«...she presented a work of such a scale that goes down in the history of ballet» - Anna Galaida

Jean-Christophe Maillot:

“I think in The Taming of the Shrew Katya has opened up as a gentler and more fragile girl than she thinks she is” – Jean-Christophe Maillot

“At the peak of her ballet skills and in fine physical form, Krysanova came across, above all, as a loving woman. Maillot faceted her brilliant temperament with elegant slyness and brought out the whole new spectrum of her nature, previously undiscovered on stage.” – Alexander Firer

“Electricity surges through Katharina's body the moment Petruchio holds her to his chest, and from the shrew, all made of sharp angles, a woman of wondrous beauty is born.” – Elena Fedorenko

“The Krysanova-Lantratov duo is a gift to the audience, freshness of new forms, creative perfection of skill. It is a rare and exclusive presence of the unveiled sexuality of Female and Male elements on stage” – Alexander Firer

“Her character wakes up from the strong hands of Petruchio who has sealed her mouth with a kiss; she suddenly realises her feminine nature, all of her relaxed body “floating” from the yet unknown caress… This scene tops Ekaterina’s list of achievements. All the fouettés this technical ballerina is famous for pale in front of this scene.” – Tatyana Kuznetsova

“In one of the scenes the wonderful Katya Krysanova kisses Petruchio and steps out so fragile and defenceless, it makes me want to cry. But two seconds later she starts a fight. And in this transition, she is real and natural” – Jean-Christophe Maillot

“Her red hair flamed mischievously against the green dress; her vulnerability was artfully hidden behind her aggression, and her family conflicts protested the monotony of everyday life” – Maya Krylova

“Maillot, like a conjurer magician, gazed into the soul of the prima ballerina, “pulled” it out of her and gave the Bolshoi and the audience a new Ekaterina Krysanova. She was reborn in the role of Katharina, and The Taming of the Shrew can generally be perceived as a benefit performance of Krysanova.” – Alexander Firer

“The choreography of Katharina the Shrew is all quick pas, sharp elbows and belligerently bent feet. As a result, the graceful, resonant, perfectly shaped and trained Krysanova plays a real badass” – Leila Guchmazova

“…an angel with classical lines, Ekaterina Krysanova turned out to be a redhead beast who can dance not only Balanchine and the Queen of the Swans Odette, but also the eccentricity of new choreography” – Leila Guchmazova

I would like to tell you a story about how Katya got the lead role.

I didn't invite Katya to the first casting. Everyone was busy at the Bolshoi, perhaps she was dancing some other big roles at the time, I don't remember. But one day this petite girl came up to me and said she wanted to audition for me. I said, why not. After all, it's very touching when a dancer approaches you. The next day she came to the audition, not knowing anything I had told you before. And there she comes: a redhead, in a green shirt, with green eyelashes. I decided it was a sign to follow.

In 2011, I started looking closely at the Bolshoi artists. That's when I realised that it would be hard working with Ekaterina, it would be tough. She was always complaining about something – the wrong lighting, or something else. So, I thought it was not worth talking to her at all.

“The ballerina, following the choreographer's idea, has succeeded in creating a remarkably memorable, strong, and integral image without violating her nature. Her Katharina is not a tamed tiger or a hellcat, but a modern, self-loving woman who has managed to partly burn her ego on the sacrificial altar of mutual love” – Alexander Firer

“Katharina looks like a fierce fury, greeting the savage with defiant applause. The two soulmates have met, and a reckless duel is destined” – Elena Fedorenko

“No one has ever seen ballerina Krysanova so gently erotic, so free in her plastique and so open artistically” – Tatyana Kuznetsova

In 2013, when I went to Moscow to produce “The Taming of the Shrew”, I had not yet decided anything about the main character of the play. The only thing I knew for sure was that she would be a redhead in a green dress and that she would be tough to work with.

Ekaterina Krysanova:

Initially, I was not invited for the casting for “The Taming of the Shrew”. And I bow low to Svetlana Dzantemirovna [Adyrkhayeva] who said to me: “Katya, you'll make a big mistake if you don't talk [to Maillot]. This is your role”. I am not very used to pleading my cause, but her words encouraged me. I worried and agonized over it, but finally made up my mind and approached him: “Jean-Christophe, please don't believe the rumours that I am sick or on maternity leave or not thinking straight... I am very eager for this role.” Apparently, he felt my desire and invited me to the casting. And from the very first moves that I had repeated after his collaborator and wife Bernice Coppieters, I realized that Maillot got interested in me. There was immediate chemistry. After that rehearsal, he said: “I've found Katharina!”

“The wedding night of Katharina and Petruchio, built on literal sexuality and conventional dance, is like a tsunami: the force of attraction equals the force of former opposition. And the hasty finale, when the characters kiss for a moment, seems like a foretaste of the ritualistic family wars” – Maya Krylova