| Alina Cojocaru |
| Whilst on my daily search of the internet during peak times of boredom at work I discovered to my horror that there was no fan site for my favourite ballerina!! SO in order to rectify this: here it is. |
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| Alina with Johann Kobborg in Giselle |
| Biography: Alina Cojocaru was born in 1981 in Bucharest, Romania. She started out taking gymnastics lessons but started ballet at the age of 7. She was noticed immediately for her talent and was accepted into the Kiev ballet school at the age of 10. Winning the Prix de Lausanne in 1998 and a scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet school in London. Upon graduation she returned to Kiev to dance as a principal until a year later when she was offered a place in the corps of the Royal Ballet. She was promoted to first soloist in 2000 and in 2001 she became principal artist. |
| Ballet roles: Alina has danced many roles in her time at Kiev and the Royal Ballet. Here are all the ones I can find so far: Don Quixote Sleeping Beauty Giselle Cinderella The Nutcracker Coppelia Swan Lake Onegin Mayerling Symphonic Variations Ad Infinitum There Where She Loves Romeo and Juliet Masquerade The Leaves Are Fading La Bayadere Beyond Bach The House Will Burn The Lesson Onegin |
| "I was the luckiest one to have the talent and to be able to realise that talent is not enough, that there has to be more than that, you have to work as well!" - Alina Cojocaru, BBC Interview. |
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| Alina as Kitri in Don Quixote |
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| "If you love it, live it!" - Alina Cojocaru, Interviewed for the Royal Ballet Yearbook 2003/4 |
| Why did I choose Alina as my role model? Because she's short and is an amazing dancer. If she can be principal of one of the best ballet companies in the world and still only be 5' 1" then it gives other ickle people (like moi) hope. Especially when we're constantly told we're too short for ballet! :D |