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Alexandra Astreina

Alexandra Astreina

Alexandra Astreina (Dyomina; 7th of May 1987, Riga, Latvian SSR) – a ballerina, a choreographer and a ballet teacher.

In 2002, Alexandra Astreina graduated from the Pāvuls Jurjāns Music School; in 2006, she completed her studies at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School and the Riga Choreography School (RCS) (since 2020 – the Riga Ballet School). At the RCS, the young ballerina studied under experienced ballet teachers Lyudmila Vikanova and Indra Lapshina, and additionally received private instruction from outstanding Latvian ballerinas Larisa Tuisova and Irena Strode. During her studies, A. Astreina also attended master classes in St. Petersburg and Moscow (Russian Federation), as well as in Switzerland at L’École-Atelier Rudra-Béjart.

Since 2006, ballerina Alexandra Astreina has been a soloist of the ballet company of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet (LNOB). With the LNOB ballet company, she has toured several Western European countries, confirming her talent and professionalism in both classical and contemporary dance.

In 2009, Alexandra Astreina enrolled at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where in 2015 she obtained a Master’s degree in Choreography Pedagogy (Ballet Master–Teacher), as well as a certificate of a professional choreographer.

Roles and ballet parts performed by Alexandra Astreina on the LNOB stage:

  • Flower Girl, Odalisque (Le Corsaire by Adolphe Adam, 2007);

  • Little Swan, soloist in the Russian Dance (Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, 2009);

  • Friend of Swanilda (Coppélia by Léo Delibes, 2009);

  • Soloist (Tango Plus. Journeys, music by Astor Piazzolla, 2009);

  • Fairy in the Prologue, Jewel Fairy (The Sleeping Beauty by P. Tchaikovsky, 2010);

  • Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, based on William Shakespeare’s comedy; choreography by Youri Vámos, 2010);

  • Soloist in the “Shadows” scene (La Bayadère by Ludwig Minkus, 2011);

  • Cupid (Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus, 2012);

  • Soloist (Carmen, one-act ballet to music by Georges Bizet and Rodion Shchedrin; choreography by Krzysztof Pastor, 2013);

  • Soloist (Five Tangos, one-act ballet to music by Astor Piazzolla; choreography by Hans van Manen, 2013);

  • Soloist (Messiah, ballet to music of the oratorio by George Frideric Handel; choreography by Mauricio Wainrot, 2013);

  • Signora Montecchi (Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev, 2014);

  • Soloist in the Spanish Dance (The Nutcracker by P. Tchaikovsky, 2015);

  • Soloist (Just Now / Tikko, one-act ballet to music by Kaspars Kurdeko; choreography by Elza Leimane-Martynova, 2015);

  • Chloë (Daphnis et Chloé by Maurice Ravel; choreography by Attila Egerházi, 2016);

  • Zara (Antonia # Silmači, music by Juris Karlsons, based on The Days of the Tailors in Silmači by Rūdolfs Blaumanis, 2018);

  • Gertrude (Hamlet, ballet to music by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Linda Leimane, 2019);

  • One of the three Vampires (Dracula by Wojciech Kilar, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, 2021);

  • Dancer (Nijinsky, one-act ballet to music by Frédéric Chopin and Claude Debussy, 2022);

  • Soloist (Serenade, ballet to Serenade for Strings in C major by P. Tchaikovsky; choreography by George Balanchine, 2022), and others.

Alexandra Astreina is an experienced ballet artist and choreographer of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet. Her creative work includes choreographic compositions for ballet productions, concert programs, gala performances, fashion shows, and international projects, including the Baltic International Ballet Festival in Riga, as well as ballet competitions in Poland, Bulgaria, and Seoul (South Korea). As a choreographer, she continuously develops her professional skills by participating in master classes.

Her choreographic taste has been shaped by the work of outstanding reformist choreographers George Balanchine, Uwe Scholz, William Forsythe, and Boris Eifman. Among her favorite choreographers are Maurice Béjart, John Neumeier, and Christian Spuck.

Choreography for ballet productions and concert pieces:

  • Alpha and Omega (music by Pēteris Vasks, 2011);

  • Surrealism (music by Michael Nyman; Dortmund Ballet, 2011);

  • Silencio (music by Arvo Pärt, 2011);

  • Spanish Dance (music by Ludwig Minkus, 2011);

  • Love and Madness (music by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Sebastian Bach; LNOB, “Riga Spring” 2011);

  • The Masque of the Red Death, ballet based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe (music by Sergei Prokofiev and Camille Saint-Saëns; LNOB concerts Iespējams 2011);

  • Insomnia (ritual ballet; music by Hexperos; LNOB “Riga Spring” 2011; Dortmund Ballet 2011; Baltic Ballet Competition 2013);

  • Dark Tango: Everything Begins with the End (music performed by violinist Edo Notarloberti; RISEBA H2O, 2013);

  • The Moirai (music: Sonata No. 12 by Antonio Vivaldi; RCS 2013, 2014; Baltic International Ballet Festival 2014);

  • La Peau de chagrin (The Magic Skin), ballet based on the novel by Honoré de Balzac (music by J. S. Bach, Gustav Mahler, Hector Berlioz, and Arcangelo Corelli; LNOB Small Stage 2013; Riga Latvian Society House 2014);

  • By Candlelight (music by P. Vasks; LNOB concerts Iespējams 2014);

  • Moments (music performed by E. Notarloberti; RCS, LNOB, 2015);

  • Tetramorph (music by Platon Buravitsky; RISEBA H2O, “Riga Spring” 2015);

  • Salome (music by Pēteris Vasks; premiere at the former Moscow House in Riga, 2015);

  • Pontius Pilate and The Seventh Proof (music by P. Vasks and H. Berlioz; LNOB Iespējams 2016);

  • Silencio (music by P. Vasks; LNOB, RCS, 2016; Baltic Ballet Competition 2016; Tallinn Ballet Competition 2016);

  • Choreographic miniatures Limoges. The Market (The Great News) and Catacombs. Roman Tombs to music by Modest Mussorgsky from Pictures at an Exhibition (LNOB, 2016);

  • Potestatem (Power) (music by A. Vivaldi; Iespējams 2018), and many others.

In 2017, Alexandra Astreina’s choreographic work For My Sun received a Special Jury Prize at the Royal Dance Competition in Rome (Italy) for Best Choreography.

In May 2022, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the Latvian National Opera and Ballet organized a charity concert in support of the Ukrainian people titled “Glory to Ukraine!” All LNOB soloists and the orchestra performed free of charge, and the proceeds from ticket sales were donated to support Ukraine. For this concert, choreographer Alexandra Astreina created a ballet piece featuring Ukrainian ballerinas Angelina Bosenko, Ivanna Sulym, and Elina Bidna, who are currently working with the LNOB.

Text compiled by Irena Ase

Sources of information:

Latvijas baleta un dejas enciklopēdija. Projekta vadītāja un autore Dr. paed. Gunta Bāliņa. Līdzautori: Mag. art. Ramona Galkina, Mag. art. Regīna Kaupuža. – Rīga: SIA “ULMA”, 2018.

Izrades.lv | Aleksandra Astreina | Dejotāja 

Солистка латвийского балета Астреина взяла приз в Риме #kultura1kB