Francesca Velicu
{{short description|Romanian ballet dancer}}
{{Infobox dancer
| name = Francesca Velicu
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| birth_date = {{birthdate and age|1998|05|22}}{{cite news|url=https://www.pointemagazine.com/2017-stars-of-the-corps-francesca-velicu-2488474370.html|title=2017 Stars of the Corps: Francesca Velicu of English National Ballet|work=Pointe Magazine|date=24 September 2017}}
| birth_place = Bucharest, Romania
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| education = Choreography High School Floria Capsali
The Bolshoi Ballet Academy
| occupation = ballet dancer
| years_active = 2015-present
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| current_group = English National Ballet
| former_groups = Romanian National Ballet
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Francesca Velicu is a Romanian ballet dancer. She is a Soloist at the English National Ballet. In 2018, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance.
Early life
Velicu was born in Bucharest, Romania. She trained at Choreography High School Floria Capsali in Bucharest and The Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow.{{cite web|url=https://www.ballet.org.uk/people/francesca-velicu/|title=Francesca Velicu|work=English National Ballet|access-date=14 May 2020}}
Career
In 2015, at age 17, Velicu joined the Romanian National Ballet, which was directed by Johan Kobborg. Kobborg cast her in soloist roles immediately.{{cite news|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/francesca-velicu-ballerina-interview|title=Francesca Velicu On The Pressures And Payoffs Of Being A Ballerina|work=British Vogue|date=22 November 2018}} She also met Alina Cojocaru, Kobborg's partner and Velicu's idol. However, in 2016, Kobbarg and Cojocaru resigned from the company after the new leadership's actions. After that, Cojocaru suggested Velicu to audition for the English National Ballet, where Cojocaru is a lead principal dancer. After Velicu auditioned in Paris, Tamara Rojo, the company's artistic director, offered Velicu a contract to join the company as an Artist. She moved to London within a week.{{cite web|url=https://storyofmag.com/blog/francesca-velicu|title=Francesca Velicu - What moves her|work=Story Of|date=10 February 2020 |access-date=14 May 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/arts/dance/romanian-ballet-companyloses-its-leading-lights.html/ |title=Romanian Ballet Company Loses Its Leading Lights |work=New York Times|date=13 April 2016}}
In 2017, she danced The Chosen One in Pina Bausch's Le Sacre du printemps, and was praised by critics. The Guardian noted, "her performance has the power and stagecraft of an adult but the sobbing terror of a child."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/mar/24/english-national-ballet-review-pina-bausch-rite-of-spring-sadlers-wells|title=English National Ballet review – Bausch's Rite of Spring is as raw as ever|work=The Guardian|date=24 March 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2017/03/english-national-ballet-pina-bausch-william-forsythe-hans-van-manen-bill-london/|title=English National Ballet – Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen bill – London|work=Dancetabs|date=24 March 2017}} Later that year, she was promoted to First Artist.{{cite web|url=https://www.ballet.org.uk/blog-detail/promotions-new-dancers-joining-company-2017-18-season/|title=Promotions and new dancers joining the Company for the 2017/2018 season|work=English National Ballet|date=28 July 2017}} In 2018, at age 19, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for Le Sacre du printemps.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43668013|title=Olivier Awards 2018: Winners in full|work=BBC News|date=9 April 2018}} She reprised the role in 2019.{{cite news|url=https://bachtrack.com/review-she-persisted-broken-wings-nora-sacre-printemps-english-national-ballet-april-2019|title=Persistent: ENB's outstanding new triple bill celebrating female choreographers|work=Bachtrack|date=5 April 2019}} She had also danced Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.
Selected repertoire
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- Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy, Chinese and Spanish in The Nutcracker
- Odalisque in Le Corsaire
- Pas de Trois in Swan Lake
- Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty
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- Third principal couple in No Man's Land
- The Chosen One in Le Sacre du printemps
- Kitri in Don Quixote
- The first couple in Theme and Variations
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References
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{{OlivierAward DanceAchievement}}
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Category:English National Ballet dancers
Category:Entertainers from Bucharest
Category:Moscow State Academy of Choreography alumni
Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners
Category:21st-century ballet dancers