9.00pm, Friday 6 August 2010, Piazza Signorelli (open air)
Performing with Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Berloserkovsky
Silvia Azzoni
Born in Turin, Italy, in 1973, Silvia Azzoni initially studied in her hometown and then at the School of Hamburg Ballet, where she later joined the company in 1993. She was promoted to soloist in 1996 and to principal in 2001. Her main teachers were Dragica Zach, Marianne Kruuse, Ilse Wiedmann and Kevin Haigen.
Among others roles, she created Woman in Stephan Thoss's Rennen hinter dem was flieht, solos in John Neumeier's Time after Time from Images from Bartok, Messiah and Winterreise and in Christopher Wheeldon's VIII.
Her repertoire includes:
Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Marie in The Nutcracker, Cinderella and A Stepsister in A Cinderella Story, Giselle, Peasant Pas de deux and Moyna in Giselle, Romola Nijinsky in Nijinsky, The Little Mermaid in The Little Mermaid, Elaine in The Saga of King Arthur, The Other - Ingrid, The green One, Anitra in Peer Gynt (by John Neumeier), La Sylphide in La Sylphide and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (Mats Ek).
She has appeared as guest in Munich, Moscow, Ludwigsburg, Warsaw, Milano, Tokyo, Vienna, Italy, New York, St. Petersburg and Australia.
She also worked on Donya Feuer's documentary: "The Work of Utopia".
Her awards include the Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer Prize, the “Danza & Danza Prize 2004” – Best Italian Dancer Abroad, the Rolf Mares Prize for the Hamburg Theatre 2006/2007 in the category “Outstanding Performance” for The Little Mermaid, and the “Benois de la Danse 2008” for her performance of the main role in The Little Mermaid.
Oleksandr Ryabko
He was born in Kiev, Ukrainian, in 1978. He studied in Kiev and at the School of Hamburg Ballet. His main teachers are Vladimir Denisenko, Anatoli Nisnevich, and Kevin Haigen. He joined the Hamburg Ballet in 1996, was promoted to soloist in 1999 and to principal in 2001.
He created The young Man in Stephan Thoss's Rennen hinter dem was flieht, solos in John Neumeier's Winter Ways from Images from Bartok, Messiah and Winterreise and in Christopher Wheeldon's VIII.
His repertoire includes:The War in Odysee, Philostrat/Puck and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Armand Duval and Des Grieux in The Lady of the Camellias, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Prince Désiré, Catalabutte and Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty, Günter and Fritz in The Nutcracker, The Prince in A Cinderella Story, Edvard/the Prince in The Little Mermaid, Count Alexander in Illusions - like "Swan Lake", Vaslaw Nijinsky in Nijinsky, Albert and Peasant Pas de deux in Giselle and Solor in La Bayadère.
He has appeared as guest in Dresden, Prague, Düsseldorf, Munich (Easter Concert 2004), Japan (Ballet World Festival 2005 and 2006), Vienna (New Year's Concert 2006), Cremona, Verona, Macerata, Taormina (Alessandra Ferri and Friends), Italy (Roberto Bolle and Friends Galas, Alessandra Ferri's Farewell Gala), Berlin (Malakov and Friends Gala), St. Petersburg (Open Dance Festival) and Australia.He was a finalist at the "Prix de Lausanne" and has won the Dr. Wilhelm-Oberdörffer-Prize.
Dmitry Gudanov
Dmitry Gudanov completed his studies in his hometown at the Moscow Choreographic Academy, where he studied with Leonid Zhdanov. As a member of the Bolshoi Theatre, he has danced the major repertoire roles of ballet.
Gudanov took part in the Bolshoi Theatre's New Year Premieres of works by young choreographers and participated in the Bolshoi Theatre’s Studio of New Choreography project. Gudanov is the creator of the title role in Lavrovsky's ballet Nijinsky to music by Rachmaninov.
In 1988, he appeared in Dreams of Japan in Japan, Georgia and during a Bolshoi Theatre season in Petersburg at the Maryinsky Theatre. He took part in an international festival devoted to the 50th anniversary of the National Ballet of Cuba. He has appeared at the Ballets Russes Celebration Festival, in New Orleans and participated in the international Stars of World Ballet Festival. In Toronto, he danced Albrecht in two premiere performances of a Canadian Ballet Theatre production of Giselle and has appeared there as The Nutcracker-Prince with Canadian Ballet Theatre. Gudanov is a regular participant in the international Stars of the 21st Century project, organized by the Canadian impresarios Nadia Veselova Tencer and Solomon Tencer. In 2003, he danced in Chopiniana at the Rudolph Nureyev International Festival of Classical Ballet in Kazan. In addition to which, he has appeared at international ballet festivals and gala-concerts in France, the USA, Korea and Latvia.
Gudanov won first prize at the International Competition for Ballet Dancers, in Paris, was awarded the Moscow Debuts Festival prize for his debuts in Fantasy on a Theme of Casanova, Paganini and Dreams of Japan and was awarded Ballet Magazine's Soul of Dance prize. In 2005, Gudanov was awarded the title of Merited Artist of the Russian Federation.
Marianna Ryzhkina
Marianna Ryzhkina was born in Moscow, graduated in 1989 from the Moscow Ballet School and was later invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet Company. She was soon entrusted with important solo parts and in a few years time she became a Bolshoi Ballet principal. She is a ‘Merited’ artist of Russia.
Her repertoire includes Kitry in Don Quixote, Marie in The Nutcracker, Sylphide in La Sylphide, Odette-Odile in the Swan Lake, the title role in the Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Shirin in The Legend of Love, Little Radish in Chipollino, the Waltz in Chopiniana, Pas de deux to music by Auber and Lise in La fille mal gardee. She created the role of Katarina in the Bolshoi’s 1996 production of The Taming of the Shrew and performed in the premiere of Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Tarantella, Tchaikovsky’s Pas de deux.
Ms. Ryzhkina was a prizewinner at the Serge Lifar Competition in Kiev in 1994, and at the Competition of Ballet Dancers in Osaka in 1995. She has appeared as guest artist with ballet companies, dancing Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and other works. She won the 2004 “Golden Lyre” competition as “Face of the Year - in the field of dance.
Ms. Ryzhkina has made guest appearances in galas and Festivals all over Europe. Specifically, she performed the part of Carmen from the Carmen Suite, La rose malade, Pahita and La Bayadere in the Metropolitan Ballet Company of Fort Worth, USA.
Ms. Ryzhkina has two children.
Yevgenia Obraztsova
Born in Leningrad, Yevgena Obraztsova graduated from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 2002. Later that year, she joined the Mariinsky Ballet Company with whom she continues to tour internationally and perform the major roles of the ballet repertoire, some for the first time in the history of the company.
In 2005, Ms. Obraztsova made her debut at the Opera di Roma in Cinderella, where she also later danced as Margherita in the premiere of Faust to music by Franz Liszt. In 2007, she made her debut at the Arena di Verona and also performed in the gala concert Roberto Bolle and Friends at La Scala in Milan. In 2008, she made her debut with NBA Ballet (Tokyo) in the ballet Don Quixote . The same year she was invited by Vladimir Malakhov to make her debut performance at the Berliner Staatsoper in the concert Malakhov and Friends. In 2009, she made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in The Sleeping Beauty as Princess Aurora. Since 2006, she has been a regular participant at the International Rudolf Nureyev Ballet Festival in Kazan. She has appeared in Les poupées russes (art film directed by Cédric Klapisch, France, 2005) and Ballerina (a documentary dedicated to ballerinas of the Mariinsky Theatre, directed by Bertrand Normand). Ms. Obraztsova is the prize-winner of numerous European dance awards. She also received the Golden Mask 2007, Russia’s most prestigious theatre prize, for “Best female role in ballet”; the medal For Achievements in Culture from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Spirit of Dance prize from Ballet magazine, both in 2009.
Andrei Yermakov
Born in Leningrad, Andrei Yermakov graduated from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 2005. That same year he joined the famous Mariinsky Ballet Company with which he has toured to the UK, Germany and China. His repertoire includes La Sylphide (Young men); Le Corsaire (Ali); The Sleeping Beauty (Bridegrooms of the Princess); Raymonda (Beranger, Bernard, Grand pas); The Firebird (Ivan Tsarevich); he Fountain of Bakhchisarai (Vaslav, Young men); Romeo and Juliet (Servants to Montague); George Balanchine’s Serenade, Jewels (Emeralds, Diamonds), La Valse; The Little Humpbacked Horse (Horses) – choreography by Alexei Ratmansky; The Magic Nut (Polish Suitors) – production by Mihail Chemiakin, choreography by Donvena Pandoursky; The Golden Age (Athletes) – choreography by Noah D. Gelber; Donvena Pandoursky’s, Metaphysics (Colorful drops), The Meek One (Doubled of the Man), Le Sacre du printemps (Elves); Aria Suspended – choreography by Peter Quanz; Shurale (Ali-Batyr)
