Renata Mukhametovna Shakirova (; born 5 April 1995 in Tashkent) is a ballet dancer, currently a principal with the

Mariinsky Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

Early life and education

Shakirova was born in

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. She began her studies at the Bashkir Choreographic College, but then moved to Saint Petersburg with her family when she was admitted to the

Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief h ...

and graduated in 2015; her teacher at the Academy was Tatiana Udalenkova. As a student in the Academy, Renata was given the opportunity to dance roles with the Mariinsky Ballet. She began rehearsing with the Mariinsky dancers as a way to stay in shape during the summer vacation from school and it was during those rehearsals she was asked to dance her first role in the theatre: Cupid in ''Don Quixote''.

Career

Renata joined the Mariinsky Ballet upon her graduation and on October 11, 2015 she made her first principal role debut as Kitri in ''Don Quixote''. She was listed among 25 to Watch by ''

Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' is currently part of Dance Media, led by longtime arts publisher Joanna Harp as president, and has mu ...

'' in 2015. In 2016 Renata competed in the Bolshoi Ballet Competition hosted by Russian television network

Russia-K Russia-K ( "Russia - Culture") is a Russian nationwide not-for-profit television channel that broadcasts shows regarding arts and culture. It belongs to the state-controlled VGTRK group. History The creation of ''Kultura'' channel was authoris ...

with Mariinsky principal dancer Kimin Kim and won first prize.

Repertoire

Renata has danced ballets choreographed by

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

Yury Grigorovich Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (; 2 January 1927 – 19 May 2025) was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, ballet master, choreographer, and pedagogue who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years, especially as artistic director of the Bolshoi B ...

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. He left Russia in 2008. In 2009 he was appointed the ar ...

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine ( – 22 August 1942) was a Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and at the age of 9 was accepted into the Saint Petersburg Imperial Ballet Sch ...

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

, etc. ''Marius Petipa'' *''

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

'' (Giselle, Classical Duet) *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' (Aurora, Princess Florine) *''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'' (Odette-Odile, Friends of the Prince, Cygnets, Two Swans) *''

La Bayadère ''La Bayadère'' ("the temple dancer") ( ru. «Баядерка», ''Bayaderka'') is an 1877 ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by the French choreographer Marius Petipa to music by Ludwig Minkus and libretto by . The ba ...

'' (Nikiya, Trio of Shades) *''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' () is a ballet, grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Alexander Glazunov (his Opus number, opus 57) and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. ''Raymonda'' was creat ...

'' (Henrietta, Grand pas variation) *''

Le Corsaire ''Le Corsaire'' is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem '' The Corsair'' by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to ...

'' (Gulnare, Trio of Odalisques) *''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'' (Kitri, Amour, Flower Girls, Grand pas variation) *''

The Pharaoh's Daughter ''The Pharaoh's Daughter'' (; ), is a ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Cesare Pugni. The libretto was a collaboration between Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Petipa from Théophile Gautier's ''Le Roman de la momie''. It ...

'' (Ramzé) ''Yuri Grigorovich'' *'' The Legend of Love'' (Shyrin, Gold Dance) *'' The Stone Flower'' (Katarina, The Mistress of the Copper Mountain) ''Alexei Ratmansky'' *

Concerto DSCH ''Concerto DSCH'' is a ballet by Alexei Ratmansky choreographed for the New York City Ballet to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Shostakovich), Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 (1957). The premiere took place on T ...

*'' The Little Humpbacked Horse'' ( Tsar Maiden) *''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' (Cinderella) *'' Pierrot Lunaire'' ''George Balanchine'' *''

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...

'' (Rubies soloist) *''

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

'' (Polyhymnia, Calliope) *''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' (pas de deux in Act II ) * Symphony in C (III. Allegro vivace, IV.Allegro vivace) *''

'' ''Other choreographers'' *''

Anyuta ''Anyuta'' () is a one-act comic opera to a libretto by Mikhail Popov. First performed in 1772, it was one of the first operas written in the Russian language. The collection of Popov's poems, translations and plays called ''Dosugi'' (''До� ...

'' (Anyuta); choreography by Vladimir Vasiliev *'' Carmen Suite'' (Carmen); choreography by Alberto Alonso *''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' (Juliet, Juliet's Companions); choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky *''

Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French c ...

'' (Paquita, Carducha); production by Yuri Smekalov *''Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux''; choreography by

Agrippina Vaganova Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova (; 26 June 1879 – 5 November 1951) was a Soviet and Russian ballet teacher who developed the Vaganova method – the technique which derived from the teaching methods of the old Imperial Ballet School (today the ...

*''Le Carnaval'' (Butterfly); choreography by

*''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'' (Masha); choreography by Vasili Vainonen *''Shurale'' (Syuimbike); choreography by Leonid Yakobson *''

Adagio Hammerklavier ''Adagio Hammerklavier'' is a ballet choreographed by Hans van Manen to the ''Adagio'' from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29, ''Hammerklavier''. The ballet is plotless and danced by three couples. Van Manen made ''Adagio Hammerklavier'' for the ...

''; choreography by

Hans van Manen Hans Arthur Gerard van Manen (; born 11 July 1932) is a Dutch ballet dancer, choreographer and photographer. He studied under Sonia Gaskell and Françoise Adret. Van Manen wrote many ballets. He worked for the Dutch National Ballet from 1973 to ...

*''Bambi'' (Butterfly) and Violin Concerto No. 2; choreography by Anton Pimonov *''The Bronze Horseman'' (Parasha); choreography by Yuri Smekalov *''

Pulcinella Pulcinella (; ) is a classical character that originated in commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. Pulcinella's versatility in status and attitude has captivated audiences worldwide and kept ...

'' (Pimpinella); choreography by Ilya Zhivoi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakirova, Renata Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Mariinsky Ballet dancers Dancers from Tashkent Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet alumni 21st-century ballet dancers Uzbekistani female dancers