Prima ballerina graces Athens

Star dancer Svetlana Zakharova comes to the capital for gala performances at the Concert Hall

By Dimitris Rigopoulos - Kathimerini

Following a triumphant recent appearance in Parma, Svetlana Zakharova is relaxing in a local restaurant. Laughing with her fellow dancers, she appears younger than her 29 years. The prima ballerina assoluta of the Bolshoi Ballet returns to Athens this month with the “Svetlana Zakharova and Friends Gala,” at the Athens Concert Hall on September 12, 13 and 14. The gala performances range from classical works, such as “Giselle,” to modern pieces like “Revelation.” Prior to the Athens performances, the star dancer talked to Kathimerini.

I present some of the great works of the classical repertory because I want to – it is not an obligation imposed by external factors. We all interpret classic works with the same kind of pleasure as with the contemporary ones. I have never felt any kind of pressure due to repetition, perhaps because there is always something new to add, to change, to offer.

By the time I graduated from the ballet academy people were free to work wherever they wished. It’s my choice to dance with major international ballet companies – besides the Bolshoi of course: the New York City Ballet, the Rome Opera Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the New National Theater in Tokyo and the American Ballet Theater, to name but a few. I dance as a guest soloist and on top of that I sign contracts for permanent collaborations. I enjoy dancing abroad, but I need to go back to Russia afterward. I feel nostalgia.

I never think of myself and of my position in international ballet. Of course there are things that make my life easier, but think of the kind of responsibility that a Bolshoi prima ballerina has, especially when you’re dancing abroad.

I like to spend the little free time that I have in my dacha outside Moscow. In the countryside with my family and friends I can relax and rest.