On 21 July Ernest Latypov and Yekaterina Ivannikova will be making their debuts as Ali and Gulnare in the scene Le Jardin animé from the ballet Le Corsaire.
Ernest Latypov is concluding his first season at the Mariinsky Theatre. A student of Gennady Selyutsky, while still a pupil at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet he made a name for himself appearing alongside stars of the Mariinsky Theatre at his teacher’s anniversary gala performance in the highly demanding pas de deux from the ballet The Talisman. After graduating from the academy Ernest remained with Gennady Selyutsky and continues to work under his keen supervision at the Mariinsky Theatre. In the last year the dancer has prepared several solo roles including the Classical Duet in Giselle, the Slave in Schéhérazade and the Blackamoor in Vasily Vainonen’s The Nutcracker in addition to dancing George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 2 (Ballet Imperial) and Emeralds. Ernest Latypov’s acclaimed appearance in June at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow proved a true victory for the tandem of teacher and student. Latypov won third place and the bronze medal. One of the most complex roles in the classical repertoire, that of Ali in Le Corsaire presents a great opportunity for the young dancer to demonstrate his artistry, virtuoso technique and light leaps.
Yekaterina Ivannikova’s repertoire includes a variety of roles in different ballets. She is a natural in contemporary choreography – it was not by chance that when staging Sacre Sasha Waltz entrusted her with the lead role. She is incredibly expressive in playful roles such as Khudyshka and Kubyshka in Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella, roles that never fail to make the audience laugh. She is stylistically precise in Leonid Yakobson’s choreography – the trio of Etruscans featuring Ivannikova is one of the highlights in the scene of Crassus’ feast in Spartacus. She invariably excels in the classics – Yekaterina Ivannikova’s name frequently appears in programmes in solo roles including the Friends of the Prince in Swan Lake, a Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty and the D’Jampe dance in La Bayadère. The dancer’s repertoire now includes one of the lead roles in Le Corsaire.
