Aliona Pikalova

Graduate of the Faculty of Stage Design of the Russian Academy of Theatrical Art (1997). A year before, was admitted to the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia as assistant to Sergey Bakhrin, her professor, then also the head designer of the Theatre.

Since 2000, occupies the position of head of the Bolshoi Theatre art department. She has been entrusted work with historical records, and under her supervision the scenery by classics of the Soviet theatre, such as artists Pyotr Williams (Eugene Onegin, 1944) and Fyodor Fedorovsky (Boris Godunov, 1948), was reconstructed at the Bolshoi. After Fedorovsky’s sketches, setting was designed anew for production of the opera The Tsar’s Bride (2014); the set design for the ballet La Esmeralda was developed using the records of performances at the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi Theatres in the 19th century.

The opening in 2011 of the Historical stage of the Bolshoi after reconstruction had set an ambitious task for Pikalova to replicate the historical curtain of 1856 ‘Entrance of Minin and Pozharsky in the Kremlin’, she also undertook adaptation of the celebrated Fedorovsky’s ‘golden’ curtain, drafted and designed the new ‘Italian’ curtain, and arranged the setting for the opening gala concert.

Among other works by Pikalova at the Bolshoi Theatre are set design for the ballet Jewels (2012) and the Grand Pas classique from Paquita (2008). The opera The Snow Maiden designed by her in 2003 was performed at opening of the Theatre’s New stage.

The works by Pikalova may be seen at regional theatres as well. In 2000–2002, she contributed to production of Euhene Onegin, Rigoletto and Der Freischütz at the Saratov Opera. In 2008, she designed the decoration for dance recital The Golden Age of Russian Imperial Ballet for the Chelyabinsk Opera. Since 2015, she has been maintaining collaboration with Alexey Miroshnichenko in Perm, the results being the performances of Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Firebird, and The Nutcracker.

Beginning from 2011, she regularly works with the Ural Ballet, where she has contributed to design of La Bayadère, Conservatoire, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée, and two times to Paquita: in the Grand Pas classique (2013) and the full three-act version (2018).