Ulyana Lopatkina, Prima ballerina at the Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg, turns 40 today.
A congratulatory telegram from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev reads:
You are among the stars of the first magnitude, whose talent and artistry was clearly evident from your student days. After your début at the legendary Mariinsky Theatre you have rightly been recognized as the prima ballerina of the company.
Your virtuoso technique and exquisite grace as an actresses have made every role emotionally intense and expressive, and it has created performances of Odette-Odile, Giselle, Nikia, the Lilac Fairy, and many others, that have conquered the international stages, and represent the glory of Russian ballet.
reported RIA Novosti.
He continued to wish Lopatkina happiness, health, and new creative successes.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
