Christine Shevchenko ( uk, Крістіна Шевченко, born 1988) is a
Ukrainian-American
Ukrainian Americans ( uk, Українські американці, Ukrayins'ki amerykantsi) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent represe ...
ballet dancer. She currently performs as a
principal dancer with
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 ei ...
.
Early life
Born in the
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
,
Ukraine, her father was a gymnast, and her mother was a dancer and actor. At age four, Shevchenko started training in
rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...
at an
Olympic Reserve School in Odessa, under the direction of Nina Vitrychenko.
When she was eight, her family immigrated to
Pennsylvania and enrolled her in
The Rock School for Dance Education
The Rock School for Dance Education is a classical ballet school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along the city's Avenue of the Arts. The school offers dance training for students age three and older, with pre-professional programs for stu ...
, under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff.
Shevchenko danced the children's lead (Marie) in Pennsylvania Ballet's ''
The Nutcracker'' for three years, and was featured in the NBC special, ''Degas and the Dance''.
In 2003, Shevchenko became the youngest recipient of the
Princess Grace Award
The Princess Grace Foundation – USA is a charity organization named after Princess Grace of Monaco, which supports emerging performers in theater, dance, and film in the form of awards, grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The Foundation ho ...
, and she later won several awards at international competitions, including
Youth America Grand Prix,
USA International Ballet Competition, and Moscow International Ballet Competition.
Shevchenko studied with Lev Assaulyak and Olga Tozyiakova. She also worked with choreographers
Fernando Bujones,
Benjamin Millepied, Elena Tchernichova, and Vladimir Shoumeikin.
Career

In 2006, Shevchenko joined the
American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, where she danced in several classical and contemporary pieces. The following year, she joined
the main company as an apprentice and became a full time member of the corps de ballet in 2008. In 2013, when she was still in the corps, Shevchenko replaced an injured
Gillian Murphy in ''Piano Concerto #1''. Though she only knew half of the choreography and learned the rest an hour before the show, her performance was praised by critics.
She became a
soloist in 2014. In the 2017 Metropolitan Opera House season, Shevchenko debuted as Kitri in ''
Don Quixote'', which was her first leading role. The following week, she filled in for an injured dancer as Medora in ''
Le Corsaire'', after learning the role during the weekend. She ended the season with her debut in Balanchine's
''Mozartiana'', and was promoted to Principal Dancer later that year. She has since danced other principal roles such as Odette-Odile in ''
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'', Myrtha in ''
Giselle
''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'' and Mademoiselle Marianne Chartreuse in ''
Whipped Cream''.
Shevchenko was coached by
Irina Kolpakova at ABT, and had traveled to St. Petersburg to work with Margarita Kullik of
Mariinsky 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 ...
.
Awards
*
Princess Grace Award
The Princess Grace Foundation – USA is a charity organization named after Princess Grace of Monaco, which supports emerging performers in theater, dance, and film in the form of awards, grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The Foundation ho ...
, 2003
*Bronze Medal in the
USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, 2005
*Gold Medal and Title of Laureate at the Moscow International Ballet Competition
*The George Zoritch of Ballet Russe Award for Talent Recognition
*Margaret Moore Dance Award, 2010
Repertoire
Shevchenko's repertoire with the American Ballet Theatre includes:
References
External links
*
Christine Shevchenkoat
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 ei ...
*
Ukrainian page for Christine Shevchenko
*
Russian page for Christine Shevchenko
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shevchenko, Christine
1988 births
Living people
Prima ballerinas
American Ballet Theatre principal dancers
Princess Grace Awards winners
21st-century ballet dancers
Ukrainian emigrants to the United States
Ukrainian ballerinas