Evgenia Obraztsova

Evgenia Obraztsova
Obraztsova at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 2009
Born	(1984-01-18) 18 January 1984 (age 33) St. Petersburg, Russia
Occupation	Ballerina
Current group	Mariinsky Theatre Bolshoi Theatre

Evgenia Obraztsova (Russian: Евгения Образцова), born on 18 January 1984 in St. Petersburg, is a Russian ballerina.

She is Prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, and with the Mariinsky Ballet as well.

Evgenia Obraztsova was born into a family of dancers, as her mother studied under Natalia Dudinskaya and was a member of the company at the Moussorgski Theatre. Obraztsova discovered her dance talents early and passed the entrance exams for the Vaganova School, which trains young dancers in preparation for joining the Mariinsky troupe.

Evgenia Obraztsova graduated from the Vaganova Academy in 2002, having studied with Marina Vasilieva, before joining the Mariinsky company and rapidly proceeding through the ranks, protected and guided by a previous ballet star, the renowned Ninel Kurgapkina. Obraztsova soon learned by reading one of the theater brochures that she had been promoted from "Corps de ballet" to Coryphee (Ballerina) - no one at the theater had informed her of her promotion.

During the 2005/2006 season, she continued to advance, and was offered opportunities to dance in three ballets created for her.

In November, Carla Fracci (director of the ballet of the Rome Opera) invited her to perform in Cinderella. In March, the leading French choreographer Pierre Lacotte chose her for the title role in the reconstruction of the ballet Ondine, and two months later, she returned to Rome to dance in Faust by Luciano Cannito.

Inspired by artists such as Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina, and Aurélie Dupont, Obrastzova was lauded for creating genuine interpretations, sensitive and intelligent for the key roles. She was particularly acclaimed for her work in Romeo and Juliet.