The Competition 2018

Jury President

A legendary dancer of the XX century, named by critics and ballet lovers God of Dance, Vasiliev, a Moscow Bolshoi Ballet School graduate, for thirty years the leading dancer of the Bolshoi Theatre (1958-1988), and a guest star to many leading world companies. This superlative performer with an immense range, possessing a rare artistic gift and virtuosity, awarded by the Paris Dance Academy with the title The best dancer of the World, made a huge contribution to the development of male classical dance. Vasiliev created new dance models – standards, which formed several (the present included) generations of artists. The naturalness, sincerity, authenticity of his heroes were incredible. Many brilliant ballerinas danced with Vasiliev, among them the great Galina Ulanova, Maya Plisetskaya, Alicia Alonso, Carla Fracci, but his duet with the late Ekaterina Maximova remains to this day an unsurpassed example of  partnership on stage and in real life, acknowledged by the Paris Academy of Dance as Best duet of the world.

The unique Vasiliev’s dance attracted the attention of the world’s leading choreographers like Yury Grigorovich (Stone Flower, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Spartacus, Ivan the Terrible), Maurice Béjart (Petrouchka, Romeo and Julia), Kasyan Goleizovsky (Leili and Mejnun, Narcisse)  Roland Petit ( L’Ange Bleu). Vasiliev lived on stage according to unwritten laws, achieving a head-spinning ascent to the peak of fame – there is no ballet award he hasn’t won.  The end of his dancing career had no effect at all on the intensity of his creative life. When still early in his performing career – in 1971, Vasiliev began to work as choreographer and theatre and film director. Among the 13 full-length ballets he created are – Icare, Macbeth, Anyuta, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, Cinderella, Nutcracker, Red Poppy. Many of them have been produced at the Bolshoi Theatre, others, and also his choreographic works for opera, have been applauded at the world’s leading stages such as the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Opera di Roma, Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro San Carlo, Arena di Verona, Teatro Colón, the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, the Barbican Centre. He has also produced the operas La Traviata for the Bolshoi Theatre and Mozart, Mozart! for Novaya Opera Theatre and most recently – feeric production “Dona Nobis Pacem’ on Bach’s Mass in B minor for orchestra, opera and ballet of the Tatar Opera House also presented at the Bolshoi.  Apart from these Vasiliev has created original television ballets and their versions, and a feature film Fouetté. For over ten years he led the ballet master’s course at the State Institute of the Performing Arts and also headed the Institute’s faculty of choreography, being elected as professor in 1990.In 1995 Vasiliev was appointed the Artistic and General director of the Bolshoi Theatre, where he preserved and developed its best qualities and traditions. Since he left this post in 2000, he has been in great demand as guest choreographer in Russia and abroad; he is the founder and trustee of the Bolshoi Ballet School in Brazil, and President of the Galina Ulanova Foundation, artistic Director and Jury Board Chairman of Arabesque ballet competition named after Ekaterina Maximova. Vasiliev today is People’s Artist of the USSR and Russia, Professor of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, Honorary Professor of Moscow State University and Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Centre College (Kentucky, USA), Member of the International Academy of Creative Endeavour and of the Russian Academy of the Arts, Winner of the USSR and Russia State Prizes, a recipient of the highest Russian and foreign orders and medals. In the history of Varna Ballet Competition he is still the only holder of the Varna Grand Prix.

Vasiliev is a man of many parts:  he is also a dramatic actor, poet, and artist with hundreds of paintings to his name. For the past ten years his serious dedication to painting has resulted in twenty one-man shows of his work in Russia and abroad.  In recent years he has also done the décor for his ballets, including Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Giselle, Macbeth and The Red Poppy.

Ballet Master in Chief of the Mariinsky Theatre, Primorsky Stage

Eldar Aliev has earned an international reputation as a dancer, choreographer and artistic director. His 13 years career as a Principal Dancer with the Mariinsky Ballet distinguished him not only as a technically superb classical and contemporary dancer, but also as a creative dancer whose interpretations ignited the full range of roles he performed. Aliev toured in over 40 countries and performed in the most prominent theatres worldwide, including Paris Opera, La Scala, Metropolitan Opera House, Australian Opera House, Covent Garden, Kennedy Center, etc. He toured not only with the Mariinsky Ballet, but with the Stars of the Mariinsky & Bolshoi Ballets, The Stars of the Russian Ballet and Galaxy of Russian Ballet Series. He has appeared in numerous companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet and The Australian Ballet.

Throughout his dancing career, Eldar partnered some of the greatest ballerinas of our time, including Sylvie Guillem, Altynai Assylmuratova, Gabriela Komleva, Amanda McKerrow, Galina Mezentceva, Lesley Brown, Tatiana Terekhova, etc. Many of these performances were broadcasted in a variety of counties around the world and were captured on commercial video and DVD.

He has featured regularly in gala events in Europe, Asia and Americas where in the USA he took residence in 1992, becoming Artistic Director of Ballet Internationale in 1994.

Since then he has staged over 30 remarkable productions, including his own versions of Le Corsaire, A Thousand and One Nights, The Nutcracker and The Firebird. Aliev’s works were staged in Europe, Asia and in America.

Aliev has served as a jurist for the international competitions in New York, Prague, Seoul, Beijing and Varna.

In 2015 Aliev was appointed as the Ballet Master in Chief of the Ballet Company of the State Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theatre and in 2016 as the Ballet Master in Chief of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in Vladivostok, Russia.

In 2016 Aliev was appointed Honorary Professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music in the People’s Republic of China for his contribution to the development in dance and dance education.

Aliev continues his work touring the world creating new choreography, staging classical repertoire and teaching with distinguished companies.

Sara-Nora Krysteva finished the National School of Dance Art in. Already as a student she had successfully performed and in 1995 that was translated in a prize for ballet achievements and a prize for the most perspective young performer from the “Anastas Petrov” National Ballet Competition.

Immediately after she received her diploma, she joined the ballet company of the National Opera and Ballet and went through all categories from ensemble dancer to soloist although she danced difficult solo parts from her very appointment on.

Since 2003 she has been premier dancer, and since 2009 she has been the youngest director of the National Ballet.

By herself and together with the National Ballet Company she has toured Spain, Italy, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Germany, Turkey, South America – Peru and Bolivia, Japan and others.

In 2002 she graduated in pedagogy at “Professor Pancho Vladigerov” State Musical Academy in Sofia.

Since 2009 she is Director of National Ballet Company, where she has stages 15 new productions.

Under her management in 2013 the ballet company of Sofia National Opera and Ballet was awarded for contribution to Bulgarian culture with:

The Golden Plume Prize – 2013
The Prize of Sofia – 2017
The Golden Lyre Prize – 2017.
In 2003 she was awarded the Crystal Lyre Prize of the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers for her role of the Black Knight in “Crusaders”.

In 2008 she was awarded Silver Rhyton by the Minister of Culture Prof. Stefan Danailov for her exceptional merits for the popularization of Bulgarian culture.

In 2011 she was awarded the ZOLOTAIA MUZA Prize for her contribution to the Bulgarian-Russian cultural relations.

At a ceremony in 2016 Sara-Nora Krysteva was personally awarded by Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov the highest distinction of the Ministry – Golden Century – for exceptional contribution to the development and promotion of Bulgarian culture and art.

She has served on the jury of international ballet competitions in Bulgaria, Russia, Estonia, Italy.

Born in Havana, Cuba, she is known as one of the ‘Four Jewels of Cuban Ballet’, highly respected and sought after across the world for her unique style and teaching skills. She was Principal with Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Ballet de Marseille. Guest performances with Bolshoi Ballet, Maly Theatre, Bulgarian National Opera and Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and Béjart Ballet, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ms Araujo has taught in many different ballet companies and theatres, such as Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Teatro dell’Opera, Rome, Teatro alla Scala, Paris Opéra Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and Béjart Ballet and others.

In 1965 she won the Gold Medal at International Ballet Competition – Varna and in 1969 – a Silver Medal in Moscow. In 1970 she won the Gold Star at the Champs Elysées Ballet Festival. She is Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, France and holder of Orden Félix Varela, Cuba.

He has graduated from the St. Petersburg Academic Choreographic School “Vaganova”. In 2002 he finished his university education in ballet pedagogics and production at Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv.

In 1979 he joined National Opera in Sofia. Valchanov danced in over a hundred productions in classical, neoclassical and modern styles.

He was guest soloist in many theatres and companies around the.

He taught at the National School of Dance Art, Sofia. He was artistic director of National Opera in Sofia where he staged ballet productions and premieres.

Lecturer at New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Theatre of Movements at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts – classical dance where at the moment he is associate professor.

He has sat on the juries of national and international ballet competitions in Dobrich, Varna, Osaka, Athens, Paris, Constanza, Moscow.

He is holder of prizes from different international ballet competitions. Valchanov has been awarded the Golden Lyre and the Crystal Lyre for his achievements.

For as long as he can remember, Eric Vu-An wanted to dance. In 1974, he entered the competition for Paris Opera Ballet School and in just a few years made outstanding progress, setting himself apart from the other students. In 1979, only at the age of fifteen, Eric Vu-An became a professional dancer, joining the corps de ballet at the Paris Opera.

He was quickly recognised for his powerful and sensitive performances of the major roles in the classical repertoire. During his career, he would partner great artists such as Rudolf Nureyev, Noëlla Pontois, Sylvie Guillem, Élizabeth Maurin, Carla Fracci, Vladimir Vasiliev and many others.

An unparalleled dancer who expresses himself with ease in all repertoires, Eric Vu-An has been chosen by modern choreographers who want to include him in their creations. Among others, Carolyn Carlson, Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe and Heinz Spoerli have created major roles for him, but it was his experience with Maurice Béjart that would prove to be decisive. Béjart has tailor-made for him many roles in which Eric Vu-An triumphed. Later, his dance career became that of an independent artist.

Eric Vu-An has arranged choreographies on several occasions.

In 1995, he was appointed artistic director of the Ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. In 1997, he directed the Opera Theatre of Avignon. In 2005, he was involved with the artistic direction of the National Ballet of Marseille and since 2009 he has been artistic director of the Ballet Nice Méditerranée.

Eric Vu-An is holder of many awards among which in 1980 Silver medal at the International Dance Competition of Varna, Nijinsky prize awarded by Serge Lifar and the University of Dance, the French National Order of Merit and others.

As a National First-Class Ballerina and an Outstanding Expert of Ministry of Culture of China, Ms Qu Zijiao enjoys a special allowance of the State Council. She is Artistic Director and President of Liaoning Ballet at the moment.

She was a principal ballerina in Liaoning Ballet and she danced in many classical ballet works and in many Chinese ballet works. She won Gold Prize in International Ballet Competition held in France in 1988.

In recent years, under her leadership, Liaoning Ballet devoted its attention to creating original Chinese ballet works. Ms Qu Zijiao has done much for the development of ballet art in China.

Over the years she cooperated with Yuri Grigorovich for the staging of Spartacus and Romeo and Juliet, and also with Vladimir Malakhov for the choreography of a new version of Swan Lake. She also cooperated with the famous Portuguese choreographer Rui Manuel Lopes Graca for choreographing a modern ballet Butterfly Lovers, and with ballet theatres and choreographers from South Africa, America, Germany, etc.

Artistic director of “Ballet Chambre Ouest”, Chairman of jury of The Ballet competition in Hachioji (Japan)

From the age of eight he began to study. In 1974, he debuted in the role of Franz from “Coppelia” presented by Japan Ballet Association. From 1975 to 1977, he studied in Terry Westmoreland’s class of the Royal Ballet School, Great Britain, as trainee on a scholarship by the Agency of Culture Affairs of Japan.

In 1977, he joined “Maki Asami Ballet Company” where he played leading roles of all classical repertoire of the company, and also the main roles of modern ballets.

In 1989, he established the own company “Ballet Chambre Ouest” with Yuriko Kawaguchi. Thereafter he carried out vigorous activity as choreographer.

Since 1990 every summer, “Ballet Сhambre Ouest” has been holding ballet festival “Field Ballet in Kiyosato” at an open-air theatre in a mountain resort place.

Mr Imamura participated in tours of “Maki Asami Ballet” in Moscow and Leningrad. In 2000, “Ballet Chambre Ouest” made a tour in Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Moscow (The Bolshoi Theatre), and in 2004, in Kiev, St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Mr Imamura was awarded a number of prizes for the best performer of the year and for the best artistic director.

Ballets staged by Imamura and Kawaguchi were selected as the Best Japanese Ballets of the Year.

Prof. Seon-Hee Jang is a Professor at the Department of Dance, Sejong University since 1993. She has been an Artistic Director of the Jang Seon-Hee Ballet Company since 1993; she has also been Dean of Admission & PR Division, Sejong University in 2005 and Chairperson at the Department of Dance, Sejong University in 2001-2005 and since 2015.

Prof. Jang has a Ph. D in Psychology from the Graduate School, Yonsei University, 2009. She has a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree in Dance, Tisch Graduate School, New York University in 1991 and a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Dance, Graduate School, Sejong University in 1985. She graduated the Sejong University in 1982, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Dance

Prof. Jang is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Korean National Ballet Company. She was also a member of the International Jury of the I.B.C. Varna in 2014. In addition, she has been the Director of the Ballet Festival Korea from 2015 to 2016. Furthermore, Dr. Jang is the Director of the Korean Ballet Association from 2016 to 2018.

Prof. Jang has a rich oeuvre and career as leading dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director. Since 1997 she has worked as such in numerous spectacles mostly for the Jang Seon-hee Ballet Company. Some of the most recent works are:

• Ballet, Nutcracker in Seoul in 2012
• Seven Variations Regarding Love
• Time for Reading Poems
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• AIDA
• Faust
• and many more as of 1997 till the present moment.

Prof. Jang has many publications in the field of dance since 1997, and is a columnist for numerous Korean newspapers and magazines since 2001.

Director and Artistic Manager of the “KYIV MODERN-BALLET” Theatre Radu Poklitaru, one of the leading choreographers of today, was born in Kishinev to the family of ballet dancers.

He graduated from the State Choreographic School in Perm (1991) and Belorussian State Academy of Music, majoring as choreographer (ballet master) under Professor Valentin Yelizaryev, People’s Artist of the USSR (1999).

In 1991 – 2001 was a ballet dancer of the National Academic Bolshoi Theatre in the Belorussia Republic.

In 2001 – 2002 was the head choreographer of the National Opera in Moldova.

Since 2006 he has been the director and artistic manager of the theatre of present-day choreography “KYIV MODERN-BALLET”, founded at the initiative of the art patron and supporter Vladimir Filippov, his own inimitable theatre, where he staged a number of productions.

Radu Poklitaru has also choreographed many productions for a number of established ballet theatres

In 2014 Radu Poclitaru was invited as a choreographer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Sochi.

Up till now the choreographer has authored over thirty one-act and full-length productions, performed on various stages, including the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, the Russian Chamber Ballet “Moscow”, the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre and the National Operas of Moldova, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Radu Poklitaru’s ballet productions were presented at International musical festivals and on tours in Great Britain, France, The Netherlands, the United States, Japan, China, Poland, Estonia, Thailand, Spain and other countries.