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Monday, September 28, 2026
Can a ballerina do a stomp? Natalia Osipova on making her fearsome, foul-mouthed acting debut
Stage | The Guardian: When Natalia Osipova started rehearsals for her first ever play, it didn’t go well. “I cry. I’m shaking. I’m stressed and completely lost on the first day,” she reports. “I think, ‘I’m a piece of shit!’ I want to take a taxi and run away.”
I find it very inspiring that Natalia Osipova has the dedication and talent to try something entirely new in her career at an age when many people settle down and find security. Although acting and dance are similar in many ways, they differ greatly, and Natalia isn’t letting that scare her. I really respect that she shared how hard the transition was at first, and that she shed multiple tears to get where she is today. I’ve done ballet since I was 3, and have watched Natalia dance online in so many different pieces. She is so graceful yet powerful, and I’m sure that her gifts will translate into acting. I also find it so interesting that this is the play she decided to make her acting debut in, as Lydia Lopokova seems to be a very complex character. Nevertheless, she has found multiple ways to connect with her as a person and will undoubtedly portray her with ease.
I thought this article was inspiring! I really admired Osipova’s bravery - her willingness to pivot to an entirely new career, and for tackling an entirely new script in her second language. Additionally, I also really liked how she described the overlap between theatre and ballet; both move their audiences through storytelling, though ballet uses movement over traditional theatre’s scripted lines. The similarities between the two art forms are really interesting to me - I’ve always considered them to be total opposites, though, after this article, I can definitely see how mastery in one could lead to success in another. I also thought it was super meta to have Osipova, a ballerina in her own right, playing Lydia Lopokova, a ballerina who was also Russian, again like Osipova. I think she definitely enjoyed getting the chance to branch out into a new art form, and I hope she finds success in her new field!
It is so beautiful to see a ballerina become so integrated with the other forms of art such as theatre. The way Natalia Osipova explains how she dove into this character and created her mold that connected her deeply to her roots of Russia after not being there for decades is so magical. I think experiences like that really show just how immersive theatre can be not just for the audience but for the actors as well who dive so deeply into the characters they play. I find Natalia Osipova's idea of doing something amazing and not wanting to come back to it so refreshing. She constantly chases something new and challenges to face such as theatre. Natalia continues to feel the most alive is the face of new experiences. I think that her idea of life is a really crucial way of living, if we stay stuck in routines and boring life then we never experience anything new.
3 comments:
I find it very inspiring that Natalia Osipova has the dedication and talent to try something entirely new in her career at an age when many people settle down and find security. Although acting and dance are similar in many ways, they differ greatly, and Natalia isn’t letting that scare her. I really respect that she shared how hard the transition was at first, and that she shed multiple tears to get where she is today. I’ve done ballet since I was 3, and have watched Natalia dance online in so many different pieces. She is so graceful yet powerful, and I’m sure that her gifts will translate into acting. I also find it so interesting that this is the play she decided to make her acting debut in, as Lydia Lopokova seems to be a very complex character. Nevertheless, she has found multiple ways to connect with her as a person and will undoubtedly portray her with ease.
I thought this article was inspiring! I really admired Osipova’s bravery - her willingness to pivot to an entirely new career, and for tackling an entirely new script in her second language. Additionally, I also really liked how she described the overlap between theatre and ballet; both move their audiences through storytelling, though ballet uses movement over traditional theatre’s scripted lines. The similarities between the two art forms are really interesting to me - I’ve always considered them to be total opposites, though, after this article, I can definitely see how mastery in one could lead to success in another. I also thought it was super meta to have Osipova, a ballerina in her own right, playing Lydia Lopokova, a ballerina who was also Russian, again like Osipova. I think she definitely enjoyed getting the chance to branch out into a new art form, and I hope she finds success in her new field!
It is so beautiful to see a ballerina become so integrated with the other forms of art such as theatre. The way Natalia Osipova explains how she dove into this character and created her mold that connected her deeply to her roots of Russia after not being there for decades is so magical. I think experiences like that really show just how immersive theatre can be not just for the audience but for the actors as well who dive so deeply into the characters they play. I find Natalia Osipova's idea of doing something amazing and not wanting to come back to it so refreshing. She constantly chases something new and challenges to face such as theatre. Natalia continues to feel the most alive is the face of new experiences. I think that her idea of life is a really crucial way of living, if we stay stuck in routines and boring life then we never experience anything new.
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