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Appearances & Events > 2013 > Swan Lake Mariinski live & 3D
Natalia Vodianova – model, actress and philanthropist, ambassador for the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics in 2014 – has been cast as ‘the Storyteller’ for Mariinsky Live Swan Lake, the world’s first live 3D ballet broadcast. The first in the Mariinsky Live series from the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia, Swan Lake will be broadcast (on delay) worldwide on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 6:30 PM local time.
“Beautiful and talented, we are thrilled that Natalia is ‘the face’ of Mariinsky Live,” says producer Ann McGuire of Glass Slipper, the company who planned this ground-breaking production. “She is the perfect ‘Storyteller.’” Natalia will introduce people around the world to the Mariinsky, Swan Lake, and St. Petersburg. A guest of honour at the Gala opening of the magnificent new Mariinsky ll theatre last month, Natalia is well-known for her love of St Petersburg, its famous theatre and ballet.
“For me, as a little girl growing up in a difficult family situation and a very difficult time in Russia, my grandmother taking me to a ballet provided a very important emotional escape,” said the super model when asked why ballet is important to her. “It was an introduction to a kind of beauty that unites nations and an opportunity to dream of a better life.”
Rags to riches? A modern-day Cinderella? When people discuss Natalia Vodianova, these phrases get thrown around a lot. It is true that Natalia had a poor upbringing, but as she puts it, “I know some people would have wanted to kill themselves, but I thought my childhood was happy. My mother worked nearly 24 hours a day, and I realize things were difficult, but I managed to find a lot of light there. I had this weird knowledge that, one day, things would be good.”
