Marius Petipa

Patrice Bart
Patrice Bart is a French choreographer and was ballet-master and member of the Board of Ballet at the Opéra National de Paris until 2011. He has been connected with this theatre for over fifty years now. This is where his career began and this is where he won international acclaim.
Patrice Bart was born in Paris. He was twelve years old when he took his first steps and joined the École de Danse of the Opéra National de Paris, and just two years later he joined the theatre’s corps de ballet. He was then not yet fifteen, and so he had to obtain special permission to work. In 1963 Patrice Bart was made a coryphée and won the René Blum Prize for talented young French dancers for his achievements. As a first soloist of the Opéra de Paris, in 1969 he was a prize-winner at the I International Ballet Competition in Moscow, where he performed with Francesca Zumbo.
In 1972 Patrice Bart was awarded the honorary French title of 'danseur étoile', while in 1974 he won the Prix Nijinski, which is presented by Paris’ Université de la Danse.

Patrice Bart's repertoire at the Opéra de Paris included lead roles in the ballets The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Pétrouchka, Prodigal Son, Serge Lifar's Constellations (1969), Roland Petit's Mouvances (1976), Kenneth MacMillan's Métaboles (1978) and Rudolf Nureyev's production of Swan Lake (as Rothbart, 1984). Bart won acclaim as a brilliant virtuoso dancer (the pas de six in Auguste Bournonville's Napoli and the soloist in Arthur Saint-Léon's La Vivandière) and as a wonderful partner (Balanchine's Symphony in C and Le Corsaire), as well as an artist with an unexpected gift for comedy (Pierre Lacotte's version of Coppélia after Saint-Léon and Heinz Spoerli's La Fille mal gardée).
Patrice Bart's career as a dancer came to an end in 1986, but for a few more years he appeared on stage in character roles. At this time he also started coaching with the company's younger performers, and in 1987 became its ballet-master.

Patrice Bart has won acclaim for his active support of high standards and the preservation of the great traditions of the ballet company of the Opéra National de Paris. In 1991 together with Yevgeny Polyakov he prepared a classical version of the ballet Giselle to mark one hundred and fifty years since the work's premiere.
In 1992 Patrice Bart was Rudolf Nureyev's assistant on his production of the ballet La Bayadère at the Opéra National de Paris.
In 1993 Patrice Bart made his debut as a choreographer at the Berliner Staatsoper with a new production of the ballet Don Quixote, and in 1995 he staged this work with the Finnish National Ballet. In 1996 Patrice Bart staged productions of Giselle at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and Coppélia at the Opéra National de Paris. In 1997 the choreographer created a new version of Swan Lake at the Berliner Staatsoper and in 1998 a new and completed version of Petipa's La Bayadère for the Bayerische Staatsballett in Munich.
In 1999 Patrice Bart staged a production of Verdiana, his own first original ballet to music from operas by Giuseppe Verdi, and he also staged The Nutcracker with the Staatsballett Berlin. In 2001 Patrice Bart set the ballet Verdiana for the Teatro Comunale in Florence. In 2002 at the Staatsballett Berlin the choreographer staged a production of his own version of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, while in 2003 he presented yet another new ballet at the Opéra de Paris – La Petite danseuse de Degas to new music by Denis Levaillant. His next ballet was to be Tchaikovsky, staged in 2005 for the Finnish National Ballet in Helsinki, while in 2008 the Swedish Royal Ballet invited Bart to stage the grandiose historic production Gustav III to music by Carl Maria von Weber and Joseph Martin Kraus.

Before accepting Waldemar Dombrowski's invitation to stage his new ballet Chopin, the Romantic Artist in Warsaw for the Polish National Ballet, Patrice Bart returned to Berlin, where in 2009 he staged the ballet Das Flammende Herz to music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy about the English romantic poet Percy Shelley.
Patrice Bart holds several honorary French titles, among them Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite and Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.

Tomio Mohri
gilt als einer der namhaftesten und vielseitigsten Künstler Japans. Berühmt ist er für seine exquisiten Kostümentwürfe und Ausstellungsinstallationen, er arbeitet jedoch ebenso als Bühnenbildner und Regisseur. Im Zentrum seines Interesses steht nicht zuletzt die Frage der Beziehungen zwischen Bewegung und Raum, die er multimedial zu erfassen sucht.

Lange Jahre war er künstlerischer Direktor für die Ausstellungen von Issey Miyake. Für diese Kostüminstallationen entwickelte er einen neuen Stil von visueller Performance, der bis heute weltweit als beispielhaft gilt. Darunter befanden sich so spektakuläre Präsentationen wie Issey Miyake A un im Musée d`Art Décoratif in Paris, Arbeiten für das San Francisco Museum of Modern Art und das Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Als Theaterautor und Regisseur zeichnete er in Tokio für verschiedene Produktionen verantwortlich, die sich als Maskentänze zwischen Tanz und No-Theater bewegten. Seine Laufbahn als Kostüm- und Bühnenbildner begann 1980 mit einer Arbeit für Maurice Béjart (Casta Diva) und setzte sich 1984 mit Kostümentwürfen für die Oper Le Coq d'Or für das Theatre Chatelet in Paris fort. Unter seinen Werken in Europa sind vor allem die Kostüme für Schwanensee beim Ballett der Opéra in Paris (1992) zu nennen und die Kostüme für Die Frau ohne Schatten (Bayerische Staatsoper), die als Premiere 1992 in Tokio herauskam und 1993 ins Münchner Nationaltheater einzog, sowie die Kostüme für Madame von Sado an der Berliner Schaubühne. Bei La Bayadère fürs Bayerische Staatsballett in München (Premiere am 23. März 1998 in der Neufassung von Patrice Bart) hat Tomio Mohri sowohl die Kostüme als auch das Bühnenbild entworfen. Tomio Mohris engste Mitarbeiterin bei der Realisierung seiner Entwürfe ist Kumiko Sakurai.   Buch, Regie und künstlerische Leitung:
1988 Kyorai, Ishikawa Prefectural Noh Theater, Kanazawa (Maskentanz 1)
1990 Dance, Spiral Hall, Tokyo (Maskentanz 2)
1991 Rinsoubu, Tanz von Tomio Mohri für NHK (Maskentanz 3) Künstlerische Leitung und Design der Mannequin Objekte für den Raum:
1983 Issey Miyake Körperarbeiten, Ausstellung Laforet Museum Migura, Tokyo; Otia-Parsons Gallery, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum for Modern Art, San Francisco; Victoria & Albert Museum, Bollerhouse Project, London (1985)

1986 Mohri No Fuku, Installation für Raum und Kostüme. Spiral Hall, Toyko

1988 Issey Miyake A un, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

1991 3. IAAF Weltmeisterschaft im Turnen, Tokyo. Eröffnungsfeier Teil 3 im Nationalstadion von Tokyo
Mohri No Aka, Zeichnungen in der Parco Gallery, Tokyo Bühnen- und Kostümentwürfe:
1980 Casta Diva (Ballett von Maurice Béjart), IRCAM, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
(Zusammenarbeit mit Issey Miyake, Kostüme)

1984 Le Coq d'Or (Oper) Theatre Musical de Paris Chatelet, Paris (Kostüme)

1986 Yamato Takeru (Kabuki), Shinbashi Enbujo, Tokyo (Kostüme)

1989 Ryu-Oh (Kabuki-Peking-Oper), Shinbashi Enbujo, Tokyo (Kostüme)

1991 Oguri (Kabuki)  Shinbashi Enbujo, Tokyo (Kostüme)
Ryusel (Kabuki), Kabukiza, Tokyo (Bühnenbild und Kostüme)
Bokutoukidan (Theaterstück), Imperial Theatre, Tokyo (Bühnenbild und Kostüme)

1992 Turandot (Oper), Auditorium Maurice Ravel, Lyon (Kostüme)
Schwanensee (Ballett) beim Ballet de L'Opéra de Paris, Bastille (Kostüme)
Die Frau ohne Schatten (Oper), Bayerische Staatsoper im Aichi Prefecturai Theater, Nagoya , und NHK Hall, Tokyo , 1993 im Münchner Nationaltheater (Kostüme)

1993 Dakkenden (Kabuki), Shinbashi Enbujo, Tokyo (Kostüme)

1994 Susano, Carrière de Boulbon, Avigon (Kostüme)

1996 Tristan und Isolde, Prinzregententheater München (Kostüme)
Madame von Sado, Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Berlin (Kostüme)

1997 La Bayadére, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Nationaltheater, München Veröffentlichungen:
1990 Tomio Mohri Kostüm-Installationen, Rikuyosha

Maurizio Montobbio
Geboren am 10. Juni 1957 in Genua, ausgebildet in den USA. Arbeitet für Oper, Schauspiel und Tanz. U.a. Opéra Paris, Mailänder Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin. Häufiger Lichtdesigner für Patrice Bart und den kanadischen Choreographen Jean Grand-Maitre. In München bislang Lightdesign für La Bayadère, Ecclesia und Emma B.. Als Beleuchtungschef auch mehrere Jahre lang verantwortlich für die europäischen Vorstellungen von Mikhail Baryschnikow und seinem White Oak Dance Project.

Maria Babanina

Pianist

Maria Babanina was born in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) on July 2nd, 1952. She studied the piano and musicology at the Leningrad Conservatory and specialised in historic research of ballet music. She taught at the Waganowa Academy, worked as music coach at the Maly Theatre in St. Petersburg and became pianist with the Kirov Ballet in 1978. Since September 1990 she has been pianist for the Bayerische Staatsballett and performed on stage, too, e.g. in Trois Gnossiennes, Other Dances , Songs without words, Zakouski, Jerome Robbins’ In the Night, and, most recently Hans van Manen's Adagio Hammerklavier. She has been responsible for the musical research and new music arrangements of the score for La Bayadère as well as for the musical arrangement of Ray Barra’s Raymonda and Le Corsaire (Liska/Petipa) for the Bavarian State Ballet.

Maria Babanina is chairwoman of the Alexander Glasunow foundation. 

Wolfgang Oberender

Assistant Director of Bavarian State Ballet

He studied German literature and history in Stuttgart, and opera direction in Hamburg. He was engaged as a dramatic adviser at the music theatre in Gelsenkirchen, in Essen, worked in Basel with Heinz Spoerli and in Regensburg.

Since 1992 he has been press officer and head of production at the Bavarian State Ballet. Ivan Liska promoted him - with Bettina Wagner-Bergelt - to Assistant Director.

 

Michael Schmidtsdorff

Polina Semionova
Polina Semionova
Born in Moscow in 1984, Polina Semionova studied at the Bolshoi Ballet School. Graduating in 2002, Semionova was invited to join the Berlin State Opera Ballet as a principal dancer, becoming at the age of 17, the youngest principal in the company's history. During her first season she danced the leading roles in The Nutcracker and La Bayadère and Tatiana in Onegin.

Semionova's repertoire includes Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Marie in The Nutcracker, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppélia, Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle in Giselle, Tatiana in John Cranko's Onegin, Sieglinde and Brünhilde in Maurice Bejart's Ring um den Ring, Manon in Manon, Juliet in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella in Vladimir Malakhov's Cinderella, Carmen in Roland Petit's Carmen and Sylvia in Sir Frederick Ashton's Sylvia. She performed principal roles in Jerome Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun, George Balanchine's Ballet Imperial, Apollo (Terpsichore), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Diamonds pas de deux, William Forsythe's The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude and Jiří Kylián's Return to the Strange Land. She has also appeared in works by Mauro Bigonzetti, Renato Zanella, Uwe Scholz and Christian Spuck.
Semionova created Cinderella in Malakhov's Cinderella and Creativity in Bigonzetti's Caravaggio.

Semionova has appeared as a guest artist with the English National Ballet in Swan Lake; Tokyo Ballet in Ashton's Sylvia; Teatro alla Scala as Nikiya in La Bayadère, Carmen in Petit's Carmen, Titania in Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream; Vienna State Opera Ballet as Swanilda in Coppélia and Giselle in Giselle; Maryinsky Ballet as Nikiya in La Bayadère, Zobeide in Fokine's Scheherezade, Giselle in Giselle and Odette-Odile in Swan Lake; Bolshoi Ballet as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake and Nikiya in La Bayadère; The Stuttgart Ballet as Tatiana in Cranko's Onegin, and joined the California Ballet.

Semionova stars as Odette-Odile in the Zurich Ballet production of Swan Lake which was recently filmed and released on DVD by Bel Air Classiques. She appears as the ballerina in Herbert Grönemeyer's music video Demo (Letzter Tag) and is one of the featured artists in EuroArts DVD Divine Dancers Live from Prague, in which she dances the pas de deux from the ballet Manon.

Semionova's awards include a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 2001, First Prize at the Vaganova-Prix Ballet Competition in St. Petersburg and the Junior Prize at the Nagoya International Ballet Competition in 2002, Daphne Prize (2004), German Critics Choice Award (2005) and the Dance Open Award (2010).

Semionova first appeared as a Guest Artist with ABT in 2011 and joined the Company as a Principal Dancer in September 2012. Her repertoire with the Company includes Terpsichore in Apollo, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Kitri in Don Quixote, Myrta in Giselle and Odette-Odile in Swan Lake.
Up to now Semionova performed two times in Munich, 2004 in The Sleeping Beauty and 2009 in Robbins' Afternoon of a Faun which was part of the Terpsichore-Gala VIII. In the 2012/2013 season Semionova will dance with the Bavarian State Ballet in John Neumeier's The Nutcracker and Marius Petipa's/Partice Bart's La Bayadère.

Ivy Amista
First soloist

Ivy Amista, grew up in São Paolo, Brasil, where she acchieved professional level at the Camilla Ballet School. She won the gold medal at the IX. International Seminar of Dance in Brasilia. Receiving a scholarship for the Munich Ballet Academy/Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung she came to Munich and became a member of the company of the Bavarian State Ballet in 2001.

In October of the same year she was invited by the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung to perform Paquita under the assembly of Konstanze Vernon. At the beginning of the season 2004/2005 Ivan Liška made her Soloist. She was promoted to First Soloist at the beginning of the season 2007/2008.

In autumn 2005 Ivy Amista was awarded with the Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis-Dance.

Debut 2003/2004
Pas Fabergé, Fairy Fleur de farine, Fairy Miettes qui tombent in Sleeping Beauty (M.Petipa/I. Liška)
Six Dances (J. Kylián)
Friends in Raymonda (R. Barra)
3 Solo Ladies in Brahms-Schönberg-Quartett (G. Balanchine)
Olympia in The Lady of the Camelias (J. Neumeier)

Debut 2004/2005
Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty (M. Petipa/I. Liska)
First Shadow Variation and Nikija in La Bayadère (P. Bart)

Debut 2006/2007
Pas de six in Giselle (P. Wright)
Charlotte, fiancé of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake (R. Barra)
Odaliske and Gulnara in Le Corsaire (M. Petipa, I. Liska)
Solo in Song of the Earth (K. MacMillan)

Debut 2007/2008
Olga in Onegin (J. Cranko)
Solo-Ariel in Der Sturm (J. Mannes)
Pas de deux in the third movement of Brahms-Schönberg-Quartett (G. Balanchine)
Große Fuge (H. van Manen)
Ebony Concerto (J. Cranko)

Debut 2008/2009
Second Variation in Once Upon An Ever After (T. Kohler), creation
Lady in blue in Les Biches (B. Nijinska)
Manon Lescaut in Die Kameliendame (J. Neumeier)

Debut 2010/2011
Nympf in My Ravel: Daphnis and Chloé (T. Kohler)
Solo in Pas Fabergé 3rd Act in Sleeping Beauty (M. Petipa, I. Liška)
Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (M. Petipa, I. Liška)
Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew (J. Cranko)
Princess Claire in Illusions - like Swan Lake (J. Neumeier)
Kitri in Don Quijote (M. Petipa, new choreography by R. Barra, A. Gorski, Tradition)

Debut 2011/2012
Second Dream Variation in Don Quijote (M. Petipa, new choreography by R. Barra, A. Gorski, Tradition)

Debut 2012/2013
1. Solo-Girl in Choreartium (L. Massine)
Lise in La Fille mal gardée (F. Ashton)
Gamzatti, Radscha´s daughter in La Bayadère (Marius Petipa, Patrice Bart)
2. Variation in Birthday Offering (F. Ashton)

Maxim Chashchegorov

First Soloist

Maxim Chashchegorov, born in Russia,  received his dance education at the Ballet Academy in St Petersburg. Directly after his graduation he became a member of the corps de ballet from the Marijinsky Theatre and started soon to impersonate bigger roles as the prince Siegfried / Rotbart in Swanlake, Blue bird in Sleeping Beauty, and was for example to see in more modern roles like Four Temperaments (G. Balanchine) and different choreographies of William Forsythe.

After his guest-performance as Blue Bird in spring 2007, he now is engaged as a soloist of the Bavarian State Ballet from the season 2007/2008 on. Since 2009/2010 he is a first Soloist.

Debut 2007/2008
Pas de six and Spanish Dance in Swanlake (R. Barra)
Pas de deux in the second movement of Brahms-Schönberg-Quartett (G. Balanchine)
White Couple in Katalyse (J. Cranko)
Alonso in The Tempest (J. Mannes)

Debut 2008/2009
Ghost Birds in A Cinderella Story (J. Neumeier)
Count Paris in Romeo and Juliet (J. Cranko)
Athlet in Les Biches (B. Nijinska)
Benno in Swanlake (R. Barra)
Des Grieux in Lady of the Camellias (J. Neumeier)
Bernard in Raymonda (M. Petipa)

Debut 2009/2010
Bernard de Ventadour in Raymonda (M. Petipa)
Pas de deux 2 in Artifact (W. Forsythe)
The Russian soloist in Série Noire - A choreographic murder mystery (T. Kohler)
Aus Holbergs Zeit (J. Cranko), Pas de deux

Debut 2010/2011
First Soloist in Série Noire - a choreographic murder mystery (T. Kohler)
Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew (J. Cranko)
Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty (M. Petipa, I. Liška)
Eduardo in Don Quijote (R. Barra nach M. Petipa, A. Gorski, Tradition)

Debut 2011/2012
El Trianero, Matador in Don Quijote (M. Petipa, new choreography by R. Barra, A. Gorski, Tradition)
First Soloist in Scènes de ballet (F. Ashton)
Günther in The Nutcracker (J. Neumeier)
The Man in the Shadows in Illusions - like Swan Lake (J. Neumeier)
2. Pas de deux in Goldberg-Variationen (J. Robbins)
Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew (J. Cranko)

Debut 2012/2013
4. Solo-Boy in Choreartium (L. Massine)
Solor, a warrior in La Bayadère (Marius Petipa, Patrice Bart)
Birthday Offering (F. Ashton)

Peter Jolesch
Character dancer (guest) / Assistant to the Ballet Director

He was born in Budweis, Bohemia, and started his training at the ballet school in Rosenheim before he joined the ballet classes of Gustav Blank and Michel de Lutry at the conservatory in Munich. In 1970 he became apprentice in the ballet company of the Bavarian State Opera and one year later was engaged as a dancer of the Corps de ballet. Further engagements led him to the London Festival Ballet and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf before he returned to Munich in 1977.
Peter Jolesch danced in more than 90 ballet productions with partners like Marcia Haydée, Eva Evdokimova and Natalia Makarova.

Still a guest dancer of the Bavarian State Ballet he appears in several character roles, such as Gremin (Onegin), Monsieur G.M. (Manon), Don Quijote and Manolo (Don Quijote), Father Lorenzo (Romeo and Juliet) and The Duke (The Lady of the Camellias).

In January 2005, he joined the staff of the Bavarian State Ballet as Assistant to the Director, being responsible - among others - for the rehearsal schedules.

Since the Bavarian State Ballet started its extended programme for children, Peter Jolesch has been active in leading workshops for children and is part of the leading team for the projects Dancing Anna and The dancing Classroom.
In 2009, Jiri Kylian created a solo variation for him in his ballet Zugvögel.

Norbert Graf

First soloist

Norbert Graf was born in Cologne (Germany) and attended a local private Ballet school for six years. He received private individual training for two years, and at the age of sixteen passed the entrance exams at the Munich Ballet Academy/Heinz-Bosl-Foundation under the directorship of Konstanze Vernon.
Directly after having obtained his diploma, he joined the Bavarian State Ballet in 1989. He took over solo parts already during his first season.

Among others he has danced Hilarion in Giselle, Paris and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The great Brahman in La Bayadère, Onegin in Onegin and various solo parts in contemporary choreographies such as Five Tangos, Trois Gnossiennes, Night, Concertante, Three Pieces, Grosse Fuge, and Lieder ohne Worte by Hans van Manen, Svadebka by Jiří Kylián, Fearful Symmetries by P. Martins, Artifact II by W. Forsythe. Albrecht in Mats Ek's Giselle and Des Grieux in The Lady of the Camellias, Teacher and Officer in Shannon Rose by J. Vamos und Tambourmajor in Woyzeck-Fragmente by D. Bombana.

He created roles in Lucinda Childs's Chamber Symphony and in Hammerklavier; Rothbart in Ray Barra’s Swan Lake and the „man with the strong heart“ in Grand-Maître`s Emma B., the father in Neumeier`s A Cinderella Story, leading parts in Forsythe`s Artifact II, The second detail, Teshigawara`s Le sacre du printemps, Mats Ek‘s Apartment and „A Sort of...“
Norbert’s most recent debuts include Forsythe’s Limb’s Theorem and Hans van Manen’s The Old Man and Me. For his creation So nah so fern, Itzik Galili created a prominent role for him.

In 2001 he worked as a choreographer for the first time, creating Loggia and Richard, of which Loggia was performed during two matinees in the National Theatre. One year later he choreographed Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, and in 2003 Insections. In 2005 he created Love letters by Frida Kahlo together with Beate Vollack and a solo variation for Tigran Mikayelyan entitled Evolution. In 2007 he created Letter to Leroy to music of the American composer Andersen and in 2008 the pas de deux Avedis to premiere at the Heinz-Bosl-Matinee on November 16, 2008. In 2010 he was in charge of the new production "Whichever Way he Looks" (J. Mannes).

Norbert Graf was awarded the honorary title "Kammertänzer" by the Bavarian Ministry of Culture in spring 2008. In the same year he received the award "Classique" by the Heinz-Bosl-Foundation.

Norbert Graf is also engaged in the programme the Bavarian State Ballet offers for children and young people. 2011 he is in charge of the project "Young horses Lounge II".

He is married with the first soloist Valentina Divina. They have two sons.

Debut 2005/2006
Baron Ochs in The silver rose (G.Murphy)
Elemental (J. Godani), creation

Debut 2006/2007
Lankedem in Le Corsaire (M. Petipa/I. Liska)

Debut 2007/2008
Gremin in Onegin (J. Cranko)
Gonzalo in Der Sturm (J. Mannes), creation
Cambio d'abito (S. Sandroni), creation

Debut 2008/2009
Schah Zeman in Shéhérazade (M. Fokine)

Debut 2009/2010
Seneschal in Raymonda (M. Petipa)
P.S. Norbert Graf - Schütze, Ascendent Skorpion (S. Sandroni)
The Earl in Série Noire - A choreographic murder mystery (T. Kohler)
Prince Désiré in Once Upon an Ever After (T. Kohler)

Debut 2010/2011
Prince Leopold in Illusions - like Swan Lake (J. Neumeier)
Bach in Multiplicity - Forms of Silence and Emptiness (N. Duato)
Camacho in Don Quijote (M. Petipa, new choreography by R. Barra, A. Gorski, Tradition)
Don Quijote in Don Quijote (M. Petipa, new choreography by R. Barra, A. Gorski, Tradition)

Debut 2011/2012
Konsul Stahlbaum/ "La fille du Pharao" in The Nutcracker (J. Neumeier)

Debut 2012/2013
Rajah in La Bayadère (M. Petipa/P. Bart)

Elaine Underwood
was born in Northampton, Great Britain, and started her professional dance education in Newcastle-u-Lyme. She then joined the Royal Ballet School in London for two years where she received her diploma. A two-year engagement in Graz followed, first as a member of the Corps de ballet, then as soloist, before she was engaged at the Bavarian Opera Ballet by John Cranko in 1969. Here she danced for 15 years, 12 years as a soloist, and during that time participated in all ballet premieres in various roles. Her repertoire included f. ex. parts in all the works of Balanchine and Cranko that were performed by the State Ballet; she performed the Myrtha in Giselle as well as Tatjana in Onegin.
In 1984 Elaine finished her active career as a dancer, she started a retraining in office management and received a German language diploma. Since 1996 she has helped the students at the Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung and in 2001 she was engaged at the Bavarian State Ballet to supervise the department of ballet shoes.
In autumn 2012 she returned on stage and played the part of Aiya (Gamzatti's servant) in La Bayadère (M. Petipa/P. Bart). 

Ilia Sarkisov
Soloist

Ilia Sarkisov was born in Moscow and trained in Israel. At the age of 16 he came to Munich to study at the Ballet Academy/Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung.

He joined the Bavarian State Ballet in season 2004-05 as an apprentice. He received the Bavarian State Award for promising talents in the Performing Arts in autumn 2004. He joined the Corps de ballet of the Bavarian State Ballet in the season 2005/2006 and was promoted to s Soloist at the beginning of the season 2011/12.

Debut 2006/2007
Tom thumb in The Sleeping Beauty (Petipa, Liška)

Debut 2007/2008
The Golden Idol in La Bayadère (Petipa, Bart)
Cambio d´abito (S. Sandroni), creation

Debut 2008/2009
Zugvögel (J. Kylián), creation

Debut 2010/2011
Sancho Pansa in Don Quijote (M. Petipa, new choreography by R. Barra, A. Gorski, Tradition)

Debut 2011/2012
Fritz/ "The Dancing Lieutenants" in The Nutcracker (J. Neumeier)
Russian Hip-hopper in The Girl and the Knifethrower (S. Sandroni)
2. Pas de trois in Goldberg-Variationen (J. Robbins)
Gods and Dogs (J. Kylián)
Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew (J. Cranko)
Alain in La Fille mal gardée (F. Ashton)

Debut 2012/2013
Joker in Choreartium (L. Massine)
Epimetheus in Helden (T. Kohler)

Lisa-Maree Cullum.
Principal dancer

Lisa-Marre Cullum, born in New Zealand, trained in New Zealand, Sidney and Monte Carlo. She started her professional carreer with the English National Ballet. 
From 1990 to 1998 Lisa-Maree Cullum was a leading ballerina with the Ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, dancing all the ballerina roles (Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake etc) as well as a large modern repertory. 

Since season 1998/99 she dances with the Bayerische Staatsballett, since 1999/2000 as a principal.
She started with roles like Olga in Onegin (J. Cranko), Nikiya in La Bayadère (P. Bart), Manon, Prudence in Lady of the Camellias (J. Neumeier), and Terpsichore in Balanchines Apollo. In the modern repertory she danced leading roles in Peter Martin`s Fearful Symmetries and Zakouski, as well as William Forsythe`s Artifact II . 1999 she created the role of the Virgin Mary in Grand-Maître`s Emma B.
Since then dancing a great variety of leading roles: title role in A Cinderella Story (J. Neumeier), Manon in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Tatjana in Cranko’s Onegin, Swan Lake, Giselle, Kitri in Don Quijote, Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Jerome Robbins’ In the Night and many others. She created the role of Raymonda in Ray Barra’s new Raymonda production.

In 1988 she was gold-medalist at the Adéline Genée-Competition in London and the Prix de Lausanne, in 1995 winner of the Leonide Massine-Award in Positano/Italy.
In 1998, Lisa-Maree Cullum was acclaimed "dancer of the year" by a leading Munich newspaper. She was nominated for the “Prix Benois” in Moskau 2002 and she was acclaimed  “Dancer of the Year 2002” for her outstanding interpretation of the titel role in Sleeping Beauty with the Ballet of the Opera of Rome. She has appeared as a guest dancer on stages worldwide, like Kirov Ballet/St Petersburg and Royal Danish Ballet/Kopenhagen. 
In 2008, she was awarded the honorary title "Kammertänzerin" by the Bavarian Ministry of Culture.

Debut 2004/2005
Nora I in Limb’s Theorem (W. Forsythe)
Two (H. van Manen)
Five Tangos (H. van Manen)                                                           Agon (G. Balanchine)

Debut 2005/2006
Sophie in The Silver Rose (G. Murphy)
Century Rolls (D. Bombana), creation
Sylvia Pas de deux (G. Balanchine)

Debut 2006/2007
Medora in Le Corsaire (M. Petipa, I. Liška)

Debut 2008/2009
Hostess in Les Biches (B. Nijinska)
Gulnara in Le Corsaire (M. Petipa/I. Liška
Giselle in Once Upon An Ever After (T. Kohler), creation

Debut 2009/2010
Pas de deux 2 in Artifact (W. Forsythe)

Debut 2012/2013
4. Solo-Girl in Choreartium (L. Massine)

Zuzana Zahradníková.

First soloist

Zuzana Zahrdaníková was born in Olomouc (Moravia) and trained at the Prague Conservatory. At competitions in Vienna and Budapest she became finalist and danced in several gala-performances. After being an apprentice in season 1999-2000, she joined the Bavarian State Ballet one year later as a corps de ballet dancer. In autum 2004, Zuzana Zahradníková was promoted to soloist, in 2007/2008 to first soloist. Her repertory includes solo roles in La Bayadère (P. Bart), Don Quichote, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (G. Balanchine), the second detail and Limb´s Theorem (W. Forsythe), as well as the White Lady in Raymonda (R. Barra), Helena in Neumeier’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and the fiancée in Kyliáns Svadebka.
She was promoted to first soloist at the beginning of the season 2007/2008.

Debut 2005/2006
Solopartie in Century Rolls (D. Bombana), creation
Myrtha in Giselle (P. Wright)

Debut 2006/2007
Odaliske in Le Corsaire (M. Petipa, I. Liška)
Solopartie in Chamber Symphony (L. Childs)

Debut 2007/2008
Solo-Ariel in Der Sturm (J. Mannes)
Große Fuge (H. van Manen)
White Couple in Katalyse (J. Cranko)

Debut 2008/2009
Sister in A Cinderella Story (J. Neumeier)
Odaliske in Shéhérazade (M. Fokine)
Prudence in Die Kameliendame (J. Neumeier)
Zugvögel (J. Kylián), Kreation

Debut 2009/2010
Lady of the House in Les Biches (B. Nijinska)

Debut 2010/2011
Madame Larina in Onegin (J. Cranko)
Fleur de Farine Fairy and Duchess in Sleeping Beauty (M. Petipa, I. Liška)
Lady of the Street in The Taming of the Shrew (J. Cranko)
Queen Mother in Illusions - like Swan Lake (J. Neumeier)

Debut 2011/2012
Frau Konsulin Stahlbaum/ "La fille du Pharao" in The Nutcracker (J. Neumeier)
Gods and Dogs (J. Kylián)
1. Pas de trois in Goldberg-Variationen (J. Robbins)

Debut 2012/2013
Gamzatti in La Bayadère (M. Petipa/P. Bart)
2. Solo-Girl in Choreartium (L. Massine)

Luisa Díaz González
First Soloist

Luisa Díaz González comes from Switzerland and has Mexican roots. She started training at the School of American Ballet in New York and later went on to the National School of Dance of Mexico (Honors Award) before graduating from the École de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris in 2000.
Whilst still a student, she won several honors, including the gold medal at the Mexican National Dance Competition (1995, 1996, 1997), the Mexican Morelos Award (1997), the gold medal of the French Salle Pleyel Institute of ballet (2000) and in 2001, the Italian “Danza e Danza” Award. During the same year, she received the National Youth Award from the Mexican president.

She danced with the New York City Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet and the National Dance Company of Mexico. From 2001 to 2012 she was a First Soloist at the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, where she danced nearly every leading role. Le Sacre du Printemps, Romeo and Juliet, Serait ce la mort, The Magic Flute, Le Presbytère, Wien, Wien nur du allein or Sonate á trois, as well as many classical parts like The Nutcracker or Swan Lake belong to her repertory.

Luisa Díaz González joined the Bavarian State Ballet as First Soloist in September 2012.

Debut 2012/2013
3. Shade-variation in La Bayadère (M. Petipa/P. Bart)
1. Solo-Girl in Choreartium (L. Massine)