Natalia Osipova

American ballet dancer Joy Womack is accepted into Moscow's infamously tough Bolshoi Ballet Academy, with the dream of becoming a great ballerina.

Set in the Royal India of the past, La Bayadère is a story of eternal love, mystery, fate, vengeance, and justice. The ballet relates the drama of a temple dancer (bayadère), Nikiya, who is loved by Solor, a noble warrior. She is also loved by the High Brahmin, but does not love him in return, as she does Solor.

Don Quixote is a 19th century work, choreographed by Petipa in 1869. Rudolf Nureyev revived it in 1966 and it is his version in La Scala Ballet’s repertoire, much loved by ballet audiences for its winning mix of technical bravura, exuberance and comic touches. La Scala Ballet brought the world of a fantastical Spain brilliantly to life with their sophisticated dance, music, costumes and sets, energetically accompanied by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Coleman.

A tale of the French Revolution, The Flames of Paris belongs to the pearls of the pure classics of classical dance. This world premiere recording of the production from choreographer Alexei Ratmansky (after Vasily Vaynonenon) and the Bolshoi Ballet, features the standout soloists Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. Although set in revolutionary France, The Flames of Paris was intended to serve as an allegory for contemporary events in the Soviet Union. The ballet premiered in 1932 on the anniversary of the October Revolution, and one of its main characters was the population - revolutionary in mood and ready for action. Not surprisingly, The Flames of Paris was quickly included in the ranks of works which were always presented for major anniversaries.The choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has attempted to make maximum use of the preserved fragments of Vasily Vainonen in his new ballet.

The first revival of Wayne McGregor’s critically acclaimed ballet triptych to music by Max Richter, inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf.

Dance film inspired by the life and work of the artists Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin.

Rhapsody was created in 1980 and is one of Frederick Ashton’s final works – a virtuoso conclusion to his series of non-narrative ballets. It was created for acclaimed Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who requested the Ashton commission and whose personality is at the heart of the work. The male Principal role is characterised by exceptionally fluent leaps, turns and lightness of movement. It is twinned with the strength and grace of the ballerina, a role created on the pure, fleet-footed style of former Royal Ballet Principal Lesley Collier. The ballet is set to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s well-known Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which moves from stormy passages to calmer interludes. The premiere of Rhapsody was given at the Royal Opera House in honour of Ashton’s close friend Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, on the occasion of her 80th birthday.

With Roland Petit’s cool, cabaret-style choreography and chic costumes by Yves Saint Laurent, Notre-Dame de Paris has been a modern ballet hit ever since its 1965 premiere. Petit’s deft condensation of Victor Hugo’s epic and tragic novel is now renewed by two stars of our own time, Roberto Bolle and Natalia Osipova: a stunning tribute to Petit’s genius after his death in 2011. Recorded live at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, March 2013.