sentences:  She graduated her ballet school and joined the Kirov Ballet in 1947, where she danced such roles as Aurora ("The Sleeping Beauty"), Myrtha ("Giselle"), Odette-Odile ("Swan Lake"), Kitri ("Don Quixote"), Jeanne ("Flames of Paris") and Parasha ("The Bronze Horseman").Despite their age difference, Ninel Kurgapkina was the first female ballet partner to Rudolf Nureyev, and later also to Mikhail Baryshnikov, both of whom were trained at the Kirov.From 1969 she was a primary coach at the Kirov and also taught master classes at institutions including the New York City Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, and the La Scala Opera Ballet.