Natalia Petrovna Osipova (russian: Наталья Петровна Осипова; born 18 May 1986) is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London.

Early life and training

Born in Moscow, Osipova began formal ballet training at the age of nine at the Mikhail Lavrosky Ballet School. From 1996 to 2004, she studied at the

Moscow State Academy of Choreography The Moscow State Academy of Choreography (russian: Московская государственная академия хореографии), commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of ball ...

(The Bolshoi Ballet Academy), under the tutelage of Marina Kotova and Marina Leonova.

Career

At the age of 18, she joined the

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it came to internati ...

as a member of the corps de ballet. In 2005, she danced the role of Kitri in Alexei Fadeyechev's production of '' Don Quixote'' to critical acclaim and was promoted to soloist in 2006. She was named one of the 25 to Watch by ''

Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including '' Pointe ...

'' in 2007 and became a leading soloist in 2009. In 2010, she became a principal dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet, but resigned in 2011, citing "artistic freedom" as her reason for leaving. After leaving the Bolshoi, she joined

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual e ...

as a guest dancer for their Metropolitan Opera House season. She danced ''Don Quixote'' with

José Manuel Carreño José Manuel Carreño (born 25 May 1968) is a retired Cuban ballet dancer, who performed as a principal dancer with the English National Ballet, Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Carreño started dancing at the age of ten and received ...

, and both ''The Sleeping Beauty'' and ''Romeo and Juliet'' with David Hallberg. A week before her performance in ''The Sleeping Beauty'', she was robbed outside the Met, but suffered only minor bruises and was able to perform. She lost only a pair of pointe shoes and a small hammer used to shape them. In December 2011, she joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet. In 2011, Osipova performed in Roy Assaf's ''Six Years Later'', partnering with

Jason Kittelberger Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

and the same year danced in '' Valse Triste'' by

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (russian: Алексей Осипович Ратманский, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Bolshoi Ballet. He left Rus ...

. The season then continued with her appearances in various solo performances, including in Ludwig van Beethoven's

Moonlight Sonata The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked ''Quasi una fantasia'', Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The popular name ''Mo ...

and

Yuka Oishi Yuka may refer to: *Yuka (music), an Afro-Cuban style of music *Yuka (mammoth), mammoth specimen found in Yakutia, Russia *Manshu Yuka Kogyo K.K. Ssuningkai, a Japanese-German pre-WWII industrial co-operation People *Yuka (name), a Japanese perso ...

Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

. On 8 April 2013, it was announced that Osipova would join The Royal Ballet as a principal dancer, having previously danced as a guest artist in ''Swan Lake''. She cited the broader and more diverse repertoire as her primary motivation for the move. She debuted on 21 November 2013, in ''Romeo and Juliet'', partnered by

Carlos Acosta Carlos Yunior Acosta Quesada (born 2 June 1973) is a Cuban-British ballet director and retired dancer who is director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. He danced with many companies including the English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cu ...

. She has also danced in '' The Nutcracker'' and '' Giselle'', with Acosta and

Federico Bonelli Federico Bonelli (Genoa, 1978) is an Italian ballet dancer and was a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, England. He became the artistic director of Northern Ballet in May 2022. Biography Federico Bonelli was born in Genoa, Italy. ...

. In 2016, she performed the role of

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

Anna Anderson Anna Anderson (born Franziska Schanzkowska, 16 December 1896 – 12 February 1984) was an Romanov impostors, impostor who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russ ...

in a

Anastasia Anastasia (from el, Ἀναστασία, translit=Anastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning " resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia, where it was the mo ...

. In 2018, Osipova appeared with David Hallberg in ''Pure Dance'', a refined ballet of

Antony Tudor Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer. He founded the London Ballet, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-195 ...

's ''The Leaves Are Fading'' from 1975. In 2019, Osipova played the role of a mother in ''The Mother'' of Arthur Pita and in June 2019 she appeared in Gerald Fox's documentary film ''Force of Nature''. Osipova also performed with David Hallberg, dancing Giselle at Lincoln Center in New York.

Repertoire

Osipova's debut as Kitri in '' Don Quixote'' on 7 November 2005 launched her solo career.

Personal life

Osipova moved to London in 2013; she is a naturalised British citizen. She formerly had relationships with dancers Ivan Vasiliev, to whom she was engaged, and

Sergei Polunin Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin (russian: Сергей Владимирович Полунин, ua, Сергій Володимирович Полунін, ''Serhiy Volodymyrovych Polunin''; born 20 November 1989) is a Russian ballet dancer, acto ...

. Osipova is engaged to American dancer Jason Kittelberger. They reside in north London together with their four dogs. She contracted COVID-19 twice: in December 2021 and March 2022.

Awards

*Grand Prix at Prix de Luxembourg International Ballet Competition (2003) *3rd Prize at Moscow International Ballet Competition (2005) *''Ballet Magazine'' Soul of Dance Prize in the category ''Rising Star'' (2007) *Leonide Massine Award in the category of ''Significance of Talent'' (2008) *The International Dance Association

Prix Benois de la Danse The Benois de la Danse is a ballet competition held annually in Moscow. Founded by the International Dance Association in 1991, it takes place each year on or around April 29 and it's judged by a jury. The members of this jury change every year and ...

Award for performances in ''La Sylphide'', ''Giselle'', ''Le Corsaire'' and ''The Flames of Paris'' (2008) *Richard Sherrington Award (2008) * The Golden Mask award for performances in

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

's ''In The Upper Room'' (2008) and ''La Sylphide'' (2009) *Special Prize of The Golden Mask jury for Best Duet in ''La Sylphide'' (2009) *UK

National Dance Awards The National Dance Awards are presented annually in the United Kingdom by The Critics' Circle, and are awarded to recognise excellence in professional dance. They are widely regarded as the most prestigious award presented for dance in the UK, a ...

presented by The Critics' Circle: Best Female Dancer (2007, 2010 and 2014)

References