The Dutch National Ballet announced today that Olga Smirnova, a star dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, will be joining the Amsterdam-based company as a principal, effective immediately. Victor Caixeta, a Brazilian-born soloist with the Mariinsky Ballet, will also be joining DNB. Both dancers will make their debuts in the company’s upcoming premiere of Raymonda. Smirnova, […]
This story originally appeared in the February/March 2016 issue of Pointe. Olga Smirnova’s first three seasons at the Bolshoi Ballet were a whirlwind of debuts and creations, but it all came to a halt in 2014, when a foot injury took the Vaganova-trained prodigy out of action for nearly a year. During her break, Smirnova […]
This story originally appeared in the February/March 2015 issue of Pointe. Bolshoi Ballet leading soloist Olga Smirnova has performed the world over, and nowhere is it more apparent than inside her dance bag. First, there’s the huge bag itself, a souvenir from the annual Dance Open Festival in St. Petersburg. And she picked up her […]
Like most theaters, the Bolshoi was shut down due to the coronavirus. What are your strategies for coping mentally in self-isolation? It didn’t occur to me that it would take this long. In a way, it has been a unique chance to try new things. Each day, I can take a ballet class online from […]
The past few weeks have brought another exciting round of dancer career news—check out the latest farewells, appointments, promotions, and more in 2025’s first ballet roster roundup. Promotions and Appointments After 17 years with The Royal Ballet, Melissa Hamilton has been promoted to principal, effective January 1. The Lithuanian National Ballet has announced that Jurgita […]
If you’ve ever wished it were appropriate to eat popcorn at the ballet, you’re in luck. This month, you’ll have the chance to experience a full-length ballet at your local cinema. Paris Opéra Ballet’s production of Swan Lake will be shown in IMAX theaters from November 8–10, 2024. This production is the first ballet filmed […]
The past few weeks have brought another exciting round of dancer career news—check out the latest farewells, appointments, promotions, and more in this month’s ballet roster roundup. Promotions and Appointments At Stuttgart Ballet, Henrik Erikson and Gabriel Figueredo have been promoted to principal; Mizuki Amemiya to soloist; and Aiara Iturrioz Rico, Edoardo Sartori, Aoi Sawano, […]
Bunheads, grab your popcorn. On Sunday, January 21, Dutch National Ballet will present a special screening of Giselle at hundreds of movie theaters across the country, with select encore presentations on January 24. The film will star principals Olga Smirnova and Jacopo Tissi in the roles of Giselle and Albrecht, respectively, with soloist Floor Eimers […]