Born in St Petersburg, Maria graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy (class of Professor Lyudmila Kovaleva) and joined the Mariinsky Ballet in 2018. In the summer before the start of her first season with the company, she debuted as Terpsichore in George Balanchine’s Apollo alongside former Mariinsky principal Xander Parish in the title role.

In the fall of 2018, Khoreva debuted in Le Corsaire as one of the trio of Odalisques and as one of the Prince’s friends in the Swan Lake pas de trois. In October, she danced the title role in Paquita, a rarity for such a recent graduate, and at the end of the month was promoted from the corps de ballet to first soloist, a rank just one step below principal dancer.