Info

Senior Principal dancer

Elena will dance the roles of Myrtha and Giselle this Autumn, when playing Giselle she will be partnered by Arionel Vargas.

Find out more about Elena in her Dancer in the Spotlight interview

Birthplace
Tbilisi, Georgia

Training
Tbilisi Choreographic School
Vaganova St-Petersburg Academy of Russian Ballet

Previous Companies
Russian Ballet Company, St Petersburg, St-Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre, St-Petersburg Ballet Theatre of Konstantin Tatchkin

English National Ballet
Joined 2002, Principal dancer, Senior Principal dancer 2007

Favourite roles
Title role in Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, title role in Manon

Career highlight
Creating Gypsy Girl in Michael Cirder's The Snow Queen and Virginia in The Canterville Ghost, performing in Katie Melua's It's Only Pain and appearing in the BBC production The Impressionists

Other info
Won 2007 and 2008 Ballet.co.uk Audience Poll for Best Female Dancer, Best Partner award at 7th Perm Open Competition 2002 and 8th Paris International Competition of Soloists 1998. Married and has a son, Alexander Abashidze

"...the warmth and charisma to melt the frostiest audience and the experience to work the material to maximum effect"
The Observer

Casting

The Nutcracker - London Coliseum
Clara, Nutcracker, Drosselmeyer, Sugar Plum Fairy, Prince

Thursday 17 December 2.30pm (Family)
Venus Villa, Anton Lukovkin, Juan Rodriguez, Elena Glurdjidze, Junor de Oliveira Souza

Tuesday 22 December 7.30pm
Senri Kou, Daniel Kraus, Fabian Reimair, Elena Glurdjidze, Junor de Oliveira Souza

Wednesday 23 December 7.30pm
Crystal Costa, Yat-Sen Chang, Juan Rodriguez, Elena Glurdjidze, Junor de Oliveira Souza

Tuesday 29 December 7.30pm
Desiree Ballantyne, Max Westwell, Fabian Reimair, Elena Glurdjidze, Arionel Vargas

Wednesday 30 December 7.30pm
Kei Akahoshi, Fabian Reimair, Juan Rodriguez, Elena Glurdjidze, Arionel Vargas

Sunday 3 January  2.30pm
Venus Villa, Anton Lukovkin, Daniel Kraus, Elena Glurdjidze, Arionel Vargas

The Snow Queen - London Coliseum
The Snow Queen, Gerda, Kay, Lead Gypsy Girl, Lead Gypsy Boy, Wolves

Friday 8 January 7.30pm
Daria Klimentová, Fernanda Oliveira, Juan Rodriguez, Elena Glurdjidze, Zhanat Atymtayev, Esteban Berlanga, James Forbat

Sunday 10 January 2.30pm
Daria Klimentová, Fernanda Oliveira, Juan Rodriguez, Elena Glurdjidze, Fabian Reimair, Esteban Berlanga, James Forbat

Tuesday 12 January  7.30pm
Elena Glurdjidze, Venus Villa, Nathan Young, Sarah McIlroy, Dmitri Gruzdyev, Fabian Reimair, Arionel Vargas

Thursday 14 January 2.30pm (Family)
Elena Glurdjidze, Venus Villa, Nathan Young, Laura Bruna, Yat-Sen Chang, Fabian Reimair, Arionel Vargas

Thursday 14 January 7.30pm
Erina Takahashi, Adela Ramirez, Daniel Kraus, Elena Glurdjidze, Arionel Vargas, Zhanat Atymtayev, Vadim Muntagirov

Saturday 16 January 7.30pm
Elena Glurdjidze, Venus Villa, Nathan Young, Begona Cao, Yat-Sen Chang, Fabian Reimair, Arionel Vargas

Giselle - London Coliseum
Giselle, Albrecht, Myrtha, Hilarion

Wednesday 20 January 7.30pm
Erina Takahashi, Dmitri Gruzdyev, Elena Glurdjidze, James Streeter

Friday 22 January 7.30pm
Elena Glurdjidze, Arionel Vargas, Jenna Lee, Daniel Jones