Ekaterina Nikolaievna Shchelkanova (russian: Екатерина Николаевна Щелканова, also spelled Chtchelkanova; born May 2, 1970) is a Russian ballerina, singer and actress from

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, RSFSR,

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

(now St. Petersburg, Russia). To American audiences, she is best known as Hunyak, the Hungarian death row prisoner, from the musical ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'' (2002). Chtchelkanova was also cast as Darya in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

film ''The End of Silence'' and held parts in the films ''Odin's Shield Maiden'', and '' Center Stage''. Shchelkanova is a graduate from the

Vaganova Academy 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 hi ...

, where she studied under Ludmila Safronova, then joined the

Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) 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 Russ ...

. During a tour to the US in 1992, she defected. From 1995-2001, she was a member of the American Ballet Theatre. She has appeared with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal in 2008, and with the Space Coast Ballet in 2005. In 2010, she founded the Open World Dance Foundation.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shchelkanova, Ekaterina 1970 births Living people Russian actresses Russian ballerinas 21st-century Russian women singers Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners