Alina Cojocaru: A Freelance Ballerina, Forging Her Own Path

Is it possible for a great ballerina to take control of her destiny outside of a company and find fulfilling creative expression? Alina Cojocaru, a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet, and an adored guest star at major companies worldwide, is certainly trying.

Cojocaru, 42, who has been freelance since 2020, has produced programs in London, New York and Japan and danced as a principal guest artist with the Hamburg Ballet. But her latest venture is her most ambitious to date: She has commissioned and produced a full-length ballet, “La Strada,” based on Federico Fellini’s 1954 film, which will open on Jan. 25 at Sadler’s Wells in London.

The ballet, with choreography by Natalia Horecna, is set to music by Nino Rota, who composed for many of Fellini’s films. (Horecna chose extracts from “La Strada,” “La Dolce Vita” and “Il Casanova,” among others.) “La Strada” tells the tale of the simple Gelsomina, who is sold by her mother to a brutish strongman, Zampano, and obliged to act as his assistant, mistress and workhorse. Cojocaru will dance the role of Gelsomina, a character well-suited to her blend of fragility and steely strength. It’s also suited to her love of dramatic roles: Her technical gifts — a beautiful extension and line, an airy jump, allied with wonderful dramatic and musical instincts — have always been subjugated to her artistic vision of a character.

Although Horecna hadn’t seen the film when Cojocaru contacted her, she agreed immediately to take on the project. “I was so thrilled to be asked by Alina that I just said yes,” the Slovakian-born Horecna, who has created dances for companies including Danish Royal Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater, said in a telephone interview. After watching the movie, her instinct was confirmed, though she said it was a challenging narrative to translate into ballet.