Konovalova Liudmila
Ballerina
Wiener Staatsballett, Vienna
Born in Moscow (Russia), she graduated from Moscow Bolshoi Ballet Academy and joined the Russian State Ballet in 2002. In 2004 she was appointed First Soloist and danced the leading roles in „Giselle“, „Don Quixote“, „Schwanensee“, „Dornröschen“, „Der Nussknacker“, „Dance of the hours” and „Paquita“. In 2007 she joined the Staatsballett Berlin and was appointed Soloist in 2009. In Berlin she performed the leading roles in Vladimir Malakhov’s „Dornröschen“, Patrice Bart’s „Schwanensee“ and „Der Nussknacker“, „Scheherezade“ (Fokin) as well as Pierre Lacotte’s „La Vivandière“ and Clark Tippet’s „Violin Concerto“ (Max Bruch Nr. 1) as well as other leading roles in Patrice Bart’s „Giselle“ and „Das flammende Herz“, Vladimir Malakhov’s „Cinderella“ and „La Péri“, „Paquita“ (Petipa), „Flower Festival in Genzano“ (Bournonville) and Frederick Ashton’s „Sylvia“. In 2010 she joined the Wiener Staatsballett as a Soloist and was promoted to First Soloist in 2011.
Her repertory in Vienna comprises Odette/Odile in Rudolf Nureyev’s „Schwanensee“, Clara in Nureyev’s „Der Nussknacker“, Kitri, Königin der Dryaden and Erste Brautjungfer in Nureyev’s „Don Quixote“, the title role in Nureyev’s „Raymonda“, the title role and Bauernpaar in Elena Tchernichova’s „Giselle“, Prinzessin Aurora in Peter Wright’s „Dornröschen“, Médora and Gulnare in Manuel Legris’ „Le Corsaire“, Lise in Frederick Ashton’s „La Fille mal gardée“, Marguerite in Ashton’s „Marguerite and Armand“, Olga in John Cranko’s „Onegin“, Titania in Jorma Elo’s „Ein Sommernachtstraum“, Mizzi Caspar in Kenneth MacMillan’s „Mayerling“, Hamsatti in Rudolf Nureyev’s „Bayadère“ (2nd Act), Tamara Karsawina in John Neumeier’s „Le Pavillon d’Armide“ and main roles in George Balanchine’s „Allegro Brillante“, „Thema und Variationen“ and „Stravinsky Violin Concerto“, Serge Lifar’s „Suite en blanc“, Harald Lander’s „Études“, Jerome Robbins’ „In the Night“ and „The Four Seasons“, Hans van Manen’s „Adagio Hammerklavier“ and „Trois Gnossiennes“, John Neumeier’s „Verklungene Feste“, Twyla Tharp’s „Variationen über ein Thema von Haydn“, Nils Christe’s „Before Nightfall“, William Forsythe’s „The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude“, Rudi van Dantzig’s „Vier letzte Lieder“, Jorma Elo’s „Glow – Stop“, David Dawson’s „A Million Kisses to my Skin“, Jiří Bubenícek’s „Le Souffle de l’esprit“, Christopher Wheeldon’s „Fool's Paradise“, Kenneth MacMillan’s „Concerto“, Victor Gsovsky’s „Grand Pas Classique“, Marius Petipa’s “Esmeralda-Pas de deux”, parts of Petipa’s "Die Bajadere" (3rd Act), Rudolf Nureyev’s „La Bayadère“ (kingdom of the shades), "Pas de Deux Girl" in "Symphony In Three Movements" by Igor Stravinsky and George Balanchine, "Symphony № 15." by Dmitri Shostakovich and Martin Schläpfer, title role in "Duo Concertant" by Igor Stravinsky and George Balanchine.
She has appeared as guest dancer in many European Countries and overseas. During the season 2013/14 she joined the Ballet de l’Opera National de Bordeaux, the Slovenské národné divadlo, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and the Toyko Ballet as a guest soloist. She was awarded a diploma for her participation in the Red Cross Gala in Italy and for the Nureyev Festival in Russia. During the season 2014/2015 she appeared as a guest soloist in Vicenza, at the Nureyev Festivals in Ufa and Kasan, in „Swan Lake" at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, at the World Ballet Festival in Tokyo (August 2015) and at the Kreml Palast Moscow (21th September 2015). In March 2016 (London Coliseum) she had the honour to take part in the Ave Maya Gala in memory of Maya Plisetskaya. For the ORF DVD production of „Der Nussknacker“ in the choreography of Rudolf Nureyev she danced the main role of Clara.
Awards and honours: 3rd Place in the competition “Young Russian Ballet” in Krasnodar (2004), Special Price from the Serge Lifar Ballet Competition in Kiev (2006), 2nd Place in the International Ballet Competition KIBC in Seoul, 1st Place in the ÖTR-Contest in Vienna as well as in the Ballet Competition „Premio Roma“ in 2007, Premio Capri Danza International (2018) and Premio MADSS Étoile Internationale (2019). In June 2019 Liudmila Konovalova was honoured by the Russian Embassy in Vienna for her merits of the cultural relation between Russia and Austria.
