Alla Chachina

I was born in St Petersburg in 1966. By education I'm a choreographer and was a founder and director of the first Russian ballet company incorporated in the UK. I've been living in the UK since the late 80s, which is more than half of my entire life.

As a child I spent lots of my time drawing and while in high school I took an apprenticeship with V. Labutov, a well-known artist in St Petersburg. Growing up in St Petersburg gave me many great opportunities to develop my appreciation for fine art. One is the proximity to the Hermitage, which I frequently visited another is a great number of artists I got to know as friends over the years. As artistic director and producer I've applied my art skills to set and costume design but since having my youngest child I decided to take a more serious approach and focus on my art full time. I dont stay in the same genre, I like to explore the world and its intricate characteristics in my work. I don't think of what to paint, my paintings seem to find me all by themselves.

After graduating school, I studied for a degree in film engineering and later for a degree in choreography. Apart from formal education I've been educated at home in music, art and philosophy. My father was a philharmonic conductor and my mother was a concert pianist. Both my parents encouraged me to explore my creativity and my mind.
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