Ballet Masterclasses w/ Valery Lantratov

Valery Lantratov,

Artistic Director,

Russian National Ballet Foundation

Valery Lantratov has had a distinguished career as a dancer in the companies of Vladimir Vasiliev, Maya Plitsetskaya and Ekaterina Maximova and international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. Most

recently he has made international headlines for his role as Czar Nicholas II in a production of the new

ballet Rasputin, with Farouk Ruzimatov of the Marinsky Theater (Kirov) and for successful

international tours of Don Quixote and original choreography for the annual festival for the goddess

Aphrodite in Cypruss. A graduate of the Moscow Academic Choreographic

College, Lantratov was selected as a first soloist with the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet. With the theater he

danced principal roles in such ballets as Don Quixote, Copellia and Romeo and Juliet.

He has received accolades in the Russian and international press for his strong

technique, personality and expressiveness.

In 1993, Lantratov began working for the Kremlin Ballet. This same year, he formed the

Russian National Ballet Foundation. He has toured as a solo guest artist in such

countries as Japan, Germany, Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and the United

States. The Russian National Ballet Foundation has toured in Europe, Asia, The Middle

East and the United States.

In 1997, Russian president Boris Yeltsin named Valery Lantratov “ People’s Artist of

Russia,” the Russian Federation’s highest artistic honor.

Mr. Lantratov holds a teaching certificate Russia's renowned National Academy of

Theatrical Arts- GITIS.* For three years, Mr. Lantratov served as a guest instructor at

the Boston Ballet.

With his Russian National Ballet Foundation, Lantratov is able to realize his goal of

introducing new audiences throughout the world to some of the finest classical works of

Russia. “No matter what might happen between the countries in the world, dance can

deliver peace, compassion and art—eternal values.”

*GITIS' ballet department was founded in 1946 under A. Gorsky, R. Zakharov and

Leonid Lavaovsky of the Bolshoi Ballet with equal state funding to the Bolshoi. It is the

only institute in Russia to offer a diploma in choreography and direction for ballet

theatre. Its distinguished ballet masters include Vladimir Vassiliev (director of the

Bolshoi, retired), Nadja Pavlova (prima ballerina absoluta of the Bolshoi, retired) and

Katirina Maximova (prima ballerina absoluta of the Bolshoi, retired).