Maria Khoreva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Khoreva
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Khoreva in 2020
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| Born |
Maria Vladimirovna Khoreva
July 3, 2000 |
| Education | Vaganova Ballet Academy |
| Occupation | Ballet Dancer |
| Current group | Mariinsky Ballet |
Maria Khoreva (born July 3, 2000) is a talented Russian ballet dancer. She is a first soloist with the famous Mariinsky Ballet company, a role she has held since 2018.
Contents
Growing Up and Training
Maria Khoreva was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Before she started ballet, Maria was a rhythmic gymnastics athlete for seven years. This sport helped her become very flexible and strong, which are great skills for ballet.
Learning at Vaganova Academy
Maria was accepted into the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. This is a very famous ballet school. There, she was taught by Lyudmila Kovaleva, a well-known teacher. Ms. Kovaleva also taught other amazing dancers like Diana Vishneva. Maria worked very hard and was one of the few students to graduate with top honors.
During her last year at the Academy, Maria performed many important roles. She danced in shows both in Russia and other countries. Some of her roles included:
- Dance of the Hours: Night
- Suite en Blanc: Flute, Adagio
- Le Réveil de Flore: Flora, Aurora
- The Fairy Doll: Fairy Doll
- The Nutcracker: Masha
Dancing with the Mariinsky Ballet
After graduating from the Vaganova Academy in 2018, Maria Khoreva joined the Mariinsky Ballet. This is one of the world's leading ballet companies. Even before her first official season began, she performed a big role. She danced as Terpsichore in George Balanchine's Apollo. She performed alongside Xander Parish, another principal dancer from the Mariinsky.
Quick Rise to Soloist
In the fall of 2018, Maria quickly took on more roles. She debuted in Le Corsaire and Swan Lake. In October, she danced the main role in Paquita. This was very special because she had just joined the company. By the end of that month, she was promoted! She went from being part of the group of dancers (called the corps de ballet) to a first soloist. This is just one step below the highest rank, a principal dancer.
Her Main Performances
Maria has performed many famous ballets with the Mariinsky. Her roles include:
- Don Quixote: Kitri, Queen of the Dryads
- Giselle: Giselle
- La Bayadère: Nikiya
- Le Corsaire: Medora, Trio of Odalisques
- Legend of Love: Shyrin
- The Nutcracker: Masha
- Paquita: Paquita
- Raymonda: Raymonda
- Sleeping Beauty: Princess Aurora, Princess Florine
- Swan Lake: Odette/Odile, Friends of the Prince
- Apollo: Terpsichore
- Jewels: Diamonds
- A Midsummer Night's Dream: Titania (Pas de deux from Act II)
- Serenade: Soloist
Maria is coached by Elvira Tarasova, who was also a soloist with the Mariinsky.
Maria's Public Life
Maria Khoreva is very popular on Instagram. Her account, @marachok, has over 500,000 followers. She shares her daily life as a dancer there. She posts in both English and Russian. Maria is also a spokesperson for the sportswear brand Nike, Inc.. She is an ambassador for Bloch dancewear, too.
Winning a TV Competition
In November 2020, Maria appeared on a Russian ballet TV show called Большой балет (Grand Ballet). She was partnered with Mariinsky principal dancer Vladimir Shklyarov. In the third week of the competition, Maria received the first perfect score ever on the show. This was for her performance from Paquita. She went on to win the entire competition in December!
Her Book
Maria also wrote a book called Teach Me Ballet: How to Educate Your Body. It was published in December 2020.
