Natalia Osipova ''Force of Nature''

The Divine Natalia Osipova Brings the Grand Ballet Program

"Forces of Nature" to Tallinn

The prima ballerina of the Royal Ballet in London, hailed by The Independent as the most sought-after ballerina in the world, has already performed Forces of Nature on both sides of the Atlantic. This one-of-a-kind production showcases both the most intricate pointe work of classical ballet and pieces choreographed by renowned contemporary artists. Osipova will be joined by her fellow soloists from the United Kingdom and the United States.

Osipova is unparalleled. Her technique is unique, and her artistic charisma is extraordinary. Even before graduating from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, the ballet world was abuzz with discussions of her incredible, airborne leaps. Initially accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet as a corps de ballet member, she performed eight solo roles in her first season alone. Lively as mercury and swift as lightning, she would electrify the stage with her presence. "A wild thing!" Osipova recalls being called at the start of her career. "A force of nature," say those who saw her back then.

"Beg, borrow, or steal tickets!" exclaimed The Guardian after Osipova's sensational debut in London. The year was 2007, and the British capital hosted the Bolshoi Ballet. Chief choreographer Alexei Ratmansky played his ace, casting Osipova as Kitri in Don Quixote. It was a complete triumph.

By the early 2010s, Osipova had become one of the brightest and most in-demand ballerinas in the world. Major theaters in Paris, Milan, Berlin, and New York regularly invited her to perform. Every new role, whether Giselle, Kitri, or a character in contemporary choreography, became an event. Her artistry inspires the greatest choreographers of our time, including Alexei Ratmansky, Arthur Pita, Akram Khan, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

In 2013, Osipova signed a permanent contract with the Royal Ballet in London, where she continues to perform to this day.

Osipova's talent has been recognized with numerous international awards, including the National Dance Awards and the Benois de la Danse Prize. In 2018, British director Gerald Fox made a documentary about her titled Force of Nature: Natalia, which delves into the backstage world of her life and artistry—from rehearsals for Medusa to her performance in the classical ballet La Bayadère.

Four years later, Osipova created her own Forces of Nature, an evening of ballet that combines unprecedented beauty and complexity. In it, she pays homage to her iconic, vastly diverse roles—Giselle and Kitri—dances Alexei Ratmansky’s Grief Waltz set to music by Sibelius (choreographed specifically for her), performs an excerpt from Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon (a piece that recently caused a sensation in London), and presents Frederick Ashton’s fantastic Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan. She dies in Mikhail Fokine's iconic The Dying Swan and joins her partners in duets and trios choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Jason Kittelberger, as well as the short ballet Ashes, where she is a co-creator. Over her phenomenal career, as her biographers have calculated, Osipova has performed 172 roles, so there was no shortage of material to choose from.

Attending an Osipova performance is worth it if only to witness her fouettés, arguably the best in the world. However, Forces of Nature offers much more than technical marvels—it provides audiences with a chance to experience great art and understand what it truly means to be a 21st-century ballet étoile.