Irina Kolesnikova

Irina Kolesnikova was born in Saint Petersburg.
In 1998, she graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy, where she had been studying in the class of Elvira Kokorina.

That same year in December, Irina was accepted into Konstantin Tatchkin’s St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) as a soloist where her first teacher was Russia’s Honoured Artist, Svetlana Efremova.

Due to her extraordinary dancing and acting skills, Irina was promoted to principal dancer in 2000 and by 2001 became the company’s Prima Ballerina.

Her many roles include Odette/Odile from Swan Lake, Clara from Nutcracker, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Kitri from Don Quixote, Giselle, Nikyia from La Bayadere and Paquita.

As a member of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, she has toured extensively in Holland, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and South Africa.

Irina Kolesnikova is the recipient of numerous Russian and international prizes

2002

the Natalia Makarova Prize and the Silver Medal
at “Arabesque 2002” in Russia

- the Silver Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna

- the Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Prague

2003

- She was nominated for the international prize at Benois de la Danse.

2005

- The Silver Medal at the 5th Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition.

- Nominated by the Dance Section of the Critic`s Circle of the UK as finalist for an award in the Best Female Dancer category for the 2005 Critic`s Circle National Dance Awards.
 

Irina Kolesnikova is working under Russia`s People Artist
Lubov Kunakova.