The Irina Kolesnikova London Season has been extended twice – seven extra performances have been added!



From 13 to 23 August on the stage of the prestigious London Coliseum, a theatre which is part of Great Britain’s theatrical heritage, Irina Kolesnikova will present her personal season for the first time. The Konstantin Tachkin Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s Prima Ballerina is well known to the British public due to her previous brilliant performances at the Royal Albert Hall, a venue of several thousand seats. This is the first time however, that a London audience will witness the Irina Kolesnikova Season project which has captivated, for example, French audiences long ago. Irina is the only contemporary Russian ballerina who has now eight times brought to the French capital her personal season featuring partners who are stars from the world’s leading ballet theatres.



In March 2015 Irina returned to the Paris stage after the birth of her daughter, an event which is always a huge experience for any ballerina. The famous London critic, President of the Association of British dance critics and former professional dancer, Jeffrey Taylor, who has been following Irina’s creative path for a long time, made a special journey to Paris to see the return of the Saint Petersburg ballerina to the stage. Having watched Swan Lake at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées the Sunday Express observer remarked that after the birth of her daughter the Russian ballerina’s dancing had become even more profound.



“This is the best Odette/Odile that I have seen and I’ve been watching ballet for the last half century. The music emanates from her not the orchestra; there is the impression that she is the music. This is a very rare thing”.



Now Jeffrey Taylor and the other British connoisseurs of classical ballet will not have to cross the Channel to enjoy Irina Kolesnikova’s technical mastery and dramatic talent. All they will have to do is to go and see the ballerina’s personal season in London from 13 to 23 August. Having witnessed the public’s increased interest, the organizers twice took the decision to extend Irina’s season resulting in seven extra performances in London’s biggest theatre which has two and a half thousand seats. The Irina Kolesnikova Season at the London Coliseum will open with Swan Lake: the role of Odette/Odile has long been the ballerina’s signature role. This is, moreover, to be seen as an offering to the great Russian composer, Peter Tchaikovsky whose 175th year is being celebrated by the world’s musical theatre public. Irina’s partners in Swan Lake will be Covent Garden’s soloist Vadim Muntagirov and the Bolshoi Ballet star Denis Rodkin. Denis will also partner Irina in La Bayadère. Even after the first rehearsal, both dancers have remarked upon Irina’s amazing responsiveness as a partner and her professionalism which facilitates finding a common language for the duets.



It is an interesting fact that this year on 30 June Vasilina, Irina Kolesnikova’s and Konstantin Tachkin’s daughter will be one year old. The little girl has travelled the world with her parents literally since her first months. After Istanbul, Finland and the triumphant Spring season in Paris, Vasilina set off with her mother for South Africa, Singapore and Australia. In Irina’s words her daughter’s presence makes her even more disciplined – time is planned to the minute. Vasilina takes the long flights in her stride and, in the opinion of her parents, traveling accelerates her development – the changing countries, cities and faces are all good for her.



The fiesta of Russian classical ballet will take place in London on the stage of the London Coliseum from 13 to 23 August 2015. Within the framework of the Irina Kolesnikova Season two ballets, Swan Lake and La Bayadère will be performed – 11 shows in all.



The cast:



Irina Kolesnikova

Denis Rodkin, Bolshoi

Vadim Muntagirov, Royal Ballet

Kimin Kim, Mariinski

Natalia Matsak, National Opera of Ukraine

SPBT`s press office : +7 911 1390035

St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) has returned to its home city after its overseas tour. South Africa, Australia and Singapore have all been captivated by the artistry of the Saint Petersburg dancers. Next up – London and Tokyo. Eight weeks, 51 performances, 82 thousand seats filled – these are the bald figures which only illustrate the size of the tour. The audiences’ emotions, however, were expressed in the standing ovations, full houses and the local press reports.



It is especially the corps de ballet that impresses with notable unison and fine-tuned synergy. They move as a unified force with exceptional precision and astonishing flair.



The most outstanding quality of the cast is their ability to characterise. Each and every dancer presents a character that communicates distinctively and collectively contributes to a very enjoyable, entertaining performance.



Irina Kolesnikova, as Giselle, is a force to be reckoned with. Her individuality as a ballerina has made her quite a phenomenon. Technically, her dancing is flawless and her artistry breathtaking. It is, however, her personality that sweeps one off your feet.

The Star – Pinto Ferreira – 12th May 2015 – Johannesburg, South Africa



It was in May that South African audiences, already well acquainted with the Konstantin Tachkin Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre, met the company again. Giselle, Don Quixote and Swan Lake were performed in Johannesburg and the country’s second city, the port of Cape Town. This is already the company’s fourth tour of South Africa and was accorded the same unchanging fascination by the public. There were 13 performances in Johannesburg and 9 in Cape Town. The main roles were danced by the company’s Prima Ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova and its soloists Anna Samostrelova, Lyudmila Mizinova, Dmitry Akulinin, Yuri Mirov and Mikhail Tkachuk.



Following South Africa the company made the acquaintance of the inhabitants of Singapore the first time this island state had encountered classical ballet from Russia’s northern capital. It was a successful debut. Instead of the planned five performances SPBT gave eight. 13,500 visitors came to the shows. On 29 May Singapore’s main newspaper, The Straits Times, printed an article in which Irina Kolesnikova’s performance was given special mention:



Irina Kolesnikova is a regal dancer schooled in the Russian tradition, with an expressive back and secure classical technique. She lends her white swan an athletic boldness, but with crucial mime sequences replaced by dancing, there is too much back story to fill in even with the passion she imbues.



Kolesnikova undergoes a remarkable transformation in the ballet's third act, portraying Odile with a previously unseen attack and cunning coquettishness.



Another debut happened this time in Australia. The company performed in Melbourne for the first time, a city which is often referred to as Australia’s cultural capital. In the words of Konstantin Tachkin, the company’s founder, it was a nervous time. After all, the promoters had chosen open air venues holding over 2400 people. The success, however, was plain to see. 20 thousand people came to the shows and five (!) extra performances were added. Perth is another Australian city well acquainted with the Saint Petersburg company’s creative output. Its public welcomed the artists for the fourth time. Only two of Australia’s major cities were able to enjoy the classics of Russian ballet – Swan Lake and Giselle were performed in Perth and Melbourne.



SPBT’s busy ballet season continues in August in London on the stage of the world famous Coliseum a theatre which is part of Great Britain’s theatrical heritage and which is the home of the English National Opera. The very last lap of this touring marathon will be the Irina Kolesnikova Season which will be extended by seven extra performances. Now the season is to begin a few days earlier and will last from 13 to 23 August. The London Coliseum is the capital’s biggest theatre seating around 2500 people. Konstantin Tachkin’s Prima Ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova will dance her favourite roles in the ballets Swan Lake and La Bayadère together with the company and specially invited star ballet partners



Japan is next for Konstantin Tachkin’s ballet company. From 2 to 6 September as part of the Irina Kolesnikova Season two masterpieces by Tchaikovsky (whose anniversary takes place this year) will be performed in Tokyo namely Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. The performances will take place on the stage of the Bunkamura Orchard Hall, one of the most prestigious venues in the Japanese capital.