Vishneva was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia), the second of two daughters. Her father, Viktor Vishnev, is Russian and her mother, Guzal Afletunova, is Tatar.[2] Her great-grandfather Lotfulla Aflyatunov, a hereditary mullah, was born in the Apastovsky District, Tatarstan. In 1930, he was exiled to Siberia and then moved to Kyrgyzstan, where Diana's mother was born.[3] She is a practicing Orthodox Christian, having gone to church to have herself baptized.[4] She married Konstantin Selinevich in 2013. They have a son, Rudolf-Viktor, born 13 May 2018.[5][2]
Career
Vishneva practices for her last American Ballet Theatre performance in 2017
Vishneva was trained at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.[6] While at the Vaganova school, she scored the highest scores known in the school's history. During her last year at the Academy she also trained at the Mariinsky Theatre. Vishneva joined the Mariinsky Ballet Company upon her graduation in 1995. Two prizes at the start of her career at the Mariinsky – the Benois de la Danse and the Golden Sofit helped Vishneva rise up the ranks swiftly. She was promoted to principal in 1996.[7]
Vishneva first appeared with the American Ballet Theatre during its 2003 spring season. She joined the company as a principal dancer in 2005.[6] Vishneva retired from the ABT in 2017.[8]
In 2008, Vishneva joined the Honorary Board of Directors of the Russian Children's Welfare Society (RCWS).[9] Vishneva was one of the featured dancers in the 2006 documentary Ballerina. In 2014, she became the new face of Kérastase's latest product line and in-salon treatment, Discipline.[10][11]
In October 2011, the Mariinsky Theatre hosted the premiere of the new ballet project Diana Vishneva: Dialogues, which brings together works by world class choreographers – Martha Graham (USA) Paul Lightfoot and Sol León (Netherlands) and John Neumeier (Germany). The programme, which consists of three independent ballets, has since been performed to great acclaim in Moscow and New York.[7]
Prizewinner at the International Ballet Competition (Lausanne, 1994)
Recipient of the Benois de la Danse prize (1996), the Golden Sofit (1996), the Baltika prize (1998), the Golden Mask (2001), the Dancer of Europe 2002 prize, Ballet magazine prize (2003)
Recipient of Russia’s Golden Mask theatre prize (2009) in three categories: “Ballet/Best Production”, “Ballet/Contemporary dance/Best actress” and “Critics' Award” (Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion; project by Sergei Danilian, USA-Russia)
Recipient of Russia's Golden Mask theatre prize (2013) in the categories: “Ballet/ Best Production” and “Ballet/Contemporary dance/Best actress” (Diana Vishneva: Dialogues)[7]
