Renowned ballerina Alina Cojocaru is set to leave the English National Ballet after seven years with the company. She joined English National Ballet in 2013 as a Lead Principal Dancer and during her time with the Company, Alina has delighted audiences and critics alike, throughout the UK and internationally, with her performances in both classical and contemporary repertoire.
The Wonderful World of Dance spoke to Alina about her career, her inspirations and future aspirations – listen to the podcast.
Acclaimed for both her technical ability and her dramatic interpretation, Alina has received much admiration for her performances in classical roles, including Juliet in both Rudolf Nureyev’s and Derek Deane’s versions of Romeo & Juliet; the title roles in Giselle, Manon and Cinderella; Medora in Le Corsaire, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Clara in Nutcracker and Odette/ Odile in Swan Lake.
Alina has also garnered high praise for her artistry and on-stage presence in performances in contemporary works whilst with the Company: Approximate Sonata 2016, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Spring and Fall, No Man’s Land, Second Breath and Akram Khan’s Giselle in which she performed the title role in the 2016 world premiere.
While dancing with English National Ballet, Alina has twice been awarded the Critic’s Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Performance (Classical), in 2017 for her portrayal of the title role in Akram Khan’s Giselle and in 2018 for her performance as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Danza & Danza Dancer of the Year 2019.
Whilst Alina’s last on-stage performance with the Company was in January 2020 as Clara in Nutcracker at the London Coliseum, her performances continued to enchant audiences around the world through English National Ballet’s recent series of Wednesday Watch Parties in which she appeared in Manon, Cinderella and Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet.
English National Ballet’s Artistic Director, Tamara Rojo CBE said: “It has been an absolute privilege to have an artist of Alina’s calibre as part of the English National Ballet family. I am so thankful for her immense contribution to the company over the past 7 years, and I hope to welcome her back as a guest in the future.”