Jurgita Dronina

Jurgita Dronina (born 27 March 1986) is a Russian-Lithuanian ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, having previously danced with Royal Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and English National Ballet.

Early life
Born in Saratov, USSR, Dronina and her family moved to Vilnius, Lithuania when she was four. She started out studying ballroom dancing, and then moved on to gymnastics. When she was nine, a choreographer suggested that she try ballet. She attended the Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich.

Career
In 2005, Dronina joined The Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm, after she was spotted by the company's then-director, Madeleine Onne, at several competitions. She became a soloist in 2007, after stepping-in to dance Nikiya in Natalia Makarova's La Bayadère (2006) to cover the injured dancer's performance and Juliet in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet (2007). In 2009, when she was returning from Verona where she had danced as a guest artist the role of Kitri in Don Quixote, she was asked, at the last minute, to perform Odette/Odile in Swan Lake as the scheduled performer was ill. She completed the assignment so successfully that she was promoted to principal dancer, at age 22.

In 2010, after she had again performed the role of Kitri as a guest artist in Amsterdam, artistic director Ted Brandsen was so impressed he offered her a principal contract with the Dutch National Ballet. As she was looking for a broader variety of works, she accepted the position.

In 2015, after Dronina contacted Karen Kain, the director of the National Ballet of Canada to join the company as a principal dancer. Dronina said she made the move as she wanted to have a good balance between classical works and new productions, and she believed Toronto is more suitable for her family. In 2017, after dancing Mary Skeaping's Giselle with the English National Ballet as a guest artist, she joined the company as a Lead Principal Dancer, but remained a Principal Dancer at the National Ballet of Canada. She shared her time between London's English National Ballet, and Toronto's National Ballet Of Canada from 2018 to 2020, but as COVID-19 pandemic hit, she settled in Toronto. In 2020, The English National Ballet announced that Dronina will not return to the company in the 2020–21 season, but confirmed Dronina will continue to dance with The National Ballet of Canada.

Dronina was a resident guest principal with Hong Kong Ballet between 2015 and 2017, under direction of Madeleine Onne. She had host and danced in an International Ballet Star gala in Lithuania, for the 90th. Anniversary of Lithuanian National Ballet.

In 2023 Featured as one of the main characters alongside Karen Kain in “Swan Song” Documentary Series and Feature Film (TIFF) & (BFI London) by CBC, Canada.

In 2020/2021 she was named the most influential person in Arts and Culture to Lithuania in a Governmental Yearbook of Lithuania.

In 2018 She was awarded the Order for Merits to Lithuania, the Cross of Knight, by President of Lithuania, for distinguished merits in culture worldwide.

The same year on October 25 she was awarded the Baltic Assembly Prize for the Arts., for her contribution to Arts, Dance and Culture.

In 2018 Jurgita was Benois De La Danse nominee for her role of Juliet, in R.Nureyev's “Romeo and Juliet” and Sylphide in A.Bournonville / F.Andersen “La Sylphide” with English National Ballet.

In 2018 Jurgita was nominee of “National Dance Critic’s Award U.K.”, for the best female classical dancer of the Year in United Kingdom.

In 2014 Jurgita was awarded Alexandra Radius award for Outstanding dancer of the year with Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Alexandra Radius has commented on Jurgita's interpretations of Diamonds and Emeralds in G.Balanchine “Jewels” and “Tchaikovsky pas de deux”:   “…any role she touches, turns to gold…”

In 2011, she received the Dutch Zwaan (swan) award for her Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.

In 2009 she was awarded Swedish-Danish cultural Grant awarded by Danish Queen Margarethe II of Denmark

In 2008 The Rotary International Award

Jurgita is a winner of International Ballet Competitions:

Gold Medal in France, 2003

Silver Medal in Helsinki, Finland, 2005

Silver Medal in Moscow, Russia, 2005

Silver Medal in Jackson, USA, 2006

Critical reception
Reviewing La Sylphide, The Globe and Mail called her "an irresistible performer" and "there is sensuality in her movement that teeters between the creature and the woman." On her performance in Swan Lake, The Guardian wrote "her execution impeccably clean, not an ounce of energy wasted – there is something unreal about her."

Selected repertoire
Dronina's repertoire includes:

Danced in works by Mauro Bigonzetti, William Forsyth, Hans Van Manen, Sidi-Larbi Cherkaoui, Rudi Van Dantzig, Toer Van Schayk, David Dawson, Jorma Elo, Christian Spuck, Krzysztof Pastor, Nils Christe, Jan-Christophe Maillot, Benjamin Millepied, Juanjo Arques, Guillaume Cote, Will Tuckett, Liam Scarlett, Alonzo King.

• Cinderella in The Cinderella (J.Kudelka)

• Queen Sofia Magdalena in Gustav the III (Partice Bart)

• Esmeralda in Hunchback of Notre-Dame

• Tatiana and Olga in Onegin

• Lead Woman in Les Sylphides (Michel Fokine)

• Olga in On The Dnieper (A.Ratmansky)

• Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux (G.Balanchine)

• Waltz and Russian Girl in Serenade (G.Balanchine)

• 2nd Movement and 4th Movement in Symphony in C (G.Balanchine)

• Diamonds and Emeralds in Jewels (G.Balanchine)

• Lead duet in No Man's Land (Liam Scarlett) • Nikiya in La Bayadère

• Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty

• Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Rudolf Nureyev)

• The title role in Giselle

• Odette/Odile in Swan Lake

• Kitri in Don Quixote

• Medora in Le Corsaire

• Sylvia in Sylvia (John Neumeier)

• The title role in Cinderella (Christopher Wheeldon)

• Hermione in The Winter's Tale

• The Sylph in La Sylphide

• Pinocchio

• A Streetcar Named Desire

• La Dame Aux Camellias

• Swanilda in Coppélia

• The Firebird''

• Tchaikovsky pas de deux

• 2nd Movement of Symphony in C

• Diamonds & Emeralds in Jewels

• Sugar Plum/Clara in The Nutcracker

• Les Sylphides

• Song of the Earth

• Manon in Manon

Personal life
Dronina is married to former Dutch National Ballet dancer Serguei Endinian, their son was born in 2012 In Amsterdam. Second son was born in 2021 in Toronto, their daughter was born in 2023, also in Toronto. The family resides in Toronto.