Kozlova International Ballet Competition Announces Judges Update

Over 100 talented dancers from around the globe will gather in New York next week when the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition opens Tuesday, June 6th at 11:15 am with an opening ceremony and follows with Rounds - each dancer or couple having the opportunity to dance before the Jury.

Tuesday and Wednesday are devoted to classical ballet entrants (with 5-6 PM for contemporary); Thursday is totally turned over to the contemporary dancers and choreographers; on Friday we will see the dancers who have made it to the Finals. Saturday at 6 PM is the announcement of medalists and recipients of scholarships to schools around the world and company contracts, followed at 7 PM by a Gala Performance featuring medalists and guests, including a trio of lovelies from Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carlo appearing in the Odalisques Pas de Trois from Le Corsaire (Gazella Verbitskaya, Nina Immobilashvili, and Eugenia Repelskii).

True to its motto of "Preserving the Past, Discovering the Future," VKIBC continues to honor those who have made significant contributions to dance over the years.

This year, VKIBC is proud to present an award to Arthur Mitchell, a breaker of barriers in the dance world as former principal dancer with New York City Ballet and founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem.

JUDGES for 2017: (UPDATED LIST)

ANDRIS LIEPA (Russia) will return as Chairman of the Judges -People's Artist of Russia, former principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, guest with NYCB, ABT

Judges: (in alphabetical order by country)

NINA MIREILLE BUISSON (France) International contemporary dance choreographer

CHARLES JUDE (France) Former principal dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet, director of the Ballet de l'Opera de Bordeaux since 1996

CAROLINE LLORCA (France) Internationally known specialist in the Petipa repertoire and Vaganova teaching method

NINA ANANIASHVILI (Georgia) Renowned prima ballerina with Bolshoi Ballet, ABT, NYCB, Royal Danish Ballet, and more; currently artistic director of State Ballet of Georgia

IVAN CAVALLARI (Italy) Former principal dancer with Stuttgart Ballet, stager of Cranko's ballets for Royal Ballet and others

ALBERTO PRETTO (Italy) Dancer with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, fashion designer/founder of dancewear line Albypretty

TURSYNBEK NURKALIYEV (Kazakhstan) Artistic Director of Astana Opera, Honored Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan

AIVARS LEIMANIS (Latvia) Artistic Director of Latvian National Ballet Company since 1993

PATRICIA AULESTIA (Mexico) Teacher, researcher, choreographer, founder/director of the National Ballet of Ecuador

OLGA GUARDIA DE SMOAK (Panama) President of the New Orleans International Ballet Conference, Artistic Advisor to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Panama

NIKOLAI TSISKARIDZE (Russia) Former principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet; currently director of the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg

SERGEI SOLOVIEV (Russia) Former member of Bolshoi Ballet, since 1997 teacher at Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris

SUN HEE KIM (South Korea) Professor at Korea National University of Arts/School of Dance

JEON MI SOOK (South Korea) Faculty of Korea National University of Arts, freelance choreographer

JELKO YURESHA (United Kingdom) Former principal dancer with English National Ballet (previously London Festival Ballet)

VIRGINIA JOHNSON (USA) Artistic Director, Dance Theatre of Harlem

VICTORIA MORGAN (USA) Former principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet; artistic director of Cincinnati Ballet

RADENKO PAVLOVICH (USA) Artistic Director of Columbia Classical Ballet, South Carolina

MARGO SAPPINGTON (USA) Former dancer with Joffrey Ballet, dancer/choreographer of Broadway shows, freelance choreographer

PETER STARK (USA) Associate Director of Boston Ballet II and Head of Men's Program at the Boston Ballet School

For more information about VKIBC or full bios of judges, please visit www.vkibc.org.

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