Interview with Ksenia Ovsyanick

It is with abject delight that we welcome Ksenia Ovsyanick and her husband Zdenek Konvalina to our 2026 Ballet Under the Stars stage. The first time that they have performed together at Hatch House since 2019 - an unforgettable night.

Taking time out from rehearsing Romeo & Juliet for an open air gala in the Czech Republic, Ksenia shares her thoughts on the 20 year legacy of Covent Garden Dance.

Ksenia is a Belarusian–born British ballet dancer and international performing artist. An award winning Principal Dancer with Staatsballett Berlin from 2016 to 2024, she now performs internationally across classical and contemporary repertoire, collaborating with choreographers and artists across disciplines.

Ksenia began her career with the English National Ballet, where she performed her first Giselle at the age of 20. She is currently Associate Guest Artist with English National Ballet and Resident Principal Dancer with National Theatre Brno.  ​Ksenia trained at the Belarusian State Ballet College and later continued her studies at the English National Ballet School, following a scholarship awarded by the Prix de Lausanne.

Photo credit: Vivian Young

Your career has been meteoric, and you have also become a mother. With all the experience you have garnered over the years, what do you hope to bring to this year's performance and how has being a mother shaped you as a dancer?

Becoming a mother has definitely made me appreciate more than ever how important it is to value every moment. In a way, that's something I hope to bring to this year's performances as well.

As a performer, it is important to me that every moment and every movement tells its story, and I hope through that through the audience will get drawn into the journey of the pieces from beginning to end.

What made you want to return to the Covent Garden Dance Company for another production?

I always enjoy coming back to perform with the Covent Garden Dance Company. It’s an unique event that brings together high-quality art and a very special setting, nature and atmosphere.

I was actually involved in some of the company’s very early productions and have returned many times since. Every experience has been memorable, and it’s always a pleasure to be part of it again.

Photo credit: Jakub Jira

It is our 20th anniversary and our final year at Hatch House, how would you describe the ethos of the company and the atmosphere of performing at the venue?

Performing outdoors and in unconventional settings always comes with a lot of challenges.

Bringing a production like this together requires adaptability, patience, courage, and a simply strong desire to deliver a beautiful evening.

And I think everybody involved in this production has always delivered that. I think that spirit has always been at the heart of Covent Garden Dance, and I think Matt always chooses to work with nice people. There’s a wonderful atmosphere both on and off stage. 

Photo credit: Andrea Mascolo - Ksenia & Zdenek dancing in Dubai in 2019

How long have you and Zdenek been married and what will you be performing in July?

We are going to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary soon, and we are excited to bring back to Hatch House a wonderful piece “Cello” by Nacho Duato and a piece “Lightness of Being” that I choreographed for the two of us. 

How important are companies and galas such as these? 

They help broaden the audience for ballet and dance, allow people to experience a diverse range of repertoire in a single evening and perhaps discover work they might not otherwise encounter. They also bring ballet a little out of the box. Seeing dance in such close proximity and in a more intimate setting allows audiences to experience different sides of ballet and dance, and to connect with the artform in a different way.

Photo credit: Serghei Gerchiu

This year, we have Viola Pantuso & Joseph Sissens, Xander Parish & Joy Womack, Myriam Ould Braham and Mickaël Lafon and Zai Calliste and Taela Graff performing alongside you and Zdenek, who are you most looking to watching? 

It is going to be a beautiful programme, as each of these artists brings something interesting and unique. I hope I will get a chance to sneak out to watch each of the pieces in the evening! 

A local dance school of young dancers will also be performing a new work. They have watched three years of Hatch House rehearsals including several pieces you performed, how important is it to provide performance opportunities such as these to the next generation?

It's such a beautiful initiative, and I believe it will prove to be an invaluable experience for young dancers. I’m sure performing in itself is a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow, but also sharing the stage with professional dancers and seeing the process up close I hope will be encouraging and inspiring for them.

What would be your dream role to dance next? Or have you danced them all?

There are still so many!  It is always the next one!

Can you tell us something people may not know about you?

I have business and economics degree. I cannot ride a bike!

Photo credit: SigneRoderik - Hatch House 2016

What are your hopes for the future of Covent Garden Dance’s at our new venue of Charlotte’s Lake?

I hope it continues to inspire both the audience and the dancers who come to perform.

Photo credit: Andrea Mascolo - Ballet Under the Stars, Dubai 2019