Artistic Meetings of the XV International Ballet Competition Held in the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theatre

The Artistic Meetings, a special programme of the XV International Ballet Competition, were held in the Beethoven Hall of the Bolshoi Theatre. Over two days, participants, teachers, guests of the Competition and members of the public attended engaging lectures by leading ballet specialists, lively conversations with renowned ballet artists and film screenings.

Each day of the programme focused on a distinct and timely theme. The first day was dedicated to the great choreographer Yuri Grigorovich and his legacy. The lecture “Grigorovich: A Dialogue with Eternity”, exploring the choreographer’s artistic path, his work with dancers and his approach to creating productions, was given by Alexander Kolesnikov, theatre scholar, ballet critic and Doctor of Arts.

The programme continued with a live conversation with outstanding artists who created and shaped roles in Grigorovich’s ballets, including Mikhail Lavrovsky, Boris Akimov, Yuri Vasyuchenko, Vadim Pisarev and others.

The meeting was moderated by Valeria Uralskaya, Editor-in-Chief of Ballet magazine: “Yuri Grigorovich is part of the history of world culture, Russian culture and ballet theatre worldwide. He needs no introduction, and the significance of his artistic phenomenon needs no explanation. This meeting is, above all, for us — for everyone who has seen his productions or taken part in them.”

Among the guests was Konstantin Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Mari El and Minister of Culture, Press and Nationalities of the Republic of Mari El, who studied under Yuri Grigorovich: “As his students, we carry on his work and, of course, love our teacher and great master with all our hearts.”

The day concluded with a screening of the rare 2017 film Grigorovich: Yuri the Formidable.

The second day of the Artistic Meetings focused on the history of international ballet competitions and their role in shaping the artistic paths of contestants. The programme opened with the lecture and conversation “Ballet Competitions Through Time”, in which Sergey Usanov, General Director of the International Federation of Ballet Competitions, and Valeria Uralskaya, Editor-in-Chief of Ballet magazine, presented a retrospective of the Moscow Competition, from its founding to the present day.

The highlight of the day was the round-table discussion “The Competition of Your Life” with laureates of the International Ballet Competition. Winners from previous years shared the trials and triumphs of their own careers and told remarkable stories of their rise to the heights of ballet.

The discussion was moderated by Gennady Yanin, Russian ballet artist, soloist and répétiteur at the Bolshoi Theatre, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation. Guests included Alexander Vetrov, Nina Semizorova, Denis Zakharov, Maria Koshkareva, Dmitry Smilevski, Ksenia Ryzhkova and others.

The screening of the documentary Empire of Ballet brought the Artistic Meetings to a fitting close.

The strong public interest in the Artistic Meetings of the XV International Ballet Competition confirmed the demand for the Competition’s educational programme and the importance of such events for both the professional ballet community and wider audiences.

The programme was organized with the participation of Ballet magazine and the International Federation of Ballet Competitions.