Obituary: former BRB soloist Susan Lucas, Kirov ballerina Lyubov Kunakova
- Ikuko
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
Susan Lucas, former First Soloist of Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) and ballet teacher, passed away, the company paid tribute on 12nd May 2026. No further details about her passing were given. She graduated from The Royal Ballet School and joined Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet before moving with the company to Birmingham in 1990. During the 21 years with the company, she danced many title and major roles. Following the retirement from the stage, she returned to the school and completed the diploma in dance teaching and dedicated her time to teaching and coaching next generation dancers.
Lyubov Kunakova, a Soviet-era ballerina and ballet teacher, passed away on 30th May 2026, the Mariinsky Theatre said on the same day. She was 75 years old. She was a leading dancer at the Kirov Theatre of Opera and Ballet, the predecessor of the Mariinsky Theatre, from 1974 to 1992. She became a ballet teacher and a coach at the theatre in 1997 and later became a ballet mistress.
