Jerome Robbins' Opus 19/The Dreamer and Christopher Wheeldon's Ghosts'

I have 4 premieres this week (Opus 19/The Dreamer, Ghosts, Theme and Variations and Serenade). I'll be dancing my first Jerome Robbins ballet Opus 19/The Dreamer on the opening night of Program 2 on Tuesday night February 9th (partner Taras Domitro Davit Karapetyan), Sunday February 14th and Saturday February 20th (8pm) (partner Taras Domitro) I will also be doing the Pas de Deux in new Chris Wheeldon's ballet ''GHOSTS" in the same Program Wednesday 10th Feb, 7:30pm - partner Vitor Luiz Friday 12th Feb, 8pm - partner Vitor Luiz Saturday 20th Feb, 2pm - partner Vitor Luiz Reviews: Opus 19/The Dreamer

"Maria Kochetkova and Davit Karapetyan shone in the lead roles." San Francisco Examiner

Ghosts

"I have never admired Yuan Yuan Tan (Tuesday) or Maria Kochetkova (Wednesday) more than in the main duet" The New York Times

San Francisco Ballet's Swan Lake 2010

I'm dancing Odette/Odile in the opening night of Swan Lake, January 23rd, 8pm and on Thursday, January 28th, 8pm

Reviews:

"As Odette and Odile, Maria Kochetkova danced both the fragile heroine and the evil temptress spectacularly, her arms moving with unique grace and beauty."
San Francisco Examiner

Balcony Pas de Deux from Romeo and Juliet - SF Ballet Opening Night Gala

The ballet season kicks off this Wednesday night with the San Francisco Ballet 2010 Opening Night Gala in honor of Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson's 25th anniversary with the company. I'll be dancing the Balcony Pas de Deux from Romeo & Juliet with Joan Boada. Reviews:

"Maria Kochetkova, partnered with Joan Boada, was luminous in the Balcony Pas de Deux from Tomasson’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Even when she stands still, Kochetkova seems to be in elegant, gentle motion." San Francisco Examiner

Captured: Erik Tomasson Photographs San Francisco Ballet

There is an exhibition of Erik Tomasson's photos of the San Francisco Ballet over the past 5 years at the Museum of Performance & Design (January 12th - March 6th, 4th floor of the Herbst Theatre) Museum of Performance & Design Erik Tomasson's website

'Ballet Stars Gala' in St Petersburg on December 29th 2009

Yuri Possokhov's 'Diving into the lilacs' and Giselle

Photos ©Marina Gulyaeve

Maria Kochetkova & Daniil Simkin in Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire, World Ballet Festival Tokyo 2009

3rd week casting of The Nutcracker

Photo ©Erik Tomasson

Tuesday matinee, December 22nd - Grand Pas de Deux with Gennadi Nedvigin
Wednesday matinee, December 23rd - Sugar Plum Fairy
Thursday matinee, December 24th - Snow Queen with Gennadi Nedvigin
Saturday matinee, December 26th - Grand Pas de Deux with Gennadi Nedvigin

Buy tickets

After my matinee on Saturday I'm off to the airport to go to St. Petersburg for a gala with Gennadi here is information

Nutcracker 2nd week casting

Tuesday night, December 15th - Grand Pas de deux with Gennadi Nedvigin
Wednesday night, December 16th - Snow Queen with Gennadi Nedvigin
Thursday night, December 17th - Sugar Plum Fairy
Friday night, December 18th - Snow Queen with Gennadi Nedvigin

Nutcracker Grand Pas de Deux, Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen

Photo ©Erik Tomasson

Wednesday night, December 9th - Grand Pas de Deux with Davit Karapetyan
Thursday night, December 10th - Sugar Plum Fairy
Friday night, December 11th - Snow Queen with Gennadi Nedvigin (premiere)
Sunday Matinee, December 13th - Grand Pas de Deux with Davit Karapetyan

World Ballet Stars Gala in St Petersburg

I'll be dancing In the New Year's ballet gala on December 29th at the Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall (BKZ) in St Petersburg with Gennadi Nedvigin in Pas de Deux from 'Giselle' and Yuri Possokhov's Pas de Deux 'Diving into the Lilacs'. Among the dancers also Svetlana Zakharova, Vladimir Malakhov, Igor Zelensky and Maria Alexandrova. Here are some links (sorry, it's in russian, but has a pretty photo): Review Review

12th World Ballet Festival Calendar and Photos

Me and Daniil after Don Quixote that opened the Festival this year

With Daniil Simkin in Tchai Pas

after the Funy Gala with Natalia Osipova and Leonid Sarafanov

Buy Calendar

Talk at the Bayer Ballet Academy

I will be giving talk on Sunday November 1st at the Bayer Ballet Academy for the kids and their parents. If you live near Palo Alto or Los Altos and are interested in ballet come and ask me some difficult questions, it will be fun! :)
more details

San Francisco Ballet on tour in China

(right to left) Tom, Glenn McCoy, Debra Bernard, me and Tom who organized company's trip to the Great Wall. The best day I had in China!

Climbing up the Great Wall with Richard C. Barker

I get the best view of Forbidden city (with Tiit Helimets)

Helgi and Marlene

Flowers I got for my performance of Don Quixote in Nagoya last night!

Japan, Nagoya, Don Quixote!

I'm back to Japan again and going to dance Kitri with Ochi International Ballet on October 10th. I will be flying to Nagoya from China after two weeks tour with San Francisco Ballet, straight after my show of Swan Lake in Beijing. It will be three weeks away from home for me but I'm happy to go back to Japan and dance there again.

San Francisco Ballet China Tour: Beijing

I'll be dancing Odette/Odile in Swan Lake on the 3rd October in Beijing with San Francisco Ballet

Photo ©Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet China Tour: Shanghai

Review of Christopher Wheeldon’s 'Within the Golden Hour' at the Shanghai Grand Theatre:

"In the final pas de deux, Maria Kochetkova was ecstatic and extraordinarily beautiful, wonderfully partnered by Ruben Martin Cintas. Kotchekova’s well-proportioned body, her beautiful line, and her supple upper-back were perfectly displayed in Wheeldon’s choreography." Ballet.co.uk

San Francisco Ballet performance at Stern Grove

I'll be dancing in a free San Francisco Ballet performance at Stern Grove on Sunday August 16th
More information...

Review of my performance in 'On a Theme of Paganini':

"The whole thing was made to showcase the company's brilliant young Bolshoi-trained ballerina Maria Kochetkova, and exploit the contrast between her diminutive size and the huge scale on which she dances. Kochetkova is the jewel in this crown, and it's fair to say she blazes in it. Ballet, like opera, is inherently a popular art, and she has the potential to pull in a huge crowd of young people who had no idea ballet was not for snobs."
Bay Area Reporter

12th World Ballet Festival in Tokyo

I'm performing in The World Ballet Festival with Daniil Simkin. We will open it with Don Quixote and then take part in 9 Galas dancing 3 pas de deux (Tchaikovsky Pas, Flames of Paris and Le Corsaire) World Ballet Festival Other dancers in the festival include: Hélène Bouchet & Thiago Bordin Alina Cojocaru & Johan Kobborg (Royal Ballet) Bernice Coppieters & Gil Roman José Carreňo & Xiomara Reyes (ABT) Aurélie Dupont & Manuel Legris (Paris Opera) Mathieu Ganio & Mizuka Ueno Sylvie Guillem & Nicolas Le Riche Natalia Osipova & Leonid Sarafanov (Mariinsky & Bolshoi) Agnès Letestu & José Carreňo (Paris Opera) Marianela Nuñez & Thiago Soares (Royal Ballet) David Makhateli & Mizuka Ueno (Royal Ballet & Tokyo Ballet) Vladimir Malakhov & Diana Vishneva Tamara Rojo & Federico Bonelli Elisabet Ros & Gil Roman Polina Semionova & Friedemann Vogel Svetlana Zakharova & Andrei Uvarov World Ballet Festival - full list of dancers

Pas de Deux from Flames of Paris, Gala of The Stars

I will be dancing in the Gala of The Stars at WBC Orlando on June 27th with Taras Domitro in the pas de deux from Flames of Paris
article about the gala