Natalia Osipova

Natalia Petrovna Osipova (Russian: Ната́лья Петро́вна О́сипова) (born 18 May 1986) is a Russian ballerina, currently performing as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London and the Mikhaylovsky Theatre Ballet in St Petersburg.

Early life and training

Born in Moscow, Osipova began her formal ballet training at the age of eight at the Mikhail Lavrovsky Ballet School and completed her studies from 1996 to 2004 at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, under the tutelage of Marina Kotova and Marina Leonova.

Career

At the age of 18 she joined the Bolshoi Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. In 2005 she danced the role of Kitri in Alexei Fadeyechev's production of Don Quixote to much critical acclaim and was promoted to soloist in 2006. She was named one of the "25 to Watch" by Dance Magazine in 2007, was awarded the Prix Benois de la Danse in 2009 and promoted to leading soloist. In 2010, she became a principal dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet, but resigned from the company in 2011, citing "artistic freedom" as her reason for leaving.