Choreographer: Meryl Tankard
Visual Design: Regis Lansac
Lighting Design: Ben Hughes
Original Costume Design: Dianne Bridson
Costume Construction: Leonie Grace
Performed by Natalia Osipova

*All information on artisits and duration is subject to change. 

 

© Regis Lansac

 

“A thrilling two hour solo tour de force 
which explores the passions, dreams and drama of ballerina’s life.”

Two Feet is a two hour solo show composed of the two intertwined narratives of the great Russian ballerina Olga Spessivtzeva, and a young contemporary dancer inspired by Meryl Tankard’s and Natalia Osipova’s own experiences training as a dancer. The work explores the joys and triumphs of being a great dancer along with the hard work, dedication and pain of what it takes to become a ballerina. The first half showcases her breathtaking technical prowess along with her flair for comedy, looking back wryly on her early days of studying ballet. In the second half the work moves inexorably to a powerful, tragic denouement.

Two Feet is originally created and performed by world renowned Australian dancer and choreographer Meryl Tankard in 1988, drawing inspiration both from Tankard’s own life as a dancer and from the tragic story of Olga Spessivtzeva , the legendary Russian ballerina of the early 20th century. Meryl Tankard re-creates this work at the Adelaide Festival in 2019 for the virtuoso Russian ballerina and principal of the Royal Ballet, Natalia Osipova, widely acclaimed as the greatest contemporary Giselle.

 

 

© Rick Guest

 

“Her technique (is) stratospheric, her acting blazingly committed … no dancer was more exciting than Ms. Osipova.”
- THE NEW YORK TIMES

Natalia Osipova began dancing at the tender age of five and trained in the Ballet School from the age of eight. After being Principal dancer in Bolshoi, in 2013 Osipova joined the Royal Ballet as a Principal after appearing as a Guest Artist the previous Season as Odette/Odile (Swan Lake) with Carlos Acosta. She regularly appears as a guest artist with companies around the world, as well as headlining in her own touring productions in which she has appeared in a range of classical and contemporary pieces, some commissioned by and choreographed on her from Alexei Ratmansky, Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi, Arthur Pita and Iván Pérez, among many others.

Osipova’s awards include Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (Best Female Dancer, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2022), Positano Dance Awards (Best Female Dancer, 2008, 2011), a Benois de la Danse Award (Best Female Dancer, 2008). In 2019 Osipova starred in the documentary film Force of Nature, giving an unparalleled glimpse into the working life of one of the world’s greatest artists, and in 2021 she produced the first ever collection of ballet NFTs. In 2022 Natalia has founded the Bloom Dance Project the independent production company with the idea of sharing best of Natalia’s repertoire, and creating new works with a strong mix of dancers and creative team; and through worldwide touring to promote the art of dance to the wider audience.

 

Internationally acclaimed for her bold choreography, Meryl Tankard is one of Australia's finest contemporary artists. As a director, choreographer and writer, her work has been staged worldwide, and includes co-productions with the Sydney Opera House and The Australian Ballet, musicals for Disney and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Beginning her career as a dancer with The Australian Ballet, Meryl went on to become one of Pina Bausch's principal soloists with Tanztheater Wuppertal. In 1989 she founded her own dance company in Canberra, synthesizing a range of influences and styles to create her own unique dance theatre style.

As Artistic Director of the Adelaide-based Australian Dance Theatre (1993-99) Tankard transformed the company into a leading international company with her diverse range of full-length works. For the Adelaide Festival in 2019, Tankard created two works : Two Feet, a full-length solo work for acclaimed Russian ballerina Natalia Osipova, and Zizanie for Restless Dance Theatre (for performers with and without disability). Tankard was recently awarded with the Officer of the Order of Australia for her distinguished services to the performing arts.