor, childhood dreams and plans for the future.

Evgenia, first of all I would like to ask you about moving to Moscow. How do you feel here after Peter?

The fact is that I gradually got used to Moscow. Before moving to the Bolshoi Theater, I worked for about two years in the musical theater of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, so I don’t have to get used to Moscow all of a sudden. Life in the capital, its rhythm is very suitable for me, so I do not feel any discomfort, rather the opposite. I think this is my city.

Scenes from the ballet "Petrushka" at the Mariinsky Theater

As a child, you were fond of drama theater and even wanted to do it professionally. But still became a ballerina. And interest in the theater remained?

First of all, I watch a lot of drama performances. Both in St. Petersburg and in Moscow. I am friends with many artists, I go to their premieres. For example, I am a frequent guest at the performances of the wonderful St. Petersburg actor Danila Kozlovsky. In Moscow, I communicate closely with Alisa Grebenshchikova: Petersburg also unites us with her, but now we meet here. It is always interesting to follow their development and repertoire. And there are more opportunities to go to the theater in Moscow. Therefore, my childhood unfulfillment in the drama theater is embodied in the fact that I actively follow everything that happens in this environment, and try to learn a lot from this art form and transfer it to my own.

Does it help at work?

Of course, all this helps a lot when I'm preparing for a role, finding some solutions in terms of its dramatic construction. Of course, there are divertissement ballets, where absolutely no dramatic abilities are required. Moreover, not all artists have them. Very many wonderful ballerinas and dancers remain wonderful ballerinas and dancers, but they are absolutely devoid of acting talent, and this in no way detracts from the quality of their work. But judging globally, ballet is such a complex art form, where the artist must combine dance, drama and partly sports. Except there is no singing. Although I also take a lot from my opera acquaintances. For myself personally, I try to choose story ballets, and the main question I ask myself is: what will my heroine be like? How will I create her image? The advice that I can take from my acquaintances of the actors helps me a lot to answer such questions.

Evgenia Obraztsova in the ballet "La Sylphide" musical theater of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko

Do you read any specialized literature on dramatic art? Stanislavsky, for example?

Yes, definitely. This information helped me a lot at the stage of my professional development as a ballerina. Especially when I started working on my first dramatic role in Romeo and Juliet. In such cases, the most advantageous option is the opportunity to collaborate with a drama director. For example, in the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" I was helped by an actress who graduated from the director's course, so the help was double.

Does a ballerina of your status have the opportunity to refuse a role that you are not interested in?

Of course have. I can always say that I do not see myself in this role, I do not see prospects for myself. It happens, and quite often. Some ballerinas refuse parties where everything is - technology and game. Plus, for a person, it can be a completely alien image. And in such situations, of course, it is better not to suffer and refuse a role that you cannot fully play on stage. It is possible to refuse in general in any status.

As Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Mariinsky Theater

Are there parties that are included in the list of your cherished ones?

Certainly. The only thing hindering their implementation is that this thing cannot go in Russia or specifically at the Bolshoi Theater, because the repertoire policy does not provide for the introduction of this work in the next five years, when I would like to master this material already. I have said a lot that I am very attracted to the choreography of Kenneth McMillen and Roland Petit. Two ballets that I would very much like to dance are Macmillan's Manon and Petit's Carmen. For several years these ballets have been standing before my eyes. But in order to perform them, one must either be part of another troupe, or wait for these performances to appear in the repertoire of the theaters where I work.

What are you doing to get closer to your goal?

So far I do not understand how this can be implemented. There was an opportunity to dance "Manon" in Helsinki, but for a number of reasons I did not manage to take up this part. By the way, soon I will have the opportunity to dance Carmen, but in the version of Alicia Alonso.

Shooting for Dance Magazine

To be honest, I don't see you at all as Carmen. It seems to me that lyrical parts are more suitable for you.

You did not surprise me at all with your point of view: I hear from many people about my lyrical-romantic role. Appearance contributes a lot to this. - It's hard to imagine me as a femme fatale. But the artist - such an insidious personality that can look like a dandelion, but keep an abyss of passions inside. And here is just the question in his acting data.I will give an example of Lev Dodin, under whose leadership Danila Kozlovsky works. He loves to give the artist a role in which no one could see him. This principle often produces unexpectedly interesting results. In the role of Carmen, I am 100 percent sure, that's why I want to dance her. I would never take on a thing in which I would not look great, but there are a million of them, believe me. Everyone sees me as a princess, a flower.

At the rehearsal of Swan Lake

Are you a flower?

Of course, I am a flower, but if desired, I can be very characteristic. Here the question is in preparation, how interesting the process is. It is important to see that the role can turn out to be very extraordinary, as Dodin sees it. A French director spoke to me, who conceived a picture in which the main character should look like an angel, but keep all the flaws of a woman in herself. These are the kinds of experiments I find interesting.

Were there situations when you went against the cliches and took on a role, and then realized that you made a mistake?

This was the ballet "Swan Lake". I had a lot of doubts about this performance. But here it’s rather not the case when I understand that the role does not suit me, but the inconsistency with the imposed stereotypes. Recently, there has been an opinion that a tall ballerina with long lines should dance the swan. Although this had not happened before, everyone was very miniature, figurative. Thoughts flashed that they would not understand me, they would say that I was not so tall, not so long, I did not have supernatural plasticity. Indeed, when we see a huge ballerina with long arms and legs on stage, it is breathtaking. But this ballet was danced by Ulanova, Makarova - very miniature ballerinas. It helped me in preparation. I was more concerned about the technical aspects that I needed to work out in order to be convincing in this role. This is perhaps the only controversial ballet in my repertoire.

As Giselle on the stage of the Rome Opera

So, will you dance it in the near future, is it unknown?

I do not aspire to dance this ballet often. I need a lot of time to work with it. I give myself at least a month to prepare. In total, I danced it three times in two versions. One of them - in the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater, the other - in the version of the Kremlin Ballet Theatre. There are many offers, but if I understand that time is short, then I refuse.

Let's get back to acting ambitions. In part, did you manage to realize them in your work on the film "Matryoshka" by Cedric Klapisch?

Filming a movie was an accident. Cedric Klapish came to Russia to search for an actress for the role of a ballerina. Many girls were invited to the casting, including me, but at that time I could not come because of work. It so happened that no one approached him, and I was left alone. I was found in the theater and asked to try out separately. A day later, the director approved me. I can't say that it was a serious role. It was all very interesting and new for me, but more like a vacation, nothing more. We went to the premiere in Paris with all the ensuing consequences: photo shoots, interviews, presentation at the cinema. Then I realized that the movie - it's very interesting and exciting, but I felt confident in front of the camera only in the last days of shooting. By the way, not so long ago, Klapisch called me and said that he was going to shoot the last part of his trilogy (the first film "Spanish Hotel", the second - "Matryoshkas". - Note. Ed.), I previously agreed. I think that if I act in the third part, I will find an opportunity to realize myself in the acting aspect more seriously. I won’t say anything about the plot yet, but the shooting will take place in China.

In the ballet "Little Death" by Jiri Kilian on the stage of the musical theater of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko

Now Russian ballet has ceased to be what it was in the USSR, that is, a national treasure. What do you think, what is it connected with?

Russian ballet has not ceased to be number one, but many dancers and teachers, having emigrated to other countries, began to perform their duties there with no less professionalism. And in Russia the quality of education is deteriorating. Previously, in an issue of 20 ballerinas, 10 could easily dance solo parts. Now with difficulty there are 2-3 ballerinas. I think that this process is connected with a change in the composition of teachers. Young people come who are not always able to pull students to a good level. Here my teacher Lyudmila Safronova says that they are trying to remove her from work. And she, by the way, was a student of Vaganova, and it's a shame that a person who can pass on invaluable experience does not have such an opportunity.

Well, our theaters are not always able to keep artists. Here was, for example, Larisa Lezhnina, but she left for the troupe of the Netherlands Ballet. And now we are already talking about the beautiful Russian ballerina as a European artist. But I cannot agree that the Russian ballet has ceased to be the first. Our ballerinas still have something that neither the French nor the English will have. For Russian dancers, the semantic significance of the dance prevails, although technically, I can agree, the Parisian school produces very well-trained girls.

Romeo and Juliet rehearsal

From all of the above, it becomes clear that you are a girl with character and are ready to break stereotypes.

Of course, there is the concept of role. But limiting artists in those cases where there are no objective reasons for this is stupid. The life of an artist is not long, and it's a shame when management prevents you from taking on new, perhaps unexpected, roles. For me, the role is what you are capable of. So you don’t see Carmen in me, but I will go to the performance and prove that you were wrong.

Text: Fedor Vyazemsky
Photo: evgeniaobraztsova.com

The prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre, laureate of the Golden Mask award and international competitions, answered our questions about the profession especially for you, and also revealed some secrets of ballet mastery and the enchanting beauty of dance.

How did you decide to become a ballerina? Did your parents influence your choice?

Yes, my parents were involved. First, they themselves are ballet dancers, professional dancers. Secondly, I had by nature all the data for ballet, so my parents rather took the initiative and asked me if I wanted to dance. I wasn't against it, but not really for it either. I liked the profession itself, it attracted me with its beauty, lightness, but in reality it turned out to be very hard work ...

It can be said that my first year at the school was in vain, because I did not try, I was very lazy and did not understand my tasks. Only a year later, when my mother, probably on the advice of colleagues, gave me to a male teacher, everything changed. He was very strict, principled, and, apparently, his masculine upbringing helped me understand what was required of me and become a fan of the profession.

Was it difficult for you at school?

- Yes, it is very difficult, because from the first days I realized that I no longer belong to myself. For example, the Vaganova school is strikingly different from the usual one, which I attended for the first three years. In it, at an hour or two in the afternoon, the child is already free and plays with peers in the yard. From the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A.Ya. Vaganova, I came home when it was getting dark. From the age of ten, I forgot about the fact that there is a court and friends outside the ballet. Childhood is over.

- Did you miss your old life, did you envy your peers?

- No, from the moment I realized what I want to achieve in the profession, I completely immersed myself in work. I became a real fanatic, I could do extra work, and it didn’t tire me at all. I no longer remembered laziness, rather, even my mother stopped me. From the age of twelve, I heard from her only: “Enough, take a break. You are tired. It's time for you to rest." There was never any intention or drive to work. I worked hard of my own free will, my parents were even worried about my health.

- What, besides a strict teacher, helped you decide that you only do ballet?

“I realized that I have all the data for this profession. I realized very early that it is hard to become a good dancer when there is no data. Such people have to break themselves, force them to work even harder, but this is not a guarantee of success. Despite all the work and efforts, you can still grow up not at all as a dancer as you would like, because the body is given by nature and cannot be radically changed. I realized that I am just that very happy case when everything is there, and you just need to develop it.

This understanding greatly stimulated me, because I knew that I had gone into the right profession: with these data, I had to go there, not to study mathematics, not synchronized swimming, but ballet. It did not let me doubt: “What if it was necessary to choose something else?”. I was sure, so I never doubted. It is very important to understand what you have data for and to deal with this particular area.

- Did you always know that you would become a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater and dance on the best stages, or was each new success a surprise?

“No, I can’t say that I always knew. I have always understood that life and destiny do not develop as a person has determined and decided for himself. Man proposes, but God disposes. I remembered this, and all my subsequent successes: awards, best scenes, performances - they were a surprise for me every time anyway. But at the same time, I was aware that I had worked enough and deserved to be invited to the Grand Opera or Covent Garden. This happened not by chance, but thanks to my efforts and work.

Although every time there was a feeling that I was in a fairy tale, the stories are not about me. It's like Cinderella's dreams come true. (Smiling). I can not call myself a lazy person who lay on the couch and waited to be called. But I never thought that everything would be so bright, such scenes, contracts, performances that I did not even dream of, but they went into my hands. All I had to do was accept them, prepare and show what I was capable of.

What helped you along your professional path?

- Labor. My teacher Ninel Kurgapkina always said that no matter what you are: talented or mediocre, beautiful or scary, if you work, it will definitely be rewarded. Even if you work for a year, two, three, you try, you are exhausted, but nothing happens, this is not a reason to give up. If you work honestly in the profession, then one way or another you will still succeed. It seems to me that this is the right motto. Talent or non-talent doesn't matter. Some talented children very quickly fall ill with star disease, and no one remembers that this child was the most talented. But children who are smart enough not to give in to praise and not turn up their noses reach the finish line and win.

— What do you consider your main achievement?

- What I managed to draw and absorb from my teachers. If I hear a compliment addressed to me, then I sincerely thank the teachers.

Do you consider yourself a fully self-actualized person?

“There is always something to move towards. To say that I have achieved everything means to finish ... I think that if I were finishing now, I would in any case be able to draw some line, since a lot has been done, but it is still far from the limit. There are still a lot of plans.

— Do you have a professional dream?

- So far, all my professional dreams are performing arts, performances that I have not done yet, but would like to do. I dream of both current performances and those that no one has staged yet, but I would like them to be staged especially for me, and I could embody a completely new image. For example, some character or plot unusual for ballet would be embodied, and I would be lucky to become the first performer.

— Is there a mission or purpose for your work? Do you want to convey something to the viewer?

- Undoubtedly. If I didn’t want to convey something, then I wouldn’t consider myself a ballerina. If there is no super-task, then it is not clear why engage in this profession. If nothing, then why? Every performer should ask himself this question, and I have always asked myself this question. If this question is not asked, and a person enters the stage for the very sake of the exit, then such art is worth nothing, it is nonsense and a craft in the bad sense of the word.

For me, any role is a story that I want to tell, and my main task is to correctly convey it to the viewer so that it is understood, and the performance was not in vain. Any art should enlighten...

There is also anti-art, which I have a negative attitude towards. To avoid anti-art, I don't want to do anything wrong. There are roles and plots that I will never take on, because I consider them morally low and useless. They give nothing to a person or set a bad example, a negative interpretation of life. That is why I am very disappointed in modern drama theater, because there is a lot of anti-art in it. And I see my mission in bringing something bright and useful.

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet"

Do you have a favorite role in which you fully reveal yourself?

- I can't pick one. Whatever role I do, especially from my many favorites, I am guided by the principle of Stanislavsky: "I am in the intended circumstances." I completely dissolve in the character, be it Margarita from The Lady of the Camellias, Juliet, Tatyana from Onegin. Each time I live a completely new life and try to be the one about whom the work was written. I don’t even bring anything of my own, I live it as if I myself were Tatyana Larina. All the advantages and disadvantages of the heroines wake up in me as the role is being prepared, because preparation is not a day or two, but a long painstaking work outside the walls of the rehearsal room: in my head, heart, soul. Every day you live the life of a new heroine. I completely dissolve in it and present to the world not myself, but her.

Did you have to sacrifice something along your professional path?

- Probably, as such, I did not have any victims. Maybe they were, but I don't think they are. There is nothing on such a large scale that I would regret and say that because of my profession I don’t have it. The profession is very dear to me, but the most important thing for a woman is to be a woman and have a family. I did not have to sacrifice this, thank God, so I do not regret anything.

Have you had any setbacks in your career?

- Failures, of course, were, and they were different. I am a person who tends to exaggerate, and exaggerates mostly negative points. It seems to me that I often go too far. Sometimes I attributed to failures what then, after proper reflection and evaluation, turned out to be a great success. Therefore, I believe that without “falls” no creative life is conceivable. Everything can not be painted in one white color. If a mistake happened once, then this is an occasion to rethink everything and avoid it next time.

- What is the most enjoyable part of your job?

- Of course, the reaction of the audience. The same energy return that occurs at the end. The whole performance you give strength to the audience, it seems that you give your whole life. In the end, all this returns doubly with applause, gratitude from the audience, who then meet at the service entrance or become fans. Perhaps this is the most beautiful and pleasant.

- What do you feel at the moment when you bow and the whole Grand Opera applauds you?

“You could probably call it euphoria. (Smiling).

— What is the most difficult thing in your work?

- Job. (Laughs). The hardest thing is not to be lazy. No matter what happens, no matter how bad or good you feel, whether you get sick or tired, get injured or your legs hurt, you still go and work. The ballet profession is this: if you miss a day - you lose shape, if you miss a week - consider yourself out of the loop. If you miss a month, then you break the body again to get back in shape. It is extremely difficult to reach the peak of ballet form, and then you have to constantly maintain it.

There are two hours of pure rehearsals a day, a daily one-hour class, a gym, work in the gym - constant exhausting physical exertion, not to mention emotional ones.

Ballet "Don Quixote"

- So you have at least five hours of training every day?

Yes, to sum it up, something like this. At 10-11 the class starts, it lasts an hour, in some theaters an hour and a half. The class is a very intensive exercise. After that, a two-hour rehearsal. Then a fitting on which you have to stand. Then another two hours of rehearsal. And perhaps in the evening after all this there will be a performance. If there is no performance, then at home before going to bed, you again need to do a series of exercises that keep fit.

I had two serious injuries - I keep my knees in shape all the time. I also go to a rehabilitation center where I do gymnastics and various procedures on special simulators. Very often, when I come home, I have neither the desire nor the time to do something else. And every day looks like this. For some, this may seem like torture by physical labor, but for us it is the norm of life.

If I have a day off, I can lie down all day and the next day I don’t even realize that I was resting. The body did not rest, but simply lay longer in a horizontal position, and I myself just slept.

- Common myths about tough and even cruel competition between ballerinas - true or fiction?

Probably no profession is without costs. It has both light and dark sides. I believe that in any profession in which there is a place for competition, whether it be an office worker, a ballerina, an actress, and someone else, there will be not the easiest relationship. Perhaps there really is no place for sincere friendship, although I have seen many examples where it was. But there's probably always room for a little competition.

I see the dignity of a colleague, I recognize them, and this does not even cause envy, but a desire to work on my own shortcomings. But it is unlikely that I will be sincerely friends with this person. Friendship is an intimate thing, you can entrust a friend with secrets, secrets, call at night asking for help. In ballet, I don't have girlfriends to call in the middle of the night or share my secrets, but that's the natural result of competition. However, I personally did not come across any meanness, meanness, glasses in pointe shoes, etc.

- How traumatic is ballet?

- Ballet is a very traumatic profession. There are light, complex, very complex injuries, there are occupational diseases. Often at the end of a career, ballerinas suffer from arthrosis, arthritis and similar diseases. Many suffer from back and spine problems. But even ordinary people have them, and for ballerinas, the load on the body is many times greater.

But then again - who works how, who takes care of himself. Some exploit the body in such a way, give themselves to the profession so much that by the age of forty they turn into “oldies”. A ballet person comes to any doctor, if he does not say that he is a ballet person, then the doctor is horrified by the deterioration of the joints, ligaments and the whole organism. If it is recognized that the ballet, then all questions are removed.

- If a child dreams of doing ballet, how to help, what to do and where to go to study?

- If a child wants to do ballet, then you need to understand this before the age of ten, because then it's too late. But regardless of age, you can send him to a dance club: not gymnastics, not sports, but dancing, so that he develops dance skills, acting skills, expressiveness, musicality - this is the most important thing. Perhaps it is best to send the child to a music school and a dance section. It is important to develop dance and musicality.

The second step is to enter a vocational school at the age of ten. You can come to the reception, they will look at the child and say whether he has data or not. If there is absolutely no data, then it is better not to make attempts to forcibly push the child into the school, since this threatens with injuries and personal tragedy. If a child is expelled in the process of studying, this is a much greater trauma than if he simply does not enter. I believe that it is worth going to ballet only if you have all the data and the desire of the child.

Ballet "Don Quixote"

— What would you advise future ballerinas who are now studying and dream of achieving your success?

- Work, work and work. Work, work and work. If there is a desire, then it should not be just a pink dream with which a girl runs around and says that she will be a ballerina. Behind these words there should be a very firm decision and not a childish character at all. At a very young age, you will have to be responsible and adult. If you have made such a serious decision, then now only work and move forward.

- How do ballerinas manage to combine such a tough character and amazing femininity?

Perhaps this is the secret of this art. Teachers have always told us that the viewer should not see your efforts. “You work a lot, perform unimaginable physical activities, but only in the gym you can show that you are tired, your eyes close, and you simply can’t do it anymore. On stage, no one should ever guess how hard everything gets. No matter how difficult the element you perform, no viewer should suspect that it is difficult.

Therefore, viewers often come and say: "You are so light, weightless." And many mothers want to send their girls to ballet. They think that there is nothing more beautiful than being a ballerina. Girls who are familiar with ballet understand how hard everything is given.

We are taught this. We must hide the work and effort expended. Therefore, we are taught for eight years - a very long time.

- Having so much endurance and determination, do you often cry?

“When I need to restrain myself, I will restrain myself in any condition. But if I'm alone and I don't have to hide my emotions in front of anyone, then I'm very sentimental and I can easily cry. Especially when I watch war films or hear war songs, it's worth hearing - I'm ready to cry. Here I sometimes cannot hide my tears, even in a public place. For example, on Victory Day ...

Are you nervous before going on stage?

- Yes, sure. Excitement changes all the time. Sometimes it's just like the first time. Sometimes I can dance a series of performances in a good mood with a feeling of complete self-confidence. Out of ten performances, nine will be confident, and on the tenth I will be shaking, as if I had never danced on stage. Amazing, I can't explain it. It happens very differently.

- If your child came to you and said that he dreamed of dancing in ballet, how would you react?

— I would react positively. If the child wants, then why not. I wouldn't go against it. But she did everything possible so that, firstly, the child had a short excursion into the world of ballet, and, secondly, he made his own decision. Plus, as a parent, I would talk about all the disadvantages of this profession and try to convey all the responsibility that he takes on.

- If you could change your profession by magic, would you do it and what would it be?

- If I changed it, it would only be for a dramatic actress, because I wanted to become one.

Ballet Swan Lake"

- Would you like to act in films or play in the theater in the future?

- Yeah, that would be nice. (Smiling). Certainly.

- Who?

- Probably ... Tatyana Larina has always attracted me. I would like to play her. (Smiling).

- Where do you see yourself in five years?

- In five years, first of all, I would like to become a mother. Secondly, I would like to succeed even more in my profession, to play roles that are not yet in the repertoire. To appear on yet unexplored venues and again perform where she has already been: Paris, London, New York, Milan.

- A few words of farewell to all lovers of ballet, theater and your fans ...

— I wish everyone a successful theatrical season. So that the choice of performances is always correct, so that they cause pleasure, bring something bright and useful. And just the most beautiful emotions from the theater. True theater-goers are very subtle people. It is important that there be more such people, more cultured people not with snobbery, but with an understanding of art.

- How can it be developed?

You need to understand what you like. When I was little, I tried to cultivate this taste. I took videos, attended performances, compared them. For example, I liked the young Rudolf Nureyev, I admired him. But Nureyev of advanced years did not impress me. I could not say about it, I was embarrassed, because he is an outstanding dancer. Later, I realized that everything was right with me, I learned to evaluate, compare, understand the difference and developed my own attitude to art.

Irina Zamotina talked to Evgenia

Photo: from the personal archive of Evgenia

Evgenia Obraztsova was born in Leningrad on January 18, 1984 in a family of ballet dancers. The choice of profession, initially, of course, made by the parents, was predetermined by restlessness and energy, combined with excellent data and obvious artistry of the girl. Moreover, the world of ballet was familiar and familiar to Evgenia from early childhood. Tied with a sash from a ballet robe (otherwise the child would certainly have been on stage, among the participants in the action), she revised the entire classical repertoire. However, by the time it was necessary to make a choice, Zhenya was seriously interested in drama theater. This love, which turned out to be the love of a lifetime, almost deprived the world of the ballerina Evgenia Obraztsova, but still the ballet, with its unity of theater and music, with its beauty of style and unique atmosphere, pulled the scales to its side. A significant role in this victory of the dance was played by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the first meeting with which Evgenia remembered for the rest of her life. Conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov - and his art that evening taught Obraztsova to hear and appreciate music. The Philharmonic for many years became her third home, a place where she came every evening after classes at the Academy of Russian Ballet. A. Ya. Vaganova.

The years spent at the ARB are meetings with several teachers who played an important role in shaping the style and character of the ballerina. The class in which Evgenia studied at different times was under the guidance of L. N. Sofronova, I. B. Zubkovskaya and M. A. Vasilyeva - and each of them brought something of her own, which eventually formed the individuality of the young ballerina. L. N. Sofronova, one of the last students of Vaganova, instilled in the girls the rules and a sense of the St. self confidence. It is impossible not to mention N. I. Tagunov, a native of the Moscow school, who achieved an impeccably pure dance technique from his students with the most severe discipline. Evgenia continues to work with ARB acting teacher A. A. Stepin to this day, with pleasure turning to him for help in preparing new parts.

In 2002, Evgenia graduated from the ARB and was accepted into one of the best troupes in the world - the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. Even at the school, Evgenia appeared on the stage more than once, but the creative biography of the soloist of the Mariinsky Theater Evgenia Obraztsova can be traced back to several important events in the life of a ballerina that happened during the 2002-2003 season. Firstly, in the first year of her work in the theater, she was invited to participate in the tour of the Mariinsky Theater in Paris. Secondly, at the request of the theater management, Ninel Alexandrovna Kurgapkina, a brilliant ballerina and teacher from God, took patronage over the young ballerina. The keeper of the Petersburg style, Ninel Alexandrovna prepared with Evgenia the roles of Shirin, Aurora, Sylphide, Maria, Giselle, Kitri and many others. But all this was later, but for now the third, fateful event of the first season of work at the Mariinsky Theater happened - the debut in Leonid Lavrovsky's Romeo and Juliet. The part of Juliet, which is still one of the most beloved in the ballerina's repertoire, was prepared by Evgenia with her teacher and with the help of ARB acting teacher A. A. Stepin for six months.

2004 began for Evgenia with the second significant party in her native theater. She became the one that many now consider the hallmark of a ballerina. Yevgenia and Ninel Aleksandrovna prepared La Sylphide with the participation of S. Berezhny, the keeper of the traditions of this performance at the Mariinsky Theatre. Preparation for the party was very painstaking, Evgenia and her teachers strived to ensure that this Sylph was a model of the St. Petersburg style. In general, the city on the Neva means a lot to the actress Obraztsova. It was not in vain that Petipa created his famous, translucent descent of shadows in La Bayadere, inspired precisely by the images of St. Petersburg, a city saturated with music, poetry, a little distant and cold, but one of the most romantic cities in the world. The airiness, poetry of the heroines of Obraztsova comes from her hometown.

The same year 2004 was the year of another very important part in the ballerina's career - Shirin in Y. Grigorovich's ballet "The Legend of Love". This party was the only one that Ninel Alexandrovna, who once received Shirin from the hands of Grigorovich, asked for her student. Kurgapkina loved this game very much and demanded from Evgenia the utmost precision in observing the details.

2005 is another very serious milestone in the career of a ballerina. Evgenia won a gold medal at the Moscow International Competition. Arriving at the competition on her own, not counting on anyone's support, Obraztsova outperformed her strong rivals and won. This medal, formulated as a goal even at graduation from the school, opened the way for Evgenia to the international stage. In 2005, Evgenia Obraztsova was invited on a solo tour for the first time. The first experience was the then debut "Sleeping Beauty" edited by K. Sergeev in the USA. In the same year, an invitation from the Rome Opera followed and a complex, very interesting work on Carla Fracci's Cinderella. Later, in 2006 and 2010. Evgenia Obraztsova again became a guest soloist of the Rome Opera (2006 - Margarita in Faust by Luciano Cannito, 2010 - Giselle, revised by Carla Fracci). If we continue talking about Italy, then we cannot but note two more very important events related to this country in the career of a ballerina. In 2006, Evgenia was invited to participate in the famous project of world stars Roberto Bolle and friends and made her debut as part of this project on the stage of Milan's La Scala theater, and in 2007 she first performed at the famous Arena di Verona, where she danced at the invitation of Maria The Graces of Garofoli. 2005 also brought an interesting experience of filming - Evgenia tried her hand at the camera in the film Les poupees russes (Pretty Women) directed by French director Cedric Klapish.

2006 was marked by a whole kaleidoscope of premieres. For the first time, Evgenia danced Maria in The Fountain of Bakhchisaray, the long-awaited role of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, tried a completely new plastique for herself, dancing Cinderella in the choreography of Alexei Ratmansky. Finally, 2006 is the year of the premiere of "Ondine" by Pierre Lacotte, the first performance that was staged directly with the ballerina. Unusual for the Russian style, fine French technique, health problems that significantly complicated the last rehearsals and the premiere - all this the ballerina managed to step over so easily and naturally that the viewer, who had no idea of ​​anything, could only admire the virtuosity and airiness of the ballerina and, together with the hero of Leonid Sarafanov to experience a tragic denouement. This role brought Exemplary the main theatrical award of the country - the Golden Mask.

2007 gave Evgenia Obraztsova and her fans a meeting with Giselle. Not as often as the audience would like, Evgenia appears in this part, perhaps the main part of the romantic repertoire, but every time her heroine changes, her inner world becomes deeper, it is more and more difficult for the audience to hold back tears, experiencing the death of the heroine in the first act and later admiring the resilience of her immortal soul.

And in 2008 - unexpected for many and even more joyful luck - the part of Kitri in the ballet Don Quixote. Infrequently, even cheerful ballet heroines manage to survive or find happiness by the end of the performance, Kitri is one of the few happy exceptions. A completely different actress opened up to the audience - playful, light, but with a strong character, a classic St. Petersburg ballerina, but with a real southern temperament. Shortly after the premiere of Kitri on her native stage, Evgenia received an invitation to dance her in Don Quixote, edited by Sergei Vikharev, with the Tokyo ANB Ballet troupe.

The Japanese Don Quixote is one of the many collaborations between Obraztsova and Vikharev. She danced Flora in Flora's Awakening, Colombina in Carnival, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty in his editions of the ballets.

2009 turned out to be both joyful and very sad for the ballerina. The tragic death of N. A. Kurgapkina put an end to the eight-year creative union, which presented the audience with amazing depth and accuracy of the ballerina's work. But 2009 brought new roles, first of all, the first duet of the play “In the Night” by Robbins and the part of Syuimbike in R. Yakobson’s ballet “Shurale”, it also became the year of the beginning of a new creative community - with teacher Elvira Tarasova. And another, very important event in the life of a ballerina happened in 2009. Evgenia danced Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty - for the first time as a guest soloist on the stage of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she had previously danced many times as part of a gala and on tour of the Mariinsky Theater . Despite the fact that Aurora has long been listed in Obraztsova's repertoire, she needed to master both the new version and the English ballet style, which is significantly different from the Russian one. Judging by the reviews of critics and viewers, Evgenia coped with this task brilliantly, putting another conquered scene of the world into her piggy bank.

Among the peaks taken, one cannot fail to note the stage of the Berlin National Opera, where Evgenia twice acted as a participant in the ambitious Malakhov and Friends project, as well as the stage of the Moscow Musical Theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, whose guest soloist Evgenia has been since 2010.

The result of Obraztsova's cooperation with MAMT was, in particular, the first meeting of the ballerina with the work of the wonderful choreographer Jiri Kilian: on the stage of this theater, Evgenia performed the part from his famous ballet "Little Death". Also in 2010 on the stage of the Moscow Musical Theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Evgenia danced the ballet "Giselle" in a duet with one of her favorite partners: the étoile of the Paris National Opera Mathieu Ganio. This invitation was preceded by the Etoiles Gala au Japon project, where Evgenia danced for the first time (in a duet with Ganio) a duet from the ballet Romeo and Juliet directed by C. MacMillan. Within the framework of the same project, the premiere of Pierre Lacotte's ballet to the music of M. Legrand "The Three Musketeers" took place, where Evgenia performed the part of Constance. Eugenia's partners in this performance, which so far only spectators in Japan could see, were such world ballet stars as Matthias Aymann, Benjamin Pesch, Mathieu Ganio, Alexander Ryabko, Jiri Bubenichek.

2011 was undoubtedly the year of Swan Lake for the ballerina. Obraztsova prepared this part, probably the most important and most difficult in the repertoire of a classical ballerina, for more than half a year. The premiere took place in April 2011 on the stage of the Moscow Musical Theatre. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, whose repertoire includes Vladimir Burmeister's stage version, one of the most interesting and at the same time difficult versions of this ballet. In the role of Odette-Odile, Eugenia again had to fight with ideas about roles - and won. Her Odette, for all the touchingness, fragility, for all the desperation of her story, is a character of royal blood. Not an imperious, strong leader, but a fragile flower, who knew only beauty and love in life and was ruthlessly torn out of her world. And in striking contrast with this embodiment of tenderness - the cold, prudent bitch Odile. Her shining eyes are like sunbeams flying from an indifferent and cold mirror, she looks like a diamond, a cold stone, whose virtuoso cut cannot but fascinate and whose radiance makes you forget that the stone is not capable of giving warmth. And it seemed that the ballerina would no longer be able to enter the final of the performance as the former Odette. She was not her. Odette of the fourth act is a completely different kind of despair. This is not a girl torn from the familiar world, this is a woman with a broken heart. There are no desperate passions in this Odette, there is destiny. She no longer looks at the prince as a hero of the liberator. She accepts him for who he is. They both went through the test of loyalty. And she held her own. And so the spell was broken. She no longer needs wings, love replaces them. The change of masks - between Odette and Odile and inside the image of Odile was simply amazing, perhaps the main, precisely the acting achievement of this performance. Evgenia was able to achieve what few succeed: she got completely different images, and it’s impossible to say with certainty which one is closer to the seemingly obvious role of a ballerina.

Another important premiere for the ballerina in 2011 also took place on the MAMT stage. Evgenia happily continued her long-term collaboration with the French choreographer Pierre Lacotte: in December 2011, Obraztsova danced the Russian premiere of his version of the La Sylphide ballet. The French "Sylphide", of course, is a relative of the Danish "Sylphide", but, by and large, the relative is quite distant. The music, the choreographic text, and even the image of the air maiden in this ballet are completely different. The French Sylph is a real femme fatale, a magical creature behind whose gentle smile hides serious passions. These passions eventually burn both her and her unfortunate lover (Thiago Bordin from the Hamburg Ballet became Yevgenia's partner at the premiere), but before that she manages to weave for the viewer an amazing lace of small steps characteristic of the French style of dance.

In October 2011, Evgenia Obraztsova first tried on the role of a ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, dancing on its stage as a guest ballerina. For the debut, the party was chosen in, probably the most Moscow ballet from the repertoire of BT - Kitri. Basil for Evgenia was the soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Vladislav Lantratov.

Finally, in 2011, Obraztsova first tried herself in the genre of a television show, taking part in the Bolero Channel 1 project, which brought together ballerinas and figure skaters. Evgenia's partner was the famous figure skater Maxim Stavissky. Despite the ambiguity of the project, it nevertheless turned out to be a useful experiment and gave the ballerina a new social circle and new fans.

Despite the fact that 2012 has just begun, it can already be called one of the most important in the career of a ballerina. Since January 2012, Evgenia Obraztsova has been the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater. As part of this status, she has already danced Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (edited by Y. Grigorovich), made her debut as Anyuta in the ballet of the same name and danced the Sylphide (edited by J. Kobborg).

Ahead - many more wonderful roles, unexpected images and gifts for the audience.

The ballerina does not seek to limit herself to a narrow role, listen to stereotypes and follow conservative habits. The main thing for an actress is to live, to play a role so that the viewer believes what they see on stage. Among the heroines of Obraztsova are both strong-willed women and fabulous, naive characters, they do not look like one another. Today - touching Sylphide, tomorrow graphic Terpsichore, the day after tomorrow - playful Kitri, turning from a girl into a grand lady in one performance - all these images are so far from each other. But if the ballerina - the actress - is convincing in these stories, far from each other, is this not evidence that the role is not a stereotype, but those roles that you feel, that you live, that you can tell the viewer?

Text by Maya Farafonova