Ulyana Lopatkina - Daily Life

Daily Life

Lopatkina revealed details about her daily life in an interview to The Sunday Times in 2005. She wakes up between 9am to 10am and drinks a glass of grapefruit juice or a cup of tea for breakfast. When not in a hurry, she also eats oatmeal or a buckwheat porridge. Rehearsals start after 11am. At the Kirov she first attends a class with other dancers and after that has a personal rehearsal with Ninel Kurgapkina. After a break, Lopatkina has more rehearsals or helps teaching younger dancers. She often skips lunch.

She likes painting and reading, but after having a daughter her free time is mostly dedicated to taking care of her. Lopatkina still gets nervous before making a stage entrance. After performing she can eat a kilogramme of grapes or drink a litre of grapefruit juice. She washes in cold water and sometimes has a massage and a banya (a kind of sauna). Lopatkina never sleeps before 1am or 2am and drinks Russian kefir with a biscuit before going to bed.

Lopatkina is among the world's tallest major ballerinas: she is 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) and wears shoes size 10.5 US (8 UK). Lopatkina uses two pairs of shoes in each performance which are specially made for her.