Alina Cojocaru facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alina Cojocaru
|
|
|---|---|
Alina Cojocaru pictured taking a curtain call during a performance by the Royal Ballet
|
|
| Born | 27 May 1981 Bucharest, Romania
|
| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Spouse(s) | Johan Kobborg |
| Children | 2 |
| Former groups | The Royal Ballet English National Ballet |
Alina Cojocaru, born on May 27, 1981, is a famous Romanian ballet dancer. She used to be a main dancer, called a principal dancer, with The Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet. She is known for her amazing performances and her strong partnership with fellow dancer Johan Kobborg.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Starting Ballet
Alina Cojocaru grew up in Bucharest, Romania, with her sister. When she was young, she first studied gymnastics. Later, she started taking ballet classes. This was even though she had never seen a live ballet show before!
Learning in Kyiv
At age nine, Alina joined a ballet school in Bucharest. Soon after, she was chosen with eight other students to train at the Kiev Ballet school in Ukraine. She left her family to go there and did not speak Ukrainian at first.
The school held public performances every six months. Alina made her first stage appearance in one of these shows. She danced the role of Amor in the ballet Don Quixote.
Moving to London
In January 1997, when she was 15, Alina entered the Prix de Lausanne ballet competition. She won a scholarship to train for six months at the Royal Ballet School in London. Later that year, she also won a silver medal at the Moscow Ballet Competition. She moved to London, again without knowing the local language, English.
Professional Ballet Career
Joining The Royal Ballet
After her training in London, Alina was offered a contract to join The Royal Ballet. She also had an offer to be a main dancer with the Kyiv Ballet. She decided to join the Kyiv Ballet in November 1998 for one season. She felt she would get more experience as a principal dancer there.
In November 1999, Alina joined The Royal Ballet in London. She quickly moved up and became a principal dancer in 2001. In 2004, she won the Prix Benois de la Danse award for her role as Cinderella. This award is like an Oscar for ballet dancers.
Famous Partnerships
A big part of Alina's career was her dancing partnership with Johan Kobborg. They first danced together in Romeo and Juliet in 2001. Their partnership became one of the most famous in ballet history. They performed together all over the world.
In 2012, Alina won the Prix Benois de la Danse again. This time it was for her role in Liliom with the Hamburg Ballet. This was special because it was the first time a full ballet was created around her.
New Companies
In June 2013, Alina and Johan Kobborg announced they would leave The Royal Ballet. After that, Alina joined the English National Ballet as a principal dancer in July 2013. This company was led by her former colleague, Tamara Rojo. Alina also became a guest dancer at the Hamburg Ballet. She split her time between London and Hamburg, working closely with choreographer John Neumeier.
In 2016, Alina and Johan left the Romanian National Ballet due to changes in leadership.
Later Career and Honors
In 2017, Alina won the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards for her performance in Giselle. In 2020, she put on her own show called Alina at Sadler's Wells. She performed with Johan Kobborg in this show.
Alina left the English National Ballet in November 2020. Her last show with them was in January 2021, as Clara in The Nutcracker.
In 2023, Alina Cojocaru was given an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award. This was for her great contributions to ballet.
Injury and Recovery
In 2008, Alina had a serious neck injury during a rehearsal. It was so bad that it could have ended her dancing career. But after surgery and many months of rest, she worked hard to recover. She successfully returned to dancing thanks to a special rehabilitation program.
Performances on DVD
You can watch some of Alina Cojocaru's famous performances on DVD.
- Her role as Clara in The Nutcracker was filmed in 2001.
- Her performance as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty is also available on DVD.
- Her performance as Giselle with Johan Kobborg was recorded in 2006 and released on DVD the next year.
Personal Life
Alina Cojocaru is married to her former dance partner, Johan Kobborg. They live in London with their two daughters, Thalia Chulpan and Ella Armelle.
Awards
- 1998 Prix de Lausanne
- 2004 Prix Benois de la Danse
- 2004 Nijinsky Prize
- 2012 Prix Benois de la Danse
- 2017 Outstanding Female Performance (Classical), Critics' Circle National Dance Awards 2017
