Maria Baranova

Principal

Ms. Baranova started her professional training with the Helsinki Dance Institute in 1999. As a student she participated in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition where the renowned artistic director John Neumeier invited her to join the Hamburg Ballet School on a scholarship. Under Mr. Neumeier’s thorough guidance, she quickly moved to the graduating class and graduated within a year. At the age of sixteen, Maria won Helsinki International Ballet Competition in 2009 and joined the Hamburg Ballet. There, she performed many roles in Neumeier’s original creations as well as various soloist and principal parts. In 2011, Ms. Baranova won the Erik Bruhn Prize in Toronto with """"Giselle"""" ballet's pas de deux from the 2nd act and """"Chopin Dialogues"""" that was created for her by John Neumeier. She was later invited to become the Principal Dancer at the Finnish National Ballet. In 2015, Ms. Baranova received an invitation from the artistic director Mikko Nissinen to join the Boston Ballet as the First Soloist. In Boston, Maria enriched her repertoire with neo-classical and modern ballets by George Balanchine, Jorma Elo, and William Forsythe. In 2019, Ms. Baranova joined the Bayerisches Staatsballett as a Principal Dancer. Maria’s repertoire spans from classical to neo-classcical and to contemporary ballets, as she worked with many of today’s leading forces in dance, including choreographers Justin Peck, Jacopo Godani, Pierre Lacotte, Patrice Bart, and David Dawson.

Information as of March 2020

Awards
Pro Dance Award Helsinki, Finland 2006 and 2014 Silver medal International Ballet Competition, Grasse, France 2007
Bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition Premio Roma in Rome, Italy 2008
Winner of the junior female division at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland 2009
Bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria 2010
Eric Bruhn Prize, Toronto, Canada 2011
Silver medal of the senior female division at the International Ballet Competition Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland 2012

Repertoire (excerpt)
Nikija in La Bayadère (N. Makarova)
Swanilda in Coppélia (M. Ribaud)
Kitri in Don Quijote (P. Bart)
Medora in Le Corsaire (I. Liška, M. Petipa)
Julia in Romeo und Julia (J. Cranko)
Titular Role in Manon (K. MacMillan)
Dame 1 in In the middle somewhat elevated (W. Forsythe)
Olga in Onegin (J. Cranko)
Manon Lescaut, Olympia in The Lady of the Camellias (J. Neumeier)
llusionen - wie Schwanensee (J. Neumeier)
The Concert (J. Robbins)
Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen in The Nutcracker (M. Nissinen)
Pas & Parts (W. Forsythe)
Aria 2 in Stravinsky Violin Concerto (G. Balanchine)
Aurora, Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty (F. Ashton)
La Sylphide in La Sylphide (A. Bournonville, S. Englund)
Titania in A Midsummer Night Dream (Jorma Elo)
Clara in The Nutcracker (W. Eagling)
Main Lady in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto n.2 (G. Balanchine)
Napoli (A.Bournonville)
Alexandra Baldina in Le Pavillion d'Armide (John Neumeier)
Phrygia in Spartacus (Y. Grigorovich)

Debuts with the Bayerisches Staatsballett
Kitty in Anna Karenina (Chr. Spuck)
Swanilda in Coppélia (R. Petit)
Marie in The Nutcracker (J.Neumeier)
Phrygia in Spartacus (Y. Grigorovich)
Pas de six in Swan Lake (Ray Barra)
Giselle in Giselle (J. Coralli/J. Perrot/M. Petipa)
Pas de Six in Giselle (J. Coralli/J. Perrot/M. Petipa)
Marja in Der Schneesturm (A. Kaydanovskiy)
Soloist in Paradigma: Broken Fall (R. Maliphant)
Charlotte in Swan Lake (R. Barra)
Dancer in the Italian Dance Swan Lake (R. Barra)
Dancer in the Russian Dance Swan Lake (R. Barra)
Dancer in Passages: Pictures at an Exhibition (A. Ratmansky)
Soloist in Passages: Affairs of the Heart (D. Dawson)
Cinderella in Cinderella (C. Wheeldon)
Hippolyta/Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (J. Neumeier)
Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (J. Cranko)
Dancer in Tchaikovsky Overtures (A. Ratmansky)
Solo Couple in Diamonds/Jewels (G. Balanchine)
Dancer in Paradigma: With a Chance of Rain (L. Scarlett)
Paradigma: With a Chance of RainParadigma: With a Chance of Rain(L. Scarlett)(L. Scarlett)
Paradigma: With a Chance of Rain (L. Scarlett)