Natalia Bessmertnova 1949 Natalia (right) with her sister and mother A SHORT BIOGRAPHY Natalia Igorevna Bessmertnova was born in Moscow on July 19, 1941. She trained at the Moscow Ballet School 1953 to 1961. Among her teachers were Maria Kozhukhova and Sofia Golovkina, and later Marina Semyonova. She graduated in 1961 as the first student in the school's history receiving A+ in the final examinations. For three decades she was the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet. She is married to Yuri Grigorovich, Director and Chief choreographer of the Bolshoi. She created the following title roles: Giselle in Lavrosky's 1963 Giselle production Leili in Goleizovsky's Leili and Mejnun 1964 Anastasia in Grigorovich's Ivan the Terrible 1975 Valentina in Grigorovich's The Angara 1976 Juliet in Grigorovich's new Romeo and Juliet 1979 Rita in Grigorovich's The Golden Age in 1982 Raymonda in Grigorovich's new Raymonda production 1984 Other important roles: Phrygia in Spartacus Odette-Odile in Swan Lake Shirin in Legend of Love Kitri in Don Quixote Maria in The Fountain of Bakhchisarai The girl in Le Spectre de la Rose Awards: Goldmedal at Varna Internatinal Ballet Competition in 1965. The Anna Pavlova Prize in Paris 1970. People's Artist of the USSR in 1976. Sources: The Encyclopedia of Dance and Ballet, 1977 The Oxford Dictionary of Dance, 2000 Gold Medal Diploma Varna 1965 The Anna Pavlova Prize Paris 1970 Copyright © 2002 The Ballerina Gallery. All photos are copyright © by their respective owners. [ Contact webmaster ]