Maria Beck

Maria Beck was born in Detroit, Michigan and began studying ballet at the age of 6 with Valentina Barsukova. In 2008, at the YAGP she received a scholarship to study at the Kirov Ballet Academy in Washington where her teachers were Lyubov Fominich and Marianna Lobanova. In 2010, after the Bolshoi ballet academy summer intensive program in New York, she was invited to study at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. After three years of studies under the dean of the academy, Marinna Leonova, Maria graduated in 2013 with a red diploma. 

In 2013, Maria joined the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre and became first soloist the same year. In 2020, after her debut in Rudolph Nureyevs’ Don Quixote, Maria was announced principal dancer by Laurent Hilaire. Marias’ repertoire includes: Masha (Clara)  the Princess, Spanish Dance (The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, choreography by Vassily Vainonen), Gamzatti (La Bayadère by Minkus, choreography by Natalia Makarova after Petipa), Variations of the III act (Don Quixote by Minkus, choreography by Alexey Chichinadze), Kitri, The Queen of the Dryads and Street Dancer (Don Quixote by Minkus, choreography by Rudolf Nureyev after Petipa and Gorsky), Mistress of the Copper Mountain (The Stone Flower by Prokofiev, choreography by Yury Grigorovich), Gypsy Woman, Fleur de Lis (La Esmeralda –  music by Pugni, Glière and Vasilenko, choreography by Vladimir Burmeister), Lescaut’s Mistress (Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon to music by Massenet), Giselle, Myrtha, Two Willis (Adam’s Giselle, choreography by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa, revised by Laurent Hilaire), Fairy Godmother, step sister (Prokofiev’s Cinderella, choreography by Oleg Vinogradov), Kupava (The Snow Maiden to music by Tchaikovsky, choreography by Vladimir Burmeister), Dolly (Anna Karenina to music by Rachmaninov, Tsintsadze, Bardanashvili and Lutosławski, choreography by Christian Spuck). Her repertoire also includes solo parts in following one-act ballets: The Concert by Jerome Robbins, Suite en blanc by Serge Lifar, Serenade by George Balanchine, Aureole by Paul Taylor, Tyll by Alexander Ekman, Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin, Wings of Wax and Petite mort by Jiří Kylián, Les Noces and Le Parc /duo from the ballet/ by Angelin Preljocaj, The Second Detail by William Forsythe, Autodance by Sharon Eyal. 

In 2007, received the hope award at the regionals at the Youth American Grand Prix and 3rd place at the NYC finals. 

In 2013, received the bronze medal at the Yuri Grigorovich Moscow ballet competition in the junior category. 

In 2016, received gold at the Yuri Grigorovich Moscow ballet competition specialized in modern dance. 

In 2018/2019, Maria was invited to tour with France concert with Swan Lake (Odette/Odile) and the Nutcracker in Paris and Lille, France.  

Maria has also toured with the Stanislavsky Ballet in Italy, Japan, China, Thailand, Germany and France.