Larisa Lezhnina

Following her training at the famous Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Larisa Lezhnina (St. Petersburg, Russia) danced for several years as a principal with the Kirov Ballet (now the Ballet Company of the Mariinsky Theatre). She had particular success, also internationally, with her performances of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. In search of new challenges, Larisa joined Dutch National Ballet in 1994, where she has since been dancing as a principal. In 2006, she was awarded the Alexandra Radius Prize, and she received the Merit Award from Dansersfonds ’79 in 2010. In 2012, Larisa played an important role in the documentary De Balletmeesters, in which film maker Sonia Herman Dolz closely followed Larisa’s partner, ballet master Guillaume Graffin, and the head of the artistic staff, Rachel Beaujean.

Larisa Lezhnina ended her dance career in June 2014. After her retirement as a dancer, she remained associated with the company as a ballet master.