Maria Olegovna Kochetkova (Russian: Мария Олеговна Кочеткова; born 1984) is a Russian ballet dancer. She was a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet between 2007 and 2018, and with the American Ballet Theatre between 2015 and 2017. After that, she became a freelance dancer for several years, before joining the Finnish National Ballet in the 2020/21 season. She danced with the English National Ballet from August 2021 until January 2021. She now works as a freelance ballerina and curator.
Kochetkova performed the Grand Pas de Deux in San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker which was broadcast by PBS in 2008 and won the solo gold medal in the NBC series Superstars of Dance.[4] In 2013, she appeared in documentary Ballet's Greatest Hits, dancing the Don Quixote grand pas de deux, with Taras Domitro as Basilio and Skylar Brandt as the bridesmaid.[6] She starred as Juliet in the 2015 filmed version of Romeo and Juliet. She also appeared in various music videos and advertisements.[4] Kochetkova is also known for her social media presence, with hundred of thousands of followers around the world.[7]
In 2015, Kochetkova joined the American Ballet Theatre but remained a principal dancer in San Francisco Ballet, and split her time between San Francisco and New York City.[8] At ABT, she danced roles such as the title role in Giselle, Medora in Le Corsaire and Nikiya in La Bayadère. She remained a principal of ABT until 2017.[4]
In 2018, Kochetkova left San Francisco Ballet after the company's Unbound Festival[7] because she wanted more freedom and to be closer to her mother, who lives in Moscow.[9]
She is married to entrepreneur Edward King.[14] She filed for divorce in October 2020.[15] On February 7, 2023, Kochetkova revealed on Instagram that she is pregnant with her first child.[16]
