Olga Esina

Olga Esina was born in St. Petersburg and educated at the Vaganova Academy from 1996 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006 she was a member of the ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre where she danced already leading roles of the classical repertoire, such as Odette/Odile in »Swan Lake« as well as works by Georges Balanchine. In 2006 she joined the Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper und Volksoper, in 2010 she was appointed First Soloist of the Vienna State Ballet. 

Olga Esina's Viennese repertoire includes numerous important roles, amongst others, Odette/Odile in Rudolf Nureyev’s »Swan Lake« – in one of her most famous roles she can be also seen on the 2014 released DVD (C-Major) –, Aurora in Peter Wright's »The Sleeping Beauty«, Swanilda in »Coppélia« from Gyula Harangozó sen., Princess Maria in Gyula Harangozó's »The Nutcracker«, title role and Myrtha in Elena Tschernischova's »Giselle«, Kitri and Queen of the Dryads in Rudolf Nureyev’s »Don Quixote«, title roles in Kenneth MacMillan's »Manon«, Michael Corder's »The Snow Queen« , Boris Eifman's »Anna Karenina«, Rudolf Nureyev’s »Raymonda« and Manuel Legris’ »Sylvia«, Hamsatti in Vladimir Malakhov's »La Bayadère«, Bella in Roland Petit's »La chauve-souris«, Ada in Maurice Béjart's »Le Concours«, Julia in John Cranko's »Romeo and Juliet«, Ballerina in Boris Eifman's »Giselle Rouge«, Médora in Manuel Legris' »Le Corsaire«, Primadonna in »Platzkonzert« by Gyula Harangozó sen., the Queen in the world premiere of Martin Schläpfer's & Marius Petipa's »The Sleeping Beauty« as well as works by George Balanchine, David Dawson, Jorma Elo, William Forsythe, Serge Lifar, Jean-Christophe Maillot, John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins, Heinz Spoerli, Christopher Wheeldon and Hans van Manen, in whose video ballet »Live« she could be seen in 2020 in the live time-delayed stream on ARTE concert as well as on television on ORF 2. Furthermore, she created the role of Titania in Jorma Elo's »A Midsummer Night's Dream«, the title role in Patrick de Bana's »Marie Antoinette« and András Lukács' »The White Pas de deux«.  She also danced in numerous ballet interludes at the New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Opera Ball.

Guest performances have taken Olga Esina, amongst others, to Hungary, France, Argentine, Italy, Russia, Germany, England, Spain, Japan and the United States. Her awards and honours include the Prix International from the magazine »Ballet 2000« (2008) and nominations for the Prix Benois de la Danse (2006 and 2012) and the Taglioni Award (2014). In the critics' survey for the yearbook 2023 of the magazine tanz, Olga Esina received a nomination as »Dancer of the Year« for her role of the queen in Martin Schläpfer's The Sleeping Beauty.