Iana Salenko
Principal Dancer with the Staatsballet Berlin
Dance Open: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018Dance Open Award: Grand Prix 2012, Miss Virtuosity 2013, Best Duet 2014
She was born in Kiev. Graduated from Pisarev Ballet School in Donetsk and entered the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theater. In 2002 joined the National Opera in Kiev as a Principal Dancer. In 2005 joined the Staatsballett Berlin as a demi-soloist, in 2006 was promoted one year later to soloist and in 2007 to first soloist. The winner of 5 gold medals in international ballet competitions in Kiev, Vienna, Perm, Helsinki and Nagoya. Prize winner of «Deutscher Tanzpreis Zukunft» (2010) and other awards. Her roles — almost all main classical parts: Giselle, Princess Aurora, Odette/Odile, Kitri, Gamzatti, Juliet, Cinderella, Esmeralda, Medora and others. In high demand in different countries as a participant of international galas.
Denis Savin
Leading Soloist with Bolshoi Theatre of Russia Honoured artist of Russia
Dance Open: 2015, 2017
His career started progressing rapidly soon after the graduation from the Moscow State Choreographic Academy. He joined the Bolshoi Theatre and started dancing solo roles in the very first year with the company, and in the second year — the title role of Prokofiev’s Romeo in the production by Radu Poklitaru and Declan Donnellan. It was Savin who starred in the premiere night of this production.
Denis Savin’s repertoire is very versatile. He tends to perform bright, passionate characters, such as Abderakhman in Raimonda, Carabosse in the Sleeping Beauty, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. In 2015 he performed two non-ordinary characters — the title role in Hamlet by D. Donnelan and R. Poklitaru to the music by D. Shostakovich and Grushnitskу in A Hero of Our Time (music by I. Demutsky, choreography by Y. Possokhov, directed by K. Serebrennikov). He became the first performer of both roles on the stage of the Bolshoi.
Apart from the classical repertoire he also participates in modern productions In 2007 he appeared in the ballet Old Ladies Falling Out to music by L. Desyatnikov (choreography by A. Ratmansky), which was shown at the Territory Festival and the Studio of New Choreography workshop.
In 2011 he participated in the joint project of the Bolshoi Theatre and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (Remansos to music by E. Granados, choreography by N. Duato; Fractus to music by R. Chatham, choreography by K. Armitage).
He received the Golden Mask Award for his performance in Herman Schmerman.
The actress fascinates us with her accurate posing, tenderness and some special cantilena in lines of her neck, shoulders and hands
Oxana Skorik
Principal Dancer of the Mariinsky Theatre
Dance Open: 2016, 2018
Born in Kharkov (Ukraine). Graduated from the Perm Choreography School in 2007 and joined the Mariinsky Ballet the same year. Her repertoire includes many famous roles, such as Nikiya and Giselle, Medora and Raymonda, Odette-Odile and Kitri. She is equally good when performing femme fatal, as Carmen or Mekhmene Banu, romantic characters, as Juliet or Masha from the Nutcracker, or restless loving women, as Marguerite Gautier or Anna Karenina. She is praised for her “natural lyrics”, graceful arabesques and the ability to turn dance into “visible music”. Recipient of the Spirit of Dance Prize as the Rising Star (2012), prize-winner at the XII International Ballet Dancers’ and Choreographers’ Competition in Moscow (II prize, 2013), recipient of the Léonide Massine Prize in the category “Emerging Talent on the International Scene” (Positano, Italy, 2014).
Alexandre Riabko
Principal Dancer of the Hamburg Ballet
Dance Open: 2014
Born in Kiev. Entered the Academy of Ballet, then received education at The School of The Hamburg Ballet. In 1996 joined The Hamburg Ballet, since 1999 became a Soloist, since 2001 Principal Dancer. Finalist of the Prix de Lausanne, laureate of Dr. Wilhelm-Oberdorffer-Prize and Les Etoiles de Ballet 2000 Dance Award. His repertoire includes leading roles in many John Neumeier’s ballets: Vaslaw Nijinsky (Nijinsky), Mordred (The Saga of King Arthur), Armand Duval and Des Grieux (Lady of the Camellias), Don Juan (Don Juan), Parzival (Parzival), Prince (A Cinderella Story), Treplev (Seagull), Orpheus (Orpheus) and others. Also perform ballets by F. Ashton, G. Balanchine, J. Robbins, N. Makarova, J. Cranko, M. Ek and others. Toured in many countries.
When Sarah was 5, she joined the Dublin Ballet School, famous for its wonderful tutors and the high level of teaching. Upon the graduation from it at the age of 15 she entered Dorothy Stevens School of Dance and later the Central School of Ballet in London.
After one year with Opéra Théâtre de Metz (France) and two years with Saarlandisches Staatstheater (Germany) she decides to move on further and gets through an enormous competition to enter NDT 2.
In this legendary “breeding ground” of the world choreography Sarah worked so hard that once she turned 23 and her internship at NDT 2 was over, she was invited to enter NDT 1, the main ballet company of the theatre. According to Reynolds, in this moment she realized what it means when the dream comes true.
Performing at NDT 1, the most prominent modern ballet company of the world, is a very hard work that requires an absolute dedication and constant overcoming of oneself. Nevertheless, for more than 10 years Sarah Reynolds has been one of the brightest stars in this outstanding ballet company.
