Alina Cojocaru
Encyclopedia
Alina Cojocaru is a female principal dancer with The Royal Ballet of London.
, Romania. She has one sister. From a young age she studied gymnastics. Later she began ballet classes, despite never having seen a live ballet.
She left her family to train at the school, and did not speak any Russian. Initially, Cojocaru and the other Romanian students were taught separately, before being integrated with the other students in the third year.
The ballet school gave a public performance every six months and it was in one of these performances that Cojocaru made her debut, dancing the role of Amor in Don Quixote
.
In January 1997, aged 16, she competed in the Prix de Lausanne
, a prestigious international ballet competition. She won the gold medal, winning a six month scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet School
in London. She moved to London that same year to commence her training, but did not speak any English.
. She was also offered a contract to join the Kiev Ballet as Principal. She subsequently joined Kiev Ballet in November 1998, believing she would gain greater experience as a Principal dancer. She stayed for one season, dancing a variety of roles.
Whilst dancing with Kiev Ballet, Cojocaru re-applied to the Royal Ballet in London, but was only invited to audition for the corps de ballet. She attended an audition for the company whilst on leave from Kiev Ballet and was offered a contract. Doubtful of development opportunities elsewhere, she accepted the contract and joined the company in November 1999. She was subsequently promoted to the rank of Principal dancer in 2001.
Cojocaru's early appearances with the company included performing in the opening gala for the refurbished Royal Opera House
, plus appearances with the corps de ballet in the Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadère
, as a snowflake in The Nutcracker
and as a doll in Coppélia
.
's Royal Ballet production of The Nutcracker was taped and first telecast in the U.S. in 2001. It is available on DVD. Her performance as Aurora in the Royal Ballet's new production of The Sleeping Beauty has not been telecast in the U.S. yet, but has become available on DVD.
Her performance as Giselle
, alongside Johan Kobborg
as Albrecht was recorded in 2006 and aired in England on Boxing Day
. It was released on DVD the following year.
.
Early years
Alina Cojocaru was born and raised in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania. She has one sister. From a young age she studied gymnastics. Later she began ballet classes, despite never having seen a live ballet.
Training
At the age of 7 or 8 she began gymnastic classes, progressing at the age of 9 to a Bucharest ballet school which acted as a feeder for the Romanian State Ballet school. Later the same year she took and passed the entrance exam for the school and a few months later was chosen (with 8 other Romanian students) by the director of the Kiev Ballet school to take part in a student exchange.She left her family to train at the school, and did not speak any Russian. Initially, Cojocaru and the other Romanian students were taught separately, before being integrated with the other students in the third year.
The ballet school gave a public performance every six months and it was in one of these performances that Cojocaru made her debut, dancing the role of Amor in Don Quixote
Don Quixote (ballet)
Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...
.
In January 1997, aged 16, she competed in the Prix de Lausanne
Prix de Lausanne
The Prix de Lausanne is an International dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The competition is for young dancers seeking to pursue a professional career in classical ballet, and many former prize winners of the competition are now leading stars with major ballet companies...
, a prestigious international ballet competition. She won the gold medal, winning a six month scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet School
Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...
in London. She moved to London that same year to commence her training, but did not speak any English.
Professional career
After completing her six months training with the Royal Ballet School, Cojocaru was offered a contract to join The Royal Ballet as a member of the corps de balletCorps de ballet
In ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
. She was also offered a contract to join the Kiev Ballet as Principal. She subsequently joined Kiev Ballet in November 1998, believing she would gain greater experience as a Principal dancer. She stayed for one season, dancing a variety of roles.
Whilst dancing with Kiev Ballet, Cojocaru re-applied to the Royal Ballet in London, but was only invited to audition for the corps de ballet. She attended an audition for the company whilst on leave from Kiev Ballet and was offered a contract. Doubtful of development opportunities elsewhere, she accepted the contract and joined the company in November 1999. She was subsequently promoted to the rank of Principal dancer in 2001.
Cojocaru's early appearances with the company included performing in the opening gala for the refurbished Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, plus appearances with the corps de ballet in the Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadère
La Bayadère
La Bayadère is a ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. La Bayadère was first performed by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on...
, as a snowflake in The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
and as a doll in Coppélia
Coppélia
Coppélia is a sentimental comic ballet with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon to a ballet libretto by Saint-Léon and Charles Nuitter and music by Léo Delibes. It was based upon two macabre stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann , and Die Puppe...
.
Injury
In 2008, during rehearsal, Cojocaru suffered a whiplash injury that could have ended her career. But after surgery, she has returned to dancing.On DVD
Cojocaru's performance as Clara in Peter WrightPeter Wright (ballet)
Sir Peter Wright, CBE, DMus, FBSM, DLitt, is a British ballet teacher, choreographer, director and former professional dancer. He worked as a choreographer and as the Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, a classical ballet company based in Birmingham, England...
's Royal Ballet production of The Nutcracker was taped and first telecast in the U.S. in 2001. It is available on DVD. Her performance as Aurora in the Royal Ballet's new production of The Sleeping Beauty has not been telecast in the U.S. yet, but has become available on DVD.
Her performance as Giselle
Giselle
Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...
, alongside Johan Kobborg
Johan Kobborg
Johan Kobborg is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.-Early Life:Johan Kobborg was born in Odense, Denmark into an artistic family; his mother is a former showgirl and actress and his brother is an actor...
as Albrecht was recorded in 2006 and aired in England on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
. It was released on DVD the following year.
Personal life
Cojocaru fell in love with her most frequent partner, Johan Kobborg and in 2005, it was publicly announced that they were in a romantic relationship off-stage. The couple became engaged in May 2011 when Kobborg proposed to Cojocaru on her 30th birthday at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Sources
Ballet.co.uk - Interview with Alina CojocaruExternal links
- Official website
- Bio as Principal at the Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, London
- Photos of Alina Cojocaru from Flickr user zxDaveM (registration required)