Valentina Kozlova Announces NUTCRACKER WINTER SUITE

Valentina Kozlova's next project is her annual "Nutcracker Winter Suite," December 3, 7 PM, at Symphony Space, Broadway and 95th Street, NYC. Joining the students at Kozlova's Dance Conservatory, located in midtown Manhattan, are Kozlova students Nikita Boris and Justin Valentine. The exceptional teen dancers, participating in Kozlova's Competition last June, were awarded scholarships to the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, selected by Academy director Nikolai Tsiskaridze. Justin will return to St. Petersburg after the performances to continue his one-year scholarship. Nikita, now 16 years old, completed her scholarship and entered the October Vaganova Prix, where she received a special award for artistry and was further honored with an invitation to perform a solo from Giselle on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Following the Nutcracker performances, Kozlova continues preparations for the 7th annual Kozlova International Ballet Competition, which will take place June 5-10, 2017 at Symphony Space. Semi-finals have already taken place in Argentina and are scheduled for March 2-4 at the Hermitage Theatre in the legendary Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Dancers from around the world are currently applying for June event, and those selected will dance before a jury that will include Nina Ananiashvili, Patricia Aulestia, Charles Jude, Andris Liepa, Lawrence Rhodes, Ben Stevenson, and Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

Kozlova has become a major presence, as judge, teacher and coach at competitions around the world. Most recently, she was invited to participate in the International Yuri Grigorovich Competition in Sochi Russia. Though Kozlova defected in 1979 when a principal dancer with the Bolshoi, she felt that she had come full circle when Grigorovich, Artistic Director of the Company at that time, embraced her with a warm welcome! She has also been a judge in numerous other international competitions, including the Moscow International Ballet Competition and Concorso Internazionale do Danza Spoleto, Italy.

Kozlova, a native of Moscow, was trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School, joined the company in 1973 and was promoted to Principal Dancer just two years later. She danced all of the major classical roles under the coaching of Rimma Karelskaya, Sophia Golovkina, Raissa Struchkova (for Don Quixote, Giselle, and Romeo and Juliet), and Marina Semyonova (for Sleeping Beauty and Shades act of La Bayadere). In 1979, while on a U.S. tour with the Bolshoi, Kozlova defected and was immediately in demand as a guest artist around the world. She appeared on Broadway in the leading role of Vera Baronova in "On Your Toes," and then, at the invitation of George Balanchine, joined New York City Ballet as a principal dancer, remaining with the Company for 13 years. Following Glasnost, the ballerina made a triumphant return to Moscow in 1991, with NBC News covering her performances at the Kremlin Palace. With Margo Sappington, Kozlova directed her own company, "Ballet: The Daring Project," which performed at The Joyce for three seasons. Kozlova opened her own Dance Conservatory at 250 West 54 Street, has become sought after by Competitions around the world and annually presents her own Kozlova International Ballet Competition, for both classical ballet and contemporary dance, helping to promote and develop young dancers and choreographers from around the world.

www.vkibc.org

Photo Credit: Yelena Yeva