Judges for June 2017 Kozlova International Ballet Competition

The 7th Annual Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition, rewarding excellence in both classical and modern dance, will take place June 5-10 at Symphony Space, 95th Street & Broadway, New York City. Semi-finals were held in Posadas, Argentina, September 2016, and a second semi-finals event is scheduled for March 2-4, 2017, at the theater of the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Judges for the June 2017 event have been announced:

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)

JULIO BOCCA (Argentina) Principal dancer with ABT 1986-2006, currently Artistic Director Ballet Nacional Sodre Montevideo/Uruguay

ANDERSON SANTANA (Belgium) Founder and Artistic Director of the Brussels International Ballet School

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

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

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

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)

JOE LANTERI (USA) Executive Director of NYC Dance Alliance, jazz teacher at Steps and Juilliard

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

SEPTIME WEBRE (USA) Former Artistic Director of Washington Ballet for 17 years, currently Artistic Director of S&R Foundation, Washington DC

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