This competition became a contest of strong personalities. Gold medals were awarded to future Bolshoi Theatre prima and primer Maria Alexandrova and Nikolai Tsiskaridze (Russia). After completing his career at the Bolshoi Theatre, Nikolai Tsiskaridze leads the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. The winners of the first prize and the gold medal at the VIII International Competition of Ballet Dancers in Moscow were Jian Zhang(China), future prima ballerina of the National Ballet of China, and sixteen-year-old Argentinian dancer Herman Carneja, the youngest winner of such an award in the history of the competition. He was only sixteen. Eventually, he became a soloist of the Argentinean Ballet, and afterward, he continued his career in the American Ballet Theatre in New York.
The Contemporary Choreography Award went to Attraction by Chinese choreographers Wang Yuan Yuan and Zeng Hua Xing, a poetic and wise parable about love.
Regular meetings and discussions were organized in the Press Centre, and a meeting of the directors of the international ballet competitions was held. Three photo exhibitions were opened - one was in the Operetta Theatre's foyer, the second one was in the Cultural Centre on Petrovskie Linii street, and the third was in the Press Centre.
The VIII International Competition of Ballet Dancers in Moscow was the last competition attended by Galina Ulanova, the jury's honorary Chairman. The great ballerina was 87 years old, but she did not miss a single performance or jury meeting. The following year, Galina Ulanova passed away. The ninth Moscow competition was dedicated to her memory.
