Quick Facts
Biography
Artem Ovcharenko (Russian: Артём Вячеславович Овчаренко, born 31 December 1986) is a Russian ballet dancer and principal at the Bolshoi Theatre.
Life and career
Ovcharenko was born on 31 December 1986 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. He began studying ballet at the Dnipropetrovsk State Choreographic School when he was 11 years old. At the age of 17, he entered the Bolshoi Ballet Academy where he participated in the Academy’s tours to the U.S., Greece, Germany, China and other countries. He graduated in 2007 and was admitted to the Bolshoi Ballet in the corps de ballet. He rehearsed under the guidance of Nikolay Tsiskaridze and one year later, danced the leading role in the ballet The Nutcracker. Since 2009 his master-repetiteur has been Nikolai Fadeyechev.
Ovcharenko’s repertoire covers most of the classical romantic roles: Romeo, The Prince in "The Nutcracker", and Prince Siegfried, as well as leading roles in neoclassical productions such as George Balanchine’s "Apollon Musagète" and "Jewels"; "Lady of the Camellias" by John Neumeier, Onegin by John Cranko, "Lost Illusions" by Alexei Ratmansky, and "Marco Spada" by Pierre Lacotte. With an ever-eager interest in exploring new roles, Ovcharenko has had much success in the contemporary ballets staged at the Bolshoi, such as "Chroma" by Wayne McGregor,"Classical Symphony" by Yuri Possokhov, and or "The Taming of the Shrew" by Jean-Christophe Maillot.
Ovcharenko has participated in the Bolshoi Ballet tours to Asia, Europe and Americas, and he is a welcome guest star in famous international companies such as Berlin State Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Hamburg State Opera, and also at international ballet festivals and national culture projects.
Ovcharenko took part in some prestigious dance competitions, receiving gold at the Tanzolymp in Berlin in 2006, and another at the Arabesque competition in Perm in 2008. In 2009 he won a Special prize “To the best partner” at the International competition of ballet dancers, and was awarded with “The Rising Star” nomination. In 2010 he took part in the International Festival "World Ballet Stars" in Donetsk, Ukraine. In January 2011, he performed with Bolshoi principal, Nina Kaptsova at the 6th Prague Ballet Gala, and in August, he danced with Anna Tikhomirova, at the closing gala-concert of the 8th Congress of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations in Hanoi. In July 2012, he and Anna Tikhomirova participated in Rossiya K’s "Grand Ballet Project", (televised in December 2012), where they were awarded the Grand Prix as "Best Ballet Duo".
In 2013, Ovcharenko was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet.
Roles
The Bolshoi Repertoire
2007
- Policeman in Cipollino, Genrih Mayorov's production
- French Doll in The Nutcracker, Yuri Grigorovich's production
2008
- Soloist in Class Concert，choreography by Asaf Messerer
- Fisherman in The Pharaoh's Daughter, Pierre Lacotte's production
- Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty, Yuri Grigorovich's production
- The Prince in The Nutcracker, Yuri Grigorovich's production
- Soloist in Part III of Symphony in C, George Balanchine's production
2009
- Frantz in Coppelia, revival and new version by Sergei Vikharev
- Grand Pas in Raymonda, Yuri Grigorovich's production
- James in La Sylphide, choreography by August Bournonville in a version by Johan Kobborg
- Little Count Cherry in Cipollino, Genrih Mayorov's production
- Albert (friend to Phoebus, creator of the role at the Bolshoi Theatre) and Phoebus in La Esmeralda, choreography by M. Petipa, production and new choreographic version by Yuri Burlaka and Vasily Medvedev
2010
- Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Yuri Grigorovich's production
- Petrouchka in Petroushka, choreography by Michail Fokin, staging and new choreographic version by Sergei Vikharev
- Jean de Brienne in Raymonda, Yuri Grigorovich's production
- Lord Wilson-Taor in The Pharaoh's Daughter, Pierre Lacotte's production – debut during the Bolshoi Ballet Tour in Beijing
2011
- Count Albrecht in Giselle, Yuri Grigorovich's production – debut on 2011.01.22
- Antoine Mistral in The Flames of Paris, choreography by Alexei Ratmansky with use of the original choreography by Vasily Vainonen – debut on 2011.03.26
- The First Dancer, Youth, and Robber's Leader in "Lost Illusions", Alexei Ratmansky's production – creator of the role (2011.04.24)
- Chroma, Wayne McGregor's production – appeared in the opening night performance in the Bolshoi Theater (2011.07.21)
- Symphony of Psalms, Jiri Kylian's production – appeared in the opening night performance in the Bolshoi Theater (2011.07.21)
- Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty, new version by Yuri Grigorovich – creation at the main stage of the Bolshoi Theatre (2011.11.18)
- Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, new version by Yuri Grigorovich – debut on 2011.11.25
2012
- Student in Anyuta, Vladimir Vasiliev's production – debut on 2012.02.01
- Siegfried in Swan Lake Yuri Grigorovich's production – debut on 2012.02.18
- Soloist of Grand Pas des Eventeils in Le Corsaire, production and new choreography by Alexei Ratmansky and Yuri Burlaka
- Two couples in Classical Symphony, Yuri Possokhov's production – appeared in the opening night performance in the Bolshoi Theater (2012.06.29)
- Duet in Dream of Dream, Jorma Elo's production – appeared in the opening night performance in the Bolshoi Theater (2012.06.29)
- Apollo in George Balanchine's Apollon Musagète – debut on 2012.10.05
- Prince Kurbsky in Ivan the Terrible, Yuri Grigorovich's production – creator of the role in the new version (2012.11.08)
- Piggy-Wiggy in Moidodyr (Wash'em Clean), Yuri Smekalov's production – debut on 2012.12.22
2013
- Leading couple in George Balanchine's Diamonds – debut on 2013.03.06
- Lensky in John Cranko's Onegin – debut on 2013.07.14
- Marco Spada in Marco Spada, Pierre Lacotte's production – debut on 2013.11.09
2014
- Armand Duval in Lady of the Camellias, John Neumeier's production – debut on 2014.3.21
- Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew, Jean-Christophe Maillot's production – debut on 2014.07.05
2015
- Leading couple in Classical Symphony, Yuri Possokhov's production
- Hamlet in Hamlet, choreography by Radu Paklitaru – debut on 2015.3.13
- Pechorin in A Hero of Our Time (Part 2 "Taman"), choreography by Yuri Possokhov – creator of the role (2015.7.22)
2016
- Basilio in Don Quixote, Alexei Fadeyechev's production – debut on 2016.2.6
Tours
2010
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet at the National Centre of the Performing Arts, Beijing, China
Lord Wilson-Taor (Debut), Fisherman ("The Pharaoh's Daughter", choreography by Pierre Lacotte according to the version of Marius Petipa)
2011
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet at the Paris Opera, Paris, France
Antoine Mistral ("The Flames of Paris", choreography by Alexei Ratmansky with use of the original choreography by Vasily Vainonen)
- Berlin State Ballet, Berlin, Germany
Phoebus ("La Esmeralda", choreography by Yuri Burlaka and Vasily Medvedev, new version at Berlin State Ballet), with Iana Salenko
- Russian State Ballet, Stockholm, Sweden
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake, choreography by Vyacheslav Gordeev)
- Chelyabinsk Theatre, Russia
Count Albrecht ("Giselle", with Kristina Kretova)
2012
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet in North America
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake", choreography by Yuri Grigorovich)
Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., US
Frantz ("Coppélia", choreography by Sergei Vikharev)
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, US
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake", choreography by Yuri Grigorovich)
2013
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet in Ekaterinburg State Opera and Ballet Theatre, Ekaterinburg, Russia
The Leading Pair ("Classical Symphony", choreography by Yuri Possokhov)
Five Pairs ("Dream of Dream", choreography by Jorma Elo)
Apollo ("Apollon Musagète", choreography by George Balanchine)
- Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, Samara, Russia
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake"), with Anna Antonicheva
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet in Royal Opera House, London, Great Britain
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky, choreography by Yuri Grigorovich)
Prince Désiré, Blue Bird ("The Sleeping Beauty" by Tchaikovsky, new version by Yuri Grigorovich)
Antoine Mistral ("The Flames of Paris", choreography by Alexei Ratmansky)
2014
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet at the Paris Opera, Paris, France
The first dancer ("Lost Illusions", choreography by Alexei Ratmansky)
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet at Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., US
Albrecht ("Giselle", choreography by Yuri Grigorovich)
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet at Lincoln Center, New York, US
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake", choreography by Yuri Grigorovich)
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet in Monte Carlo, Monaco
Lucentio ("The Taming of the Shrew", choreography by Jean-Christophe Maillot）
2015
- Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich, Germany
Armand ("Lady of the Camellias", choreography by John Neumeier)
- Tour of Bolshoi Ballet in Hong Kong, China
Antoine Mistral ("The Flames of Paris", choreography by Alexei Ratmansky)
The leading couple of Diamonds（"Jewels", choreography by George Balancine)
- Mari State Opera and Ballet Theater, Yoshkar-Ola, Russia
Albrecht ("Giselle", XIII Mari El Ballet Festival, with Olga Chelpanova)
- Macedonian Opera and Ballet, Skopje, Macedonia
Prince Siegfried ("Swan Lake", with Nina Kaptsova)
Gala Concerts and Ballet Festivals
2009
- Festival of the Russian National Orchestra, Bolshoi Theatre, Russia
"Spell of Escher" (ru:Заклятие рода Эшеров, choreography by Vladimir Vasiliev)
2010
- International Festival "World Ballet Stars", Donetsk, Ukraine
Classical Pas de Deux
2011
- January, 6th Prague Ballet Gala, Prague, Czech Republic
Sleeping Beauty PDD, the Golden Age Tango, with Nina Kaptsova
- August, Closing Gala-Concert of the 8th Congress of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations, Hanoi, Vietnam
Le Corsaire PDD, with Anna Tikhomirova
2012
- January, Gala Concert on Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Yuri Grigorovich, Bolshoi Theatre, Russia
Nutcracker, with Ekaterina Krysanova
- April, Dance Open Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia
La Esmeralda PDD, with Ekaterina Krysanova
- August, Dance Open Saint Petersburg-Savonlinna Ballet Days, Olavinlinna Castle, Finland
Classical PDD, the Golden Age Tango, with Anna Tikhomirova
2013
- February, Gala Concert of Future Stars of Benois de la Danse, Theatro Salieri, Italy
Le Corsaire PDD, Lullaby (choreography by Radu Poklitaru), with Anna Tikhomirova
- March, Russian Ballet Icons Gala 2013: Vaslav Nijinsky, English National Opera, Great Britain
Diamonds, with Evgenia Obraztsova
- April, Gala concert in honor of Marina Kondratieva, Bolshoi Theatre, Russia
Spring Water, with Anna Tikhomirova
- April, Dance Open Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Male soloist in Two Pairs ("Classical Symphony", choreography by Yuri Possokhov)
The Golden Age Tango, with Anna Tikhomirova
Triangle (Johannes Brahms, choreography by A. Pimonov), with Kristina Kretova and Anna Tikhomirova
- May, XXI Benois de la Danse Award Ceremony Gala, Bolshoi Theatre, Russia
Pas d'Actions of The Pharaoh's Daughter, with Evgenia Obraztsova
- September, Gala Concert of Russian Ballet Stars, Ríos Reyna del Teatro Teresa Carreño, Venezuela
Lullaby, with Anna Tikhomirova
- September，Kremlin Gala “Ballet Stars of the XXI century”，Kremlin Palace，Russia
Le Carnaval de Venise, with Evgenia Obraztsova
Lullaby, with Anna Tikhomirova
2014
- May, Sobinov Festival, Saratov Theater, Russia
Nutcracker, with Daria Khokhlova
- July, Nijinsky Gala, The Hamburg Ballet, Germany
Armand, Act II of Lady of the Camellias, with Olga Smirnova
- September, Kremlin Gala “Ballet Stars of the XXI century”, Kremlin Palace, Russia
La Sylphide PDD, with Anna Tikhomirova
The Very Thought of You, new creation by Radu Poklitaru, with Anna Tikhomirova
- October, "A Celebration of Dance - The Hong Kong Ballet at 35", Hong Kong, China
Prince Siegfried, Act III of Swan Lake, with Kristina Kretova
- November, Gala Concert to celebrate the 85th birthday of musician Alexandra Pakhmutova, Kremlin Palace, Russia
You're My Meloday, new creation by Andrei Merkuriev, with Anna Tikhomirova
2015
- May, Hommage aux Grimaldi, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
Giselle PDD, with Anna Tikhomirova
- September, Gala Russe, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
The Very Thought of You, with Anna Tikhomirova
Chroma, with Anna Tikhomirova
Romeo and Juliet PDD, Choreography by Jean-Christophe Maillot, with Olga Smirnova
- October, Gala in Commemoration of Sophia Golovkina's Centennial, Bolshoi Theatre, Russia
The Sleeping Beauty PDD, with Nina Kaptsova
Filmography
- Nutcracker, Bel Air Classiques, 2011 (Prince Nutcracker with Nina Kaptsova, filmed at Bolshoi Theatre in 2010)
- Sleeping Beauty, Bel Air Classique, 2012 (Blue bird, filmed at Bolshoi Theatre in 2011)
- Dance to Freedom, 2015 (BBC)
Awards
- 2006 - Gold medal at the 3rd International Dance Olympus Competition (Berlin)
- 2008 - First Award for Male Dancer at the Open Competition "Arabesque" in Perm, as well as a prize named after Marius Petipa, "Pearl of the Urals", offered by Perm Public Foundation for Purity and Line of Classical Tradition, and the Press Jury Award for Fidelity to Moscow School Classical Tradition. In the same year, he was granted the youth award of "Triumph".
- 2009 - Special Award "Best Partner" at the XIth Moscow International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers, and nominated as "Rising Star" for the "Soul of the Dance" award.
- 2012 - First Award "The Best Ballet Duet" at competition "Big Ballet" on Rossiya K - Russian television network (partner - Anna Tikhomirova).
- Arabesque-2008, from the official site of "Arabesque".
- Ballet Magazine (Russian)