Born in Saratov, Russia, Jurgita Dronina was a Principal Dancer with Royal Swedish Ballet and Dutch National Ballet before joining The National Ballet of Canada as Principal Dancer in 2015. Among many other prominent roles, Jurgita has danced in Kenneth MacMillan’s and Rudi van Dantzig’sRomeo & Juliet; Rudi Van Dantzig's Swan Lake; Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote, On The Dnieper and Firebird; Pär Isberg’s Hunchback of Notre-Dame and The Nutcracker; George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Serenade, Symphony in C and Jewels; Peter Wright’s and Paul Chalmer’s The Sleeping Beauty, John Cranko’s Onegin and John Neumeier’s Sylvia. In 2009, her last-minute replacement for an injured Odette/Odile in Swan Lake was so successful she was promoted to Principal Dancer of Royal Swedish Ballet. In 2010, after her guest performance as Kitri, she joined Dutch National Ballet as their Principal Dancer at the invitation of Artistic Director Ted Brandsen. Jurgita has performed as a guest artist with the Norwegian National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Opera dell Roma, Teatro San Carlo, Arena di Verona, and as Principal Guest Dancer at Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Festival, Russia.

Roles that have been created especially for Jurgita include Queen Sofia Magdalena in Gustav III by Patrice Bart, Minos by Juanjo Arques, Moving Glass by Nils Christe, Labyrinth by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, day4 and Overture by David Dawson, Shapes by Jorma Elo, Dances with Harp by Hans Van Manen, and The Tempest by Krzysztof Pastor.

Jurgita has been the recipient of many awards. Highlights include the Dutch Zwaan award in 2011 for her Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and most recently, the Alexandra Radius Prize in 2014. The European Dance Magazine “Dance Europe” voted her as Outstanding Dancer of the Season for four seasons (2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2014/15).

Jurgita joined Hong Kong Ballet as Guest Principal Dancer in 2015.

Photo: A. Antonijevic