Maria Yakovleva

The Russian Maria Yakovleva graduated from Vaganova Academy in her hometown in 2004. In 2004/2005 she was a member of the Mariinsky Theatre where she was entrusted with solo roles of the classical repertoire. In 2005 she was engaged as soloist by the Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper und Volksoper, in 2010 she was appointed first soloist of the Vienna State Ballet. In 2022, she joined the Ballet of the Hungarian State Opera as a first soloist.

Her large Viennese repertoire comprise the title roles in Elena Tchernichova’s »Giselle«, Rudolf Nureyev’s »Raymonda”, Kenneth MacMillan’s »Manon«, Pierre Lacotte’s »La Sylphide«, Patrick de Bana’s »Marie Antoinette«  and Manuel Legris’ »Sylvia«, Kitri in Nureyev’s »Don Quixote«, Odette/Odile in Nureyev’s »Swan Lake«, Clara in Nureyev’s »The Nutcracker«, Princess Aurora in Peter Wright’s »The Sleeping Beauty«, Lise in Frederick Ashton’s »La Fille mal gardée«, Swanilda in »Coppélia« by Gyula Harangozó sen. and Pierre Lacotte’s version, Julia in John Cranko’s »Romeo and Juliet« and Davide Bombana’s »Roméo et Juliette«, Tatjana and Olga in Cranko’s »Onegin«, Baronesse Mary Vetsera in Kenneth MacMillan’s »Mayerling«, Médora in Manuel Legris' »Le Corsaire«, Hamsatti in Vladimir Malakhov’s »La  Bayadère«, Ada in Maurice Béjart’s »Le Concours«, Bella in Roland Petit’s »La Chauve-souris«, Vivette in Petit’s »L´Arlésienne« and main roles in works by Harald Lander, Serge Lifar, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Hans van Manen, Rudi van Dantzig, John Neumeier, Jiří Kylián, Twyla Tharp, Nils Christe, William Forsythe, Myriam Naisy, Jorma Elo, Ben van Cauwenbergh, David Dawson, Christopher Wheeldon, András Lukács, Alexei Ratmansky and Martin Schläpfer. She created the role of the empress Elisabeth in Patrick de Bana’s »Ludwig II – The Swan King«. Eno Peci choreographed for her the Pas de deux »Opus 25« (2017). Furthermore, Maria Yakovleva can be seen in the leading roles on two DVD recordings from 2016, in Nureyevʼs »Don Quixote« (C-Major) and Legris' »Le Corsaire« (Naxos).   

At the Hungarian State Opera, Maria Yakovleva has danced leading roles in »Don Quixote« by Marius Petipa, Alexander Gorsky, Kasyan Goleizovsky & Michael Messerer, László Seregiʼs »Spartacus«, »The Nutcracker« by Wayne Eagling and Tamás Solymosi, John Crankoʼs »Onegin«, Kenneth MacMillanʼs »Mayerling« and Boris Eifmanʼs »The Pygmalion Effect«, among others.

Guest performances have taken her to several European Countries and overseas, amongst others, to ballet galas in Italy, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, England, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Moreover, she danced as a guest in Rudolf Nureyevʼs »Don Quixote« at the lʼOpéra National de Paris, in Patrice Bartʼs »Giselle« and »Romeo and Juliet« as well as Amedeo Amodioʼs »The Nutcracker« and Roland Petitʼs » La Chauve-souris « in Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, »Lady of the camellias« by Derek Dean in Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and »Swan Lake« at the Nureyev Festival at the Kazan Opera and the Shanghai Opera.

In 2011 she was nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse for her performance in George Balanchines »Rubies«, in 2016 she received the Premio Capri Danza for »Best Dancer«.