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Andrea Lassakova was born in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia, and received her dance training exclusively with Klara Skodova at the Eva Jacz Dance Conservatory in Bratislava, the primary training facility for the Slovak National Ballet. She graduated from the Conservatory in 2011, and the same year joined the Slovak National Theatre as a demi-soloist, where she performed roles in ballets including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, La Sylphide, the Swan Lake, Giselle and The Little Prince.

In 2013-2014, Andrea moved to Finland and became a dancer of the Youth Company of the Finnish National Ballet. In 2014-2015, she joined the Finnish National Ballet’s Main Company. In 2015, Andrea moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, and joined the Mikhailovsky Ballet by invitation as soloist, and was promoted to the rank of First Soloist in 2021, dancing major principal repertoire including Odette/Odile in the Swan Lake, Medora in Le Corsaire, Gamzatti in La Bayadere, Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, Queen of Willis in Giselle, Fairy of the Summer in Cinderella and Sylvia variation from Coppélia by Messerer.

Andrea was one of the few ballerinas to work under the tutelage of Madame Tatiana Nikolaevna Legat. From 2021-22 she was coached by former Kirov Ballet Prima Ballerina Zhanna Ayupova and worked frequently with choreographers Nacho Duato, Oleg Vinogradov, and Mikhail Messerer.

Arsenty Lazarev was born in Siberia. He began dancing at 7 in a folk dance ensemble, gaining early recognition for his precise execution and artistic flair. At 10, he joined the Novosibirsk State Choreographic College, where he actively participated in school life and numerous competitions. His accolades include being a laureate of the “Ak-Kuu” International Competition and receiving scholarships from the Galina Ulanova Foundation and Svetlana Zakharova Charitable Foundation.

After graduation, Arsenty joined the Bolshoi Theatre before moving to UralBallet as a soloist in 2017. His exceptional performances earned him a promotion to premier in 2019. He was nominated for the “Best Male Role” at the National Theatre Award “Golden Mask” in 2020 and 2022 and starred in the ballet TV series “Bolshoi Ballet.” Critics praise his excellent coordination, light jumps, and dynamic turns.

Arsenty dreams of experiencing the culture of the 1950s-60s and throwing a grand party. Inspired by Peter Pan, he values bravery and cheerfulness. His favorite ballet is “Don Quixote,” he relates to Basilio’s energy and strength.

Advice to his younger self: “Trust your teacher more, but never forget your individuality. Always seek something new and never stop improving.”

Roles:
Swan Lake: Jester
Cinderella: Prince
The Nutcracker: Prince

Konstantin Geronik was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and graduated from the Belarusian State Choreographic College in 2010 with distinction. He joined the ballet company of the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus. He has danced numerous leading roles and his repertoire includes Basilio in Don Quixote, Ali in Le Corsaire, The Bronze Idol in La Bayadère, James in Sylphide, Prince in The Nutcracker, Siegfried, Joker and Pas-de-trois in the Swan Lake, Chipollino in Chipollino, Desire, Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty, Peasant Pas de deux in Giselle, Frondoso in Laurencia, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Geronik has toured Germany, France, Spain, China, Japan, The Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, and Poland as a principal dancer. 

He has received multiple international awards and nominations, including: 1st Prize at the Young Ballet of the World competition in Sochi (2010), 1st Prize at the Tanzolymp competition in Berlin (2011), 1st Prize winner of The 4 Beijing International Ballet Invitational for Dance Schools & International Dance Performance Series (2012), the 3rd Prize winner of The International Competition of The Ballet Artists in Astana in 2016, the 2017 National Theatre Award as the best male dancer for his lead role in Le Petit Prince, and in 2018 Konstantin received the title of The Honored Artist of Belarus.

Konstantin also had an artistic collaboration with the founder and director of the international festival World Ballet Stars Vadym Pysarev and has performed as a guest artist at Nina Ananiashvili’s Gala Concert, who has been described by the Daily Telegraph as one of the twelve greatest ballerinas of all time.

Darya was born in the town of Smorgon, Belarus, and she fell in love with dancing from a young age, taking ballroom dancing and jazz classes. At the age of nine, Darya began her professional classical dance training. She eventually graduated from the Belarusian State Choreographic Gymnasium-College and received a degree in teaching from the Belarus State Academy of Music.

Darya danced solo parts in every production of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus’ repertoire, as well as leading roles, such as Gamzatti in La Bayadere, Odette/Odille in the Swan Lake, Kitty Scherbatsky in Anna Karenina, Tzarina in The Firebird, and many others.

Darya’s favorite ballet is Anna Karenina. Her favorite fairy tale character is Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she is courageous, kind to everyone, and pure of heart. 

When it comes to the least favorite ballet move, Darya is not a fan of fouetté efface.

Darya hopes to visit all the beautiful and historical places of the world.

A piece of advice to her younger self: Be brave, don’t hide your potential. Modesty is a virtue, but it only holds you back when it comes to ballet.

Roles:
Swan Lake: Rothbart
Cinderella: Mouse
The Nutcracker: Drosselmeyer

Maksim was born in Minsk, Belarus, and started dancing when he was 6. His dance career began in a ballroom dancing class, but after a while, Maksim found himself in the world of ballet. He received his training at the Belarusian State Choreographic Gymnasium-College and was invited to the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. Since then, Maksim has performed on various stages across the world.

Maksim does not have the least favorite dance moves; there are only those he is yet to master. His least favorite character is Crassus in Spartacus – he is vain, full of hubris, and thinks he is invincible out of ignorance.

A piece of advice to his younger self: Have more confidence in yourself!

Yevheni was born in Kazakhstan, Almaty, and he started dancing when he was ten years old.

He studied at the Almaty Choreographic School named after A.V. Seleznev, danced at the Astana Opera Theater in Astana, participated in the entire repertoire and in the corps de ballet and various small solo parts.

Yevheni has a daring dream list and he wants to try skydiving, to swim with the whales and to star in a movie or series.

His favorite fairy tale character is The Simpleton dwarf in Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, because he is cheerful and just enjoys what he has.

Yevheni’s most disliked ballet parts are the inserted pas de deux and pas de trois, because they are complex but ungrateful parts, and his most disliked move is the adagio.

His favorite ballet and character is Spartacus.

His advice to his younger version is: Work hard and participate in all competitions. Don’t be afraid and don’t complicate things in your head.

Adelya Nazyrova started her dance odyssey at the age of 6. In 2015, she graduated from the Kazan Choreographic School further polished her skills with an internship at the Vaganova Academy.

Adelya showcased her talent in acclaimed ballets such as “Swan Lake,” “La Bayadère,” and “Sleeping Beauty,” enchanting audiences on international tours to London and Japan.

Adelya Nazyrova’s aspirations extend beyond the stage, as she dreams of opening a space for children to explore various dance styles under the guidance of diverse teachers.

For Adelya, there are no unloved roles, only opportunities to express her passion. Even in her least favorite movement, the Gargouillade, she infuses her performances with dedication and grace. From iconic roles like Swan Lake’s Odette-Odile to the complexities of Anna Karenina, Adelya Nazyrova’s love for dancing shines through, emphasizing that enjoyment on the stage is paramount.

Sofia Matyushenscaia was lucky to be born in a family of professional ballet dancers in Chisinau, Moldova, and began to dance from an early age, from around 6 years old.

She studied at the National Choreographic College and trained in Italy in the city of Milan. She is a graduate of the Academy of Theater Music and Fine Arts, Faculty of Education. She performed leading roles on the stages of the Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Stanislavsky Theatre. 

Sofia doesn’t believe in having favorite parts in ballet, because in any part a dancer can find interesting nuances and ways to realize their talent and emotions. But if she really has to tell, she’ll confess that it’s Giselle. She does have a move that she finds rather challenging: pirouette attitude en dehors.

Her favorite fairy tale character is Leopold the Cat, because he is very friendly and avoids conflict at all costs – his attitude to life sets an example that any misunderstandings or difficulties can be resolved peacefully.

Sofia’s dream is to open her own ballet school.

An interesting fact about her: Sofia was nominated for Best Actress in the play Don Quixote at the Golden Mask festival.

To her younger self, or to an aspiring ballerina / aspiring ballet dancer, she would say: look for individuality in yourself, strive to make any movement uniquely yours, despite of the limits that classical ballet imposes.