On 15 April 2012, as part of the 11th DANCE OPEN festival, with the support of the Saint Petersburg culture committee and Russian ministry of culture, an anniversary evening will be held celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legend of Russian and Soviet ballet, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of four USSR state prizes, Honoured Citizen of Saint Petersburg, Natalia Dudinskaya.

The «LEGENDS OF SAINT PETERSBURG BALLET» project, already in its third year as part of the DANCE OPEN festival, will produce a live history of Russian ballet art on the stage. Its main goal is to preserve our country's cultural heritage, which is the Russian ballet school, passed from generation to generation of celebrated artists, and making a huge contribution to world culture.

Performers at the anniversary gala concert are leading international soloists, heirs to the art of the great master: Yonah Acosta (English National Ballet), Iana Salenko (Staatsoper Berlin), Vladimir Malakhov (Staatsoper Berlin, American Ballet Theatre), Danila Korsuntsev (Mariinsky Theatre), Denis Matvienko (National Opera and Ballet Theatrer of Ukraine), Ekaterina Krysanova (Bolshoi Theatre), Anastasia Stashkevich (Bolshoi Theatre), Anna Tikhomirova (Bolshoi Theatre), Artem Ovcharenko (Bolshoi Theatre), Mikhael Lobuhin (Bolshoi Theatre), Uliana Lopatkina (Mariinsky Theatre), Viktoria Tereshkina (Mariinsky Theatre), Anastasia Matvienko (Mariinsky Theatre), Ekaterina Osmolkina (Mariinsky Theatre), Polina Rassadina (Mariinsky Theatre), Maxim Zuzin (Mariinsky Theatre), Sofia Gumerova (Mariinsky Theatre), Anastasia Kolegova (Mariinsky Theatre), Ivan Vasiliev (Mikhailovsky Theatre) and Marat Shemiunov (Mikhailovsky Theatre).

Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya

The name of this artist is connected with a whole era in the history of 20th century ballet.

For thirty three years she lit up the Kirov Theatre's, creating a whole gallery of unforgettable female characters. She was called the greatest heroic dancer who reached the peak of classical dance.

Natalia Dudinskaya was born 21 August 1912 in Kharkiv. In 1931 she graduated from the Leningrad Choreography College, from Agrippina Vaganova's class. Immediately after graduated she made her debut at the Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (now called the Mariinsky Theatre) in a classical trio in the Tchaikovsky ballet, Swan Lake. Natalia Dudinskaya's best roles included Raimonda, bird-girl (Shurale).

She was the first performer of modern Russian ballets, Flames of Paris, Taras Bulba and the Bronze Horseman.
She also created the wonderful characters of Laurencia in the ballet of the same name by Vakhtang Chabukiani and Cinderella in the choreographed fairy tale by Konstantin Sergeev with music by Sergei Prokofiev. Natalia Dudinskaya was Agrippina Vaganova's favourite student and she adopted her famous classical dance teaching method.

She taught for over half a century beginning in the 1950s at the Kirov Theatre improving ballet artists and carrying out rehearsal work. From the 1960s she became senior professor at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. Her students included: Valentina Gannibalova, Eva Evdokimova, Elena Alkanova, Alla Sigalova, Galina Rakhmanova, Margarita Kullik, Ulyana Lopatkina and Anastasia Volochkova. Her students also include the founders of the OPEN DANCE international festival Ekaterina Galanova and Vasily Medvedev.

In 1994 and 1996 the Russian ballerina was named Woman of the Year by the US National Biography Institute. She appeared in the films Don Cesar de Bazan and I Loved You, the films Dudinskaya Class and Dialogue with the Stage are dedicated to her. People's Artist of the USSR, Natalia Dudinskaya is Honoured Citizen of Saint Petersburg. Her last award was the Order of Merit to the Motherland, Class IV.

Natalia Dudinskaya died 29 January 2003 in Saint Petersburg at the age of 91.

Program of Gala Tribute to 100rd anniversary of Natalia Dudinskaya