Elena Fillipieva

Principal Dancer for the National Ballet of Ukraine, Kiev

Ms. Filipieva graduated from the prestigious Kiev State Ballet Academy.  Since 1988 she has performed as a soloist with the National Ballet and is now known by many as the best ballerina in Ukraine. Filipieva's artistry, deep understanding of musical and dramatic material, virtuosic ballet technique, and insight into the lyrical nature of classical dance allowed the ballerin to master some of ballet's most complex roles such as  Odette-Odie, Aurora, and Clara in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker; Aegina in Khachuturian's Spartacus; and title roles in Adan's Giselle, Minkus' Paquita, Glazunov's Raymonda and Prokofiev's Cinderella among others.  Filipieva has been a gold medalist at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 1989, the 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 National Ballet of Ukraine and as a guest artist with ballet troupes in Moscow and St. Petersburg.