Valentina Semyukova, (also written Simukova) was a gifted student from the Vaganova Academy in Leningrad. She was ahead of her time technically and artistically. In Luke Jennings' article for The Guardian (guardian.co.uk) he describes in detail her mastery of technique. She was to be a star, but became instead a lost jewel. In 1966, Valentina Simukova was a precociously gifted young ballet student on the path to international fame. This clip is the only recording of her – tragically she died … [Read more...]