Irina Kolesnikova
Other roles in her repertoire include the title role and Myrtha in Giselle, Clara in The Nutcracker, Maria in St Petersburg's Nutcracker, Princess Aurora and Fairy Claire Bonté in The Sleeping Beauty, Kitri and Queen of Dryads in Don Quixote, Nikiya and Princess Gamzatti in La Bayadere, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Carmen in Her Name Was Carmen, Paquita, Chopiniana and others.
Dance critic Allen Robertson of The Times said: Irina Kolesnikova, star of St Petersburg Ballet Theatre's touring production of Swan Lake, has made a decision which throws the entire story into high relief.
The result is as exciting and audacious as it is theatrically credible, even in a venue as large as the Albert Hall...Opulent and grand, Kolesnikova is a ballerina of prodigious technical strengths.
[6] In 2005 Kolesnikova was nominated in London for a National Dance Awards as Best Female Dancer by the UK critics’ circle for her performing the role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake.
The Chief of Jury of this competition was a great Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya.In 2006 St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) released the first DVD with Irina Kolesnikova.
As a guest star she was dancing the role of Hollywood legend Judy Garland in the contemporary production of choreographer Peter Schaufuss "DIVAS" from 19 June to 5 July.
Debra Craine, the lead critic of The Times, in the review [8] published on 27 June 2008 said: "...Irina Kolesnikova may present a statuesque and very Russian Garland, but she exudes the kind of grand personality (and sumptuous technique) that sweeps all before it.
In 2020, Kolesnikova made her United States debut, performing at Howard Gilman Opera House BAM, New York City and National Theatre, Washington DC.
On 24 November 2005, The Times published the review where its critic Donald Hutera said: "Trained at the Vaganova Academy, the 25-year-old is a real artist whose gifts include expressive arms, a pliant torso and a meltingly slow, expansive yet detailed style that draws us right to her.
In the fourth act Kolesnikova, wrapped in tragic melancholia, surrendered to the faintly ridiculous happy ending left over from the Soviet era.
[14]" On 26 November 2005, national The Observer also published the review, where its critic Jann Parry said: "Of the many troupes which tour the United Kingdom at this time of year, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is one of the best.
During this time, in addition to with world's favourite Swan Lake the other masterpieces of world choreography were presented to the Parisian public, such as: During Kolesnikova's seasons in Paris, Journal du Dimanche published a review "Triumph of the White Swan after the Black"[16] by famous Parisian critic Nicole Duault, who named Kolesnikova "a diva of dance, with whom very few stars can compare".
[16] The Parisian Journal, Danse (№260, April 2011), summed up the many reviews that Kolesnikova received for her interpretation of the role of Odette/Odile, when its dance journalist, Margarita Medina, wrote: "Thanks to this amazingly supple dancer, an artist from head to toe, we got to see the truly ideal Swan.
Her lack of any internal tension, freedom of movement and her expressiveness all combine to allow us to place this Saint Petersburg star, pleasant behind the scenes and brilliant on stage, at the summit of a choreographic Olympia alongside the other outstanding talents of her generation.
