Renowned ballet master Yuri Grigorovich, who served as the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, has passed away, local media including TASS reported on May 19 (local time). He was 98 years old.
According to RIA Novosti, citing sources close to him, "The great Soviet and Russian choreographer Yuri Grigorovich has died," and the schedules for his memorial and funeral services will be announced at a later date. Reuters described him as "one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century."
Born in 1927 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg), Grigorovich graduated from the Leningrad Ballet School. In 1946, he joined the ballet company of the Kirov Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (now the Mariinsky Theatre), where he performed as a dancer until 1961. He then transitioned to choreography, gaining recognition for works such as "The Stone Flower" and "The Legend of Love." In 1964, at the age of 37, he was appointed chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, marking the beginning of his prominent reputation.
During his approximately 30-year tenure as chief choreographer at the Bolshoi Theatre, Grigorovich choreographed or reinterpreted numerous classical works, including "The Nutcracker" (1966), "Ivan the Terrible" (1975), "Angara" (1976), "Swan Lake," "Romeo and Juliet," "Spartacus," and "The Sleeping Beauty." Among these, "The Nutcracker" attracted the largest audience in the Bolshoi Theatre's history and was acclaimed for "driving the narrative solely through dance movements."
From 1988, he also served as artistic director, becoming a symbolic figure of the Bolshoi Theatre. However, in 1995, he stepped down following conflicts with the management. The collective strike by dancers protesting his departure was recorded as the first dancers' strike in the 200-year history of the Bolshoi Theatre.
Afterward, he founded a ballet company bearing his name in Krasnodar, southern Russia. In 2008, he returned to the Bolshoi Theatre, where he continued to work as a choreographer and director until recently.
In recognition of his artistic achievements, Grigorovich was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1973 and Hero of Socialist Labor in 1986. He received more than 60 awards in Russia and abroad. In 2017, he was honored with the highest state award by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He also had a deep connection with the Korean ballet community. He first visited Korea in 1988 for the Seoul Olympic Cultural Festival. Since then, he collaborated with the Korea National Ballet to stage "The Nutcracker" (2000), "Swan Lake" (2001), "Spartacus," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Raymonda" on Korean stages. He was deeply involved in the productions, lived near the performance venue for several months, and personally coached the dancers without receiving any royalties.
Meanwhile, Yuri Vladimirov, a Bolshoi Theatre dancer cherished by Grigorovich, also passed away on the same day at the age of 83. He made his mark as the lead in "Ivan the Terrible" and was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1987.
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