Guest Stars —
Thanks to funding from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, The Sleeping Beauty will feature international ballet stars at selected performances throughout the season.
ALINA COJOCARU
Born in Bucharest, Alina trained in Kiev for seven years before joining the Royal Ballet School in 1997. Upon completion of her training, six month later, she returned to Kiev, to join the company as a principal dancer. A year later she joined the Royal Ballet Company (november 1999) and at the end of the season she was promoted to Soloist. On 17April 2001 Sir Anthony Dowell promoted Alina to the rank of principal dancer after her performance of Giselle. Alina joined the English National Ballet in September 2013, as a Leading Principal Dancer. While a member of ENB she continues to perform as a guest artist with companies worldwide, and is a regular guest with the Hamburg Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Alina has Organized Gala's in Romania and in London (Hospice of Hope) over the last few years. In February 2012 Alina premiered her Alina Cojocaru - Dream Project, in Tokyo, Japan, which she directed and staged, while performing along side friends and colleagues from the Tokyo Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, ENB and Royal Ballet.
“Cojocaru is considered an exemplar of the role [Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty]” The Telegraph, September 2014
VICTOR ESTEVEZ
He was born in Camagüey City, began his ballet studies in 2003, at the vocational school of art "Luis Casas Romero", of that city. In 2008 he continued in the National School of Ballet in Havana, with teachers as Ramona Sáa, Marta Iris Fernández and Normaria Olaechea.
He has won numerous Awards, among which include: Silver Medal(2008), Bronze Medal (2009), Gold Medal and Award Best Performance (2010) and Silver Medal and Award Best Couple (2011) in the contests of the encounters international of academies for the teaching of the Ballet, held in Havana.
From 2011, after graduation, he joined to the cast of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, under Alicia Alonso’s direction.
His repertoire includes leading roles in works of the romantic-classical grand tradition as well as in contemporary works by Cuban and foreign choreographers.
In 2015, he was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer.
CHI CAO
Born in China, Chi Cao trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and the Royal Ballet School. He joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to Principal in 2002. Chi is a virtuoso dancer and often leads the Company in the classic repertory. His superb technique won him the gold medal in 1998 at Varna, the 'Grandaddy' of all ballet competitions. Chi has represented the Company at a number of prestigious occasions . including the NATO gala in Birmingham (2000) and Her Majesty The Queen's golden jubilee (2002).Her Majesty The Queen’s 80th Birthday and 75th Anniversary of Royal ballet gala (2006) and Chi has been a Guest artist with numbers of companies and Galas all around world. In 2008 Chi was staring as Li Cunxin in Bruce Beresford's film Mao's Last Dancer, for which he received a nomination for Best Actor from the Australian Inside Film awards. in 2015 Chi was invited to be a member of the jury of the Prix de Lausanne, which he’d won in 1994.
Dates & times
Friday 23 October 7.30pm Alina Cojocaru & Chi Cao
Saturday 24 October 7.30pm Alina Cojocaru & Chi Cao
Tuesday 27 October 6.30pm Alina Cojocaru & Chi Cao
Wednesday 28 October 7.30pm Victor Estevez
Friday 30 October 7.30pm Victor Estevez