Who’s Who in the Company

Victor Yaremenko (Artistic Director) is an outstanding figure in contemporary Ukrainian dance world.  His performing life as a dancer is closely tied to the stage of the Ukrainian National Opera, to which he came in 1981 upon graduation from the Moscow Ballet Academy.  His strong professional abilities – flexibility, high jump, dynamic range and expressiveness – allowed him to perform virtually the entire repertoire of Russian and international classical heritage and helped him master some of the best works of modern choreography. 

Yaremenko has received awards and honors at numerous international ballet competitions, including those in Moscow, Tokyo, and Varna.  At the end of the 1999-2000 season, he became the Artistic Director of the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet while continuing to perform with the troupe.  Under his artistic leadership, the troupe of the Ballet has toured throughout the world.

His choreographic debut, the one-act ballet, “Shekherezade,” set to the music of Rimsky-Korsakoff in 2001, has received wide critical acclaim and was extremely well received in the theater community.  In 2002, the audiences of Germany, Switzerland, and Kiev were introduced to another choreographic offering from Yaremenko – his one-act ballet, “Petroushka,” set to the music of Igor Stravinsky.  His latest works include the staging of Adan’s “Le Corsaire” and Glazunov’s “Raymonda,” as well as choreographic excerpts in various operas, including “Turandot” by G. Puccini, “Gioconda” by A. Ponchielli, and “Faust” by C. Gounod.

Alexei Baklan (Conductor) represents the new generation of Ukraine’s contemporary school of opera, symphony and ballet conducting.  Son of well-known ballet dancers, Varvara Potapova and Fyodor Baklan, he was immersed in the atmosphere of the theatre, creativity and dedication to the arts from early childhood.  Upon graduation from Kiev’s Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, he was invited to join the Ukrainian National Opera as a conductor.

Baklan’s creative manner is characterized by a deep understanding of musical dramatic intent, expressive conducting technique, and delicate treatment of the nuances in the images created by the orchestra and the soloists.  Baklan’s repertoire includes such ballets as “Giselle” by A. Adan, “Don Quixote” by L. Minkus, “La Sylphide” by K. Levenskold, “Spartacus” by A. Khachaturian, “Cinderella” by S. Prokofiev, as well as “Swan Lake,” “The Nutcracker,” and “Sleeping Beauty” by P. Tchaikovsky.  As a musical director, in recent years he helped stage such ballets as "Coppelia" by L. Delibes, "Le Corsaire" by A. Adan, "Lilea" by K. Dankevich, and "Viennese Waltz" by J. Strauss.  Baklan's concert repertoire includes various symphonic compositions by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, Strauss, Beethoven, Rossini, Glinka, and Rimsky-Korsakoff.  As a conductor, Baklan has toured extensively in such countries as Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, and Slovenia.  Since 1995, in addition to working at the Ukrainian National Opera, he also heads Kiev's State Youth Orchestra.
 
Maria Levitskaya (Set Designer) graduated from the National Arts Academy in the workshop of the celebrated Ukrainian set designer Daniel Lieder.  Since 1982 she has worked as a set and costume designer at the Dovzhenko Film Studio.  In addition to her work at the Film Studio, she has realized a number of productions in dramatic and musical theaters across Ukraine. 

Since 1989 Levitskaya has worked as Chief Set Designer at the Ukrainian National Opera, where she oversaw the productions of such operas as "Don Juan" by Mozart, "Secret Marriage" by Cimarosa, "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti, "Mazepa" and "Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky, "Traviata" by Verdi, "Madama Butterfly" by Puccini, "Romeo and Juliet" by Gounod, "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky, "Cinderella" by Prokofiev, "Night Before Christmas" and "Vikings" by Stankevich, "Firebird" and "Petroushka" by Stravinski, and "Shekherezade" by Rimski-Korsakoff.  Levitskaya's credits also include a number of productions abroad, such as "Sleeping Beauty" in Poland, "The Czar's Bride" in Slovenia, and "The Nutrcracker" in Canada.

In 1995, for her oustanding contribution to the development of musical and theater arts and her high level of professionalism, Levitskaya received the prestigious title of the Distinguished Artist of Ukraine.  In 2003, she received the Ukrainian National Prize.

Dennis Matvienko (Principal Dancer) received his dance training at the Kiev State Ballet Academy and had danced at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet before joining Ukrainian National Opera Ballet in 1997.  Matvienko's brilliant classical ballet technique, excellent jump, refined plasticity, sharp characterization, deep sense of style, artistry and dynamic range have allowed him to organically integrate into the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet troupe even before graduating from the Academy.  He has mastered leading roles in classical and contemporary repertoire, such as Prince Zigfried and Prince Desire in Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty," James in Levenskold's "La Sylphide," Albert in Adan's "Giselle," Basil in Minkus' "Don Quixote," Escamillo in Bizet/Shchedrin's "Carmen Suite," and Romeo in Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet."

In 1996, Matvienko was a finalist at the 2nd Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kiev.  In 1997, he won the Grand Prix and the Gold Medal at Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, and in 1998 he won the Grand Prix at the Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary.  Also in 1998 he won the Gold Medal and the Vazlav Nijinsky Prize at the Tokyo International Ballet Competition.  In 2005, Matvienko won the Grand Prix at the 10th Moscow International Ballet Competition.  He has performed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Japan, and Mexico.

Elena Filipieva (Principal Dancer) graduated from the Kiev State Ballet Academy.  Since 1988 she has performed as a soloist with the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet.  Filipieva's artistry, deep understanding of musical and dramatic material, virtuosic ballet technique, and insight into the lyrical nature of classical dance allowed the ballerina to master some of ballet's most complex roles – such as Odette-Odile, Aurora, and Clara in Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," and "The Nutcracker; Aegina in Khachaturian's "Spartacus;" and title roles in Adan's "Giselle," Minkus' "Paquita," Glazunov's "Raymonda," and Prokofiev's "Cinderella," among others.

Filipieva devotes much of her artistic life to working with young choreographers to find new expressive means in dance and enrich her movement vocabulary.  She was a finalist at the Moscow International Ballet competition in 1989, "Maya" International Ballet Competition in St. Petersburg in 1994, and Tokyo International Ballet Competition in 1998.  She has toured all over the world as part of the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet and as a guest artist with ballet troupes in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Yaroslav Salenko (Dancer) graduated from the Donetsk Dance Academy and had performed with the Donetsk Opera Ballet for two seasons before joining Ukrainian National Opera Ballet.  His outstanding technical ability, remarkable discipline, and deep insight into the psychological and choreographic nuances of each ballet he performed allowed the young dancer to integrate quickly and seamlessly into the troupe.  In a short period of time, he has mastered a number of roles in some of the best works in the classical ballet repertoire, such as "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky, "Don Quixote" by Minkus, "Raymonda" by Glazunov, and others.  In April 2005, Salenko won the Grand Prix at the 5th Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kiev, Ukraine.

 

 

Anastassia Matvienko (Dancer) was invited to join the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet in 2002 upon her graduation from the Kiev State Ballet Academy.  Her dancing is characterized by lyricism, academic purity, extraordinary technical ability, expressiveness, and precision.  Her classical ballet repertoire includes leading roles in "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky, "Raymonda" by Glazunov, and many others.  In June of 2005, Matvienko won the Gold Medal at the 10th Moscow International Ballet Competition.  She has performed in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Japan, and Mexico.

 

 

 

Natalia Domracheva (Dancer) is currently finishing her last year of training at the Kiev State Ballet Academy, and is considered one of the latest discoveries of the well-known teacher, Alla Lagoda.  Her impeccable dance training and technical ability, combined with her youthful enthusiasm, resulted in several prestigious awards, such as the Grand Prix at the "Fouette Artek" International Youth Ballet Competition in 2002, a prize at Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, and the silver medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition (in 2001 in Junior age division, and in 2005 in Senior age division).
Domracheva is confidently entering the repertoire of the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet, with which she has performed in "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," and "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, "Don Quixote" by Minkus, and "Raymonda" by Glazunov.  As part of the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet, the young ballerina has toured in Hungrary, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, and Mexico.

Sergei Sidorsky (Dancer) was invited to join the Ukrainian National Opera Ballet in 1999 upon his graduation from the Kiev State Ballet Academy.  In 2002, he was a finalist and a prize winner at the Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kiev, and in 2004 he received a special Marius Petipa Prize for academic purity in classical dance and the best performance of choreography to the music of Peter Tchaikovsky at the "Arabesque" Russian Ballet Competition in Perm.

Sidorsky's repertoire includes leading roles in classical and contemporary ballet productions, such as Prince Zigfried in "Swan Lake" and the Prince in "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, Jean de Brienne in Gazunov's "Raymonda," Conrad in Adan's "Le Corsaire," and Romeo in Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet."  He has toured in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Japan, and Mexico.