Moscow Ballet Competition accepting entries

The 13th Moscow International Ballet and Choreographers Competition is scheduled for this summer. Set for June 10-20, it will be held at the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.

This competition has become a tradition, an integral event in the world ballet community. Founded in 1969, it quickly attained professional prestige, as well as a reputation of being a serious platform for young dancers. The magic of the Bolshoi Theatre has always attracted young dancers from all over the world, and success on its famous stage meant wonderful future possibilities.

With the 2017 competition, the outstanding Russian choreographer Yuri Nikolaevich Grigorovich, the permanent artistic director of the event, celebrates his 90th birthday. Symbolically, the 2017 competition also precedes the 200th anniversary of historic Russian ballet choreographer Marius Petipa’s birth in 1818. Therefore, 2018 has been announced as the “Year of the Russian Ballet” in Russia.

To commemorate these milestones, the competition hopes to have the largest participation in its history in 2017. Grand prize winners in the Ballet Dancer and Choreographer categories will win $200,000!

Applications for the competition are now available at www.moscowballetcompetition.com. They must be submitted no later than March 31.

Photo: Russian ballerina Oksana Bondareva, right, dancing in the 2013 event. Photo courtesy of the Moscow International Ballet and Choreographers Competition.