Meet Elizaveta Kokoreva, new prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater (PHOTOS)

Elizaveta Kokoreva is an example of an enviable and rapid career growth. In 2019, she graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, while having already won major international competitions starting from her first school year. After graduation, she was instantly accepted into the ballet company of the Bolshoi Theater.

She was then immediately entrusted with leading roles in the corps de ballet, followed by leading roles in a wide variety of productions. At the end of the 2021-2022 season, she was elevated to the rank of first soloist and now, in 2023, at the age of 22, she has already become prima ballerina.

She lists her favorite roles as Swanilde in ‘Coppelia’, Marie in ‘The Nutcracker’ and Kitri in ‘Don Quixote’. She has always dreamt of dancing the latter role and she even became a ballet dancer in large part because of it.  She performs the main roles in both ‘Giselle’ and ‘La Sylphide’.

The young ballerina’s busy schedule leaves little free time for herself and her personal life, but Elizaveta confesses that every appearance on stage is “pure happiness”. And though she sometimes feels the routine when she goes to work, she always feels inspired just entering the rehearsal room.

In the past, dancers spent years preparing for their entrance to the stage in leading roles, honing their technique and looking for a way to express each character better.

But, Elizaveta represents the new generation of ballet dancers who need much less time to prepare. One of the secrets is the technical abilities. The young dancers work a lot with video. Filming themselves at rehearsals from different angles, they see flaws and can correct mistakes quicker and before a choreographer even notices.

Elizaveta is also quite active on social media, sharing what happens behind the scenes, photos from rehearsals, fresh stage shots from premieres, as well as rare moments of her holidays and private life.