Anna Tsygankova
Continually surrounded by music. Anna Tsygankova can’t remember it being any other way. Her parents, both aged twenty, were still studying at the conservatoire in Novosibirsk when Anna was born. Her father went on to become a successful concert pianist, and her mother, who was also a pianist, specialised in chamber music. “As a child, I always went along to rehearsals and private lessons, continually playing in the bowl of water that was kept under the grand piano to stop it from drying out.” This musical ‘immersion’ formed her to a large extent. “It created an ability to let music in and to understand it. My ears were prepared.” But, she says, it was only later that she started to speak the ‘language’ herself. “Music is a language with so much depth and so many layers, and you can only reach it through experiencing life.”
It also seemed clear from birth that Anna would be a dancer one day. “My legs flew in all directions, and the maternity visitors concluded, ‘This one will be a ballerina’. Moreover, my mother did ice skating and ballet, one grandma did folk dancing, and the other could have been a wonderful dancer, as she had such stamina.” But although as a child Anna was continually dancing and making up her own dances, she didn’t go to an amateur school, on the advice of an ex-dancer. Instead, she played out on the street a lot and was an expert in climbing and French skipping. “I could do high jump for hours.”
‘Jewel of my heart’
At the age of nine, she was accepted at the ballet academy in Novosibirsk. In the first year, she says, she barely stood out, but after that things really took off. “I worked hard, because I loved challenges.” Already in her third year, she was getting solos to dance in the school performances, culminating in the role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake for her graduation performance. “That ballet has always been the ‘jewel of my heart’.” Two years earlier, she won silver at the Prix de Lausanne competition, which was held in Moscow for once. “And as I stood there one day by the Moskva River, looking out over the beautiful city, I felt a deep desire to dance with the Bolshoi Ballet one day. Everything exuded such an atmosphere of promise and opportunity.” Her wish later became reality, when she won bronze at the international ballet competition in Perm and was invited to join the famous Bolshoi Ballet.
School of life
The period there turned out to be a true school of life, she says. “I worked with fantastic, legendary coaches and great choreographers. When it was time to move on after six and a half years, I felt like I was prepared for anything.” She swapped the Bolshoi for the Hungarian National Ballet, where she danced all the main roles in the classical repertoire, and felt at home and valued. So when she decided three years later, in 2007, to move to Amsterdam, she initially combined her job with Dutch National Ballet for a while with a part-time contract in Hungary. “Everything was given to me in Hungary, but I needed new challenges in order to get out of my comfort zone.”
Deep personal connection
She says that Dutch National Ballet has given her the freedom to develop further; not just within the company, but also as a guest artist with other leading companies. “Ted Brandsen (artistic director – ed.) understands the importance of that, not just for his dancers, but also for Dutch National Ballet’s reputation.”
At the same time, the sense of really belonging somewhere is extremely important to her. “I feel a deep personal connection with this theatre. I’ve had so many wonderful encounters here with choreographers, conductors and dance partners.” Her most special experiences include her collaboration with Christopher Wheeldon (on several of his ballets), the title role created on her by Ted Brandsen in his Mata Hari, and Rachel Beaujean’s new productions of Giselle and Raymonda. But equally unforgettable and dear to her, she says, are Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote, John Neumeier’s The Lady of the Camellias and William Forsythe’s Pas/Parts 2018.
Highest achievement
Anna’s main aim as a dancer is to create partnerships, and so her dance partners – including Jozef Varga, Matthew Golding, James Stout and Giorgi Potskhishvili – should also not go unmentioned. “Dance is not a solo pursuit; it’s about communication, and about how you reflect one another and connect on a higher, deeper level. Once you’ve found that, as I recently did with Giorgi... for me, that’s the highest possible achievement.”
As was the birth of her son Saniel, in 2018, because his arrival has also changed her. “Motherhood has shown me there’s one force that will carry you through life with grace, giving you true power to overcome any obstacle and to profoundly experience your existence, and that’s love.”
Text: Astrid van Leeuwen
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Place of birth:
Novosibirsk (Russia)
With Dutch National Ballet since:
2007
Career with Dutch National Ballet:
Principal (2007)
Previously danced with:
Bolshoi Ballet (Moscow, Russia), Hungarian National Ballet (Budapest, Hungary), and as a guest artist with many other companies
Training:
Novosibirsk Ballet Academy (Russia)
Awards:
- 2017: Merit Award, Dansersfonds ’79
- 2017: Dancer of the Year Award, Critics’ Choice Dance Europe
- 2016: ‘Zwaan’ Award for ‘Most impressive dance achievement’ (for Mata Hari)
- 2016: Miss Expressivity Award, Dance Open Ballet Festival, St Petersburg
- 2014: Grand Prix, Dance Open Ballet Festival, St Petersburg
- 2013: Nomination for Benois de la Danse (for Cinderella, among other roles)
- 2011: Nomination for ‘Zwaan’ Award for ‘Most impressive dance achievement’ (for Don Quixote)
- 2008: Alexandra Radius Prize
- 1996: International Ballet Competition Perm, bronze medal
- 1995: Prix de Lausanne, silver medal
Honourable mentions:
- 2021, 2020 and 2019: ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer’, Critics’ Choice Dance Europe