Natalia Osipova: A Force of Nature On and Off Stage

I first heard about Natalia Osipova as a teenager while watching Un an au Bolchoï (A Year at the Bolshoi), a documentary following her and other students at the prestigious ballet school. Back then, I would watch it on repeat and try to get my hands on anything and everything related to this incredible dancer that I’d just discovered. What a pleasure it has been then, 20 years later, to rediscover her here and witness her artistic evolution in another wonderful documentary, Gerald Fox’s Force of Nature: Natalia. Her career blossomed very quickly when she joined the Bolshoi Ballet as a child. Then, after working with various companies abroad, she eventually became a Principal Dancer of the Royal Ballet in London where she feels happiest and most at home.

In one of my favorite parts of the documentary, we see Osipova embody the famous Giselle, a role which, she reveals, represents her vision of life, love, and hope. I can say without doubt that she is the best Giselle I’ve ever seen, and I’m not the only one who thinks so! It is eye-opening to hear about how she lives and breathes the role — like a method actor preparing their character — to the extent that she feels Giselle living on within her even after the curtain falls.

Later, we see Osipova explore her passion for different dance styles outside of the standard ballet repertoire, despite her very rigorous, academic ballet background. It is certainly not an easy feat for a classically trained dancer to venture into the world of contemporary dance. When one has been trained to perfect famous ballet roles like Giselle or Swan Lake’s Odile, it is a colossal leap to contemporary choreography. But that’s exactly where Natalia excels: she goes beyond the field of romantic ballet — which she has mastered to perfection — and dives head first into the discoveries, challenges, and bodily exploration of contemporary dance.

Pausing from rehearsals for Flutter — a contemporary choreography created for Osipova and Jonathan Goddard by Spanish choreographer Iván Pérez — the Russian-born dancer shares that she adores exploring new ways to dance and move her body, oftentimes to the surprise of those following her career.

Like the dancer herself, this documentary is an absolute must-see. Not only has she perfected a flawless technique and the ability to jump to heights usually only achieved by male dancers, her capacity for soulful interpretation both of her ballet roles and on the contemporary stage makes Natalia Osipova truly unstoppable.