May 25, 2012
Polina Semionova to Join ABT
as Principal Dancer
Polina Semionova will join American Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer in September 2012, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. She will perform with ABT during the Company’s New York seasons, as well as its national and international tours. Semionova first appeared as a Guest Artist with American Ballet Theatre in 2011.
Born in Moscow, Semionova studied at the Bolshoi Ballet School before joining the Berlin State Opera Ballet as the company’s youngest principal dancer. Her repertoire with Berlin State Opera Ballet includes Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Marie in The Nutcracker, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppélia, Kitri in Don Quixote, the title roles in Giselle and Manon, Tatiana in John Cranko’s Onegin, Sieglinde and Br√ºnhilde in Maurice Bejart’s Ring um den Ring, Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and the title roles in Roland Petit’s Carmen and
Sir Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia. She has performed principal roles in Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, Apollo (Terpsichore), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Diamonds pas de deux, William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude and Jirƒ∑ KyliƒØn’s Return to the Strange Land. Semionova created the title role in Vladimir Malakhov’s Cinderella and Creativity in Bigonzetti’s Caravaggio.
Semionova has appeared as a guest artist with English National Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Zurich Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Munich Ballet and Dresden Ballet.
Semionova’s awards include a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition (2001), First Prize at the Vaganova-Prix Ballet Competition in St. Petersburg,
the Junior Prize at the Nagoya International Ballet Competition (2002), Daphne Prize (2004), German Critics Choice Award (2005) and the Dance Open Award (2010).
Semionova’s repertoire with the ABT includes Nikiya in La Bayadère, Kitri in
Don Quixote, Myrta in Giselle and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.
American Ballet Theatre’s Spring 2012 season at the Metropolitan Opera House continues through Saturday, July 7. For additional information, please visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.