Prize-winning ballet dancer Sasha Mukhamedov returns to the stage after an 11-month hiatus due to injury. Mukhamedov, who dances as a soloist at the San Francisco ballet, has won several awards during her career. These include ‘most promising dancer’ at the ballet competition in Varna in 2008 and a bronze medal at the Youth America Grand Prix 2007.
Before joining the San Francisco Ballet, Mukhamedov held a prestigious post as Principal with the Dutch Ballet in 2016. She left this behind and came to America to deepen her practice and become a more complete artist.
Sasha Mukhamedov’s dancing career
Mukhamedov started dancing at the age of twelve—quite late for a dancer. But she made quick progress, joining the Royal Ballet School at thirteen. She then trained at the Elmhurst School for Dance in Birmingham, UK.
In 2007, Mukhamedov received a bronze medal at the preliminary rounds for the Youth America Grand Prix. A year later she progressed to the finals of the competition. That same year, the International Ballet Competition named her Most Promising Young Dancer of 2008. Mukhamedov has also won a silver medal at the International Ballet and Choreography Competition in Beijing in 2011.
2008 also saw Mukhamedov dance in the Dutch National Ballet’s Nutcracker & Mouse King. Impressing with her performance, Mukhamedov stayed on, rising from the rank of aspirant to soloist and eventually, principal in 2016. In 2018, Mukhamedov decided to expand her career and joined the San Francisco Ballet as a soloist.
Sasha Mukhamedov hails from a ballet family
Although a late bloomer by ballet’s standards, Mukhamedov has always had dance in her DNA. Her parents are ballet legends: former Bolshoi and Royal Ballet star Irek Mukhamedov and former Bolshoi principal Masha Mukhkamedov.
“I always used to dance around the house when I was little, but it was when I had my first real stage experience at 13-years-old that I thought ‘this is it, I want to become a ballerina,’” she says. Her father had cast her in the children’s production of the Prince and the Pauper. Her mother Masha would later train her in Greece for two years.
Mukhamedov rehearses every day from 10am to 6pm. When she has a big performance coming up -such as the Black Swan- she likes to do some extra research beforehand: “I also like to go on YouTube to watch how other ballerinas perform the role and see what I like and what I can change to make it my own,” she says.
Sasha Mukhamedov: injury and return
Recently, Mukhamedov performed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center for the first time in 11 months. She returned to the stage after a long process of recovery, healing an ACL tear that saw her needing surgery.
With many ups and downs during the recovery process, Mukhamedov shared her feelings about her return on Instagram: “Not really sure I can describe it… adrenaline and nerves definitely kicked in while warming up back stage, but after a couple of steps it felt so good to be back out there performing for an audience and doing what I love.”
Let’s hope she continues her career in fine form and good health.
Follow Sasha Mukhamedov on Instagram for all her latest news.
