Multiple award-winning ballerina Natalia Osipova will soon take on a programme of new contemporary work commissioned by herself and produced by Sadler’s Wells. The programme will feature work by renowned contemporary choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Russell Maliphant and Arthur Pita, and run from 29 June to 3 July.
The trio of choreographers will create pieces inspired by Osipova for the production, which will go on to visit the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh as part of the 2016 Edinburgh International Festival in August. Currently a Principal with the Royal Ballet, Osipova will be joined on stage by Sergei Polunin, which marks the first time that they will have danced together in the UK, amongst much romantic speculation.
Russian dancer Osipova joined the company in 2013 after her guest appearance in Swan Lake, and has performed lead roles in Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée and DGV: Danse à grande vitesse. She began her formal ballet training at the age of eight, before joining the Bolshoi Ballet at 18. She has also danced with American Ballet Theatre and Mikhailovsky Ballet, and has appeared as a guest artist with companies around the world, such as American Ballet Theatre.
In terms of the new programme of works, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and Artistic Director of Royal Ballet of Flanders Cherkaoui will create Qutb, a new trio for Osipova and two male dancers. It will combine Cherkaoui’s trademark mix of movement vocabularies, musical genres and cultures. Cherkaoui is acknowledged as one of Europe’s most exciting choreographers.
Maliphant will create a new duet for Osipova and Polunin, as one of the longest-standing Associate Artists of Sadler’s Wells. He trained at the Royal Ballet School and graduated into Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet Company before pursuing a career in independent dance. He also studied anatomy, physiology and bio-mechanics, certifying as a practitioner of Structural Integration.
Pita will also create a new duet for Osipova and Polunin entitled Run Mary Run, in a dark, comedic story highlighting Osipova’s acting. Pita has also choreographed movement for plays, operas and musicals, including Women Beware Women at the National Theatre, Becky Shaw at the Almeida and La Bohème and Show Boat at the Royal Albert Hall.