Vladimir Malakhov (dancer)

Vladimir Malakhov (born 1968 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine) was the artistic director of the Staatsballett Berlin (Berlin State Ballet) from its founding in 2004 until 2014. He is a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.
He began his dance training at the age of four at a small ballet school and remained there until continuing his training at the school of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. From age ten on, he was under the tutelage of Peter Pestov and upon graduation in 1986 joined the Moscow Classical Ballet as that company's youngest principal dancer.
In 1992, Malakhov joined the Vienna State Opera Ballet as a principal artist and the National Ballet of Canada in 1994. In the spring of 1995 he had his debut with the American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Since that time, he has remained a principal dancer with ABT and has continued to dance principal roles in Vienna as well as the renowned Stuttgart Ballet. Malakhov also appeared quite often as a guest in Berlin where he has recently become Artistic director. His repertory encompasses a wide range of styles from classical ballets to the works of today's contemporary choreographers.
Along with performing at the world’s major dance venues, Mr. Malakhov has staged “La Bayadere” for Vienna State Ballet in 1999, “Cinderella” in 2004 and “Sleeping Beauty” in 2005 for Staatsballett Berlin. In 2010 he choreographed “La Peri” for Staatsballett Berlin.
Critically acclaimed globally for his artistic lyricism, he has won prestigious awards in his field from competitions in Varna, Moscow and Paris. Japan's "Dance Magazine" named him the "best male dancer in the world" from 1992 to 1994.

Roles performed

Adam in Creation of the World, Basil and Gamache in Don Quixote, a leading role in Natalie, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Prince Siegfried, Benno, and the Venetian Dance in Swan Lake, Albrecht in Giselle, Lensky in Eugene Onegin, Suite en Blanc, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, both the Prince and the Snow King in The Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardée, Des Grieux in Manon, Solor in La Bayadère, Fokine's Les Sylphides, Balanchine's Theme and Variations, Kasyan Golezovsky's Narcissus, Armand in John Neumeier's "Lady of Camelias", and assorted classical pas de deux.

Awards

• 1986: Varna International Ballet Competition (Grand Prize, junior level)
• 1989: Moscow International Ballet Competition (Gold Medal and Serge Lifar Prize)
• 1990: USA International Ballet Competition (Bronze Medal, senior level)
• 1996: Premia Positano di Danza, Italy
• 1992–94: Named "Best Male Dancer in the World" for three consecutive years by Japan's Dance Magazine
• 1998: Prix Benois de la Danse
• 2002: Vaclav Nijinsky Prize, Monaco, Monaco dance Forum

Television and film

He has been the subject of films and broadcasts such as Bravo Malakhov by The Russian Television, Narcisse, the Dancer Malakhov by the European Cultural Network, and The True Prince by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Born to Be Wild – The Leading Men of American Ballet Theatre by PBS, Judy Kinberg (Director).

Other endeavors

Currently Vladimir Malakhov serves as an Artistic Advisor of The Tokyo Ballet, performs worldwide as an international guest star artist, choreographs and stages ballets for various world-renowned ballet companies.