List of Russian ballet dancers

This is a list of ballet dancers from the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation, including both ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities. This list includes as well those who were born in these three states but later emigrated, and those who were born elsewhere but immigrated to the country and performed there for a significant portion of their careers.

The original purpose of the ballet in Russia was to entertain the royal court. The first ballet company was the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg in the 1740s. The Ballets Russes was a ballet company founded in the 1909 by Sergey Diaghilev, an enormously important figure in the Russian ballet scene. Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes' travels abroad profoundly influenced the development of dance worldwide. The headquarters of his ballet company was located in Paris, France. A protégé of Diaghilev, George Balanchine, founded the New York City Ballet Company.

During the early 20th century, many Russian ballet dancers rose to fame. Soviet ballet preserved the perfected 19th century traditions, and the Soviet Union's choreography schools produced one internationally famous star after another. The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Mariinsky in Saint Petersburg remain famous throughout the world.

Alphabetical list __NOTOC__

A PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageAnastasia Abramova (1902–1985)Russian EmpireSoviet Unionballerina, Bolshoi TheatreSvetlana Adyrkhaeva (born 1938)Soviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Bolshoi Theatre(born 1946) Soviet UnionRussian Federation Danseur, Bolshoi TheatreMaria Alexandrova(born 1978)Soviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Bolshoi Theatre Maria Allash(born 1976)Soviet UnionRussian FederationBallerina, Bolshoi TheatreElena Andreianova(1819–1857)Russian Empire Prima ballerina, Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky BalletYelena Andrienko(born 1972)Soviet UnionRussian Federationballerina, Bolshoi Theatre(born 1953)Soviet UnionRussian FederationDanseur, Bolshoi Theatre, Teacher Anna Antonicheva(born 1973)Soviet UnionRussian Federationballerina, Bolshoi TheatreAltynai Asylmuratova (born 1961)Soviet UnionRussian Federation KazakhstanPrima ballerina, Mariinsky Theatre (born 1966)Soviet UnionRussian FederationBallerina, Mariinsky Theatre

B PortraitPersonDetailsStage Image(1910–1982)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionBallerina, Teacher, Ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre, Mikhaylovsky Theatre, Vaganova Academy of Russian BalletGeorge Balanchine (1904–1983)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionFranceUnited States(Georgian descent)Choreographer, balletmasterBalanchine was one of the 20th century's foremost choreographers, a balletmaster of the Ballets Russes in France, founding balletmaster (and co-founder) of New York City Ballet: his work created modern ballet, based on his deep knowledge of classical forms and techniques.Irina Baronova (1919–2008)Soviet UnionRomaniaFranceUnited StatesSwitzerlandRussian FederationAustraliaBallerina, ballet mistressShe was one of the Baby Ballerinas of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, discovered by George Balanchine in Paris in the 1930s. She created roles in Léonide Massine's Le Beau Danube (1924), Jeux d'enfants (1932), and Les Présages (1933); and in Bronislava Nijinska's Les Cent Baisers (1935). Between 1940 and 1951 Baronova appeared in several films, and worked as ballet mistress for the 1980 film Nijinsky.Mikhail Baryshnikov (born 1948)Soviet UnionUnited States DanseurDmitry Belogolovtsev (born 1973)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Bolshoi Theatre Natalia Bessmertnova (1941–2008)Soviet Union Russian FederationPrima ballerina, Bolshoi Theatre(1949–1998)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Bolshoi Theatre (born 1969) Soviet UnionRussian Federation Ballerina, Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre Violetta Bovt(1927–1995)United StatesSoviet UnionBallerina, Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre (born 1935)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Ballet master, Mikhaylovsky Theatre(1926–2012)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Teacher, Mariinsky Theatre(1947–2004)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Ballet master, Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre (born 1968)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Ballet master, Teacher, Moscow State Academy of Choreography, Bolshoi TheatreVladimir Bourmeister(1904–1971)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionDanseur, Ballet master, Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre

C PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageRaissa Calza(1894–1979)Russian EmpireUkraineVakhtang Chabukiani(1910–1992)Soviet UnionDanseur, Choreographer, Ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet TheatreCatherine Chislova(1846–1889)Russian EmpireBallerina

D PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageAlexandra Danilova(1903–1997)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionFranceUnited StatesPrima ballerinaPavel Dmitrichenko(born 1984)Russia Former principal dancer, Bolshoi BalletNatalia Dudinskaya (1912–2003)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Mariinsky Theatre

E PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageLubov Egorova(1880–1972)Russian EmpireFrance Ballerina, Mariinsky TheatreOlga Esina (born 1986)Soviet UnionRussian Federation BallerinaOlga Esina (in Russian Ольга Есина) is a Russian ballerina who was educated at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg. In 2010 she became First Solo Dancer at the Vienna State Ballet.

F PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageNikolai Fadeyechev(born 1933)Soviet UnionRussian FederationDancer, Teacher, Bolshoi TheaterNikolai Fadeyechev was born in Moscow, was a Soviet Russian dancer ballet, was dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, graduated from the Moscow Ballet School in 1952 and joined the Bolshoi Theatre, danced many principal roles. He danced alongside some of the great ballerinas such as Galina Ulanova in "Giselle" and "Les Sylphides", was a regular partner with Maya Plisetskaya, Raisa Struchkova, Nina Timofeeva, Marina Kondratyeva, Natalia Bessmertnova, Ekaterina Maximova, Ludmila Semenyaka. After that, he became one of the most important teachers and répétiteurs of the Bolshoi Theatre. Nikolay Tsiskaridze, , Sergei Filin, Artem Ovcharenko were among her adepts. Sergei Filin(born 1970)Soviet UnionRussian FederationDancer, Artistic Director, Bolshoi TheaterMikhail Fokine (1880–1942)Russian EmpireUnited States Danseur

G PortraitPersonDetailsStage Image(born 1948)Soviet UnionRussian Federation Ballerina, Mariinsky TheatreYekaterina Geltzer (1876–1962)Russian EmpireSoviet Union Prima ballerina, Bolshoi TheatreElizaveta Gerdt (1891–1975)Russian EmpireSoviet Union BallerinaPavel Gerdt (1844–1917)Russian Empire Premier Danseur Noble(1872–1963)ItalyRussian EmpireSoviet UnionBallerina, Bolshoi Theatre, La Scala Alexander Godunov (1949–1995)Soviet UnionUnited States Danseur Kasyan Goleizovsky(1892–1970)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionDanseur, Choreographer, Ballet master, Bolshoi TheatreSofia Golovkina(1915–2004)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionRussian FederationBallerina, Teacher, Ballet master, Moscow State Academy of Choreography, Bolshoi TheatreAlexander Gorsky(1871–1924)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionDanseur, ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi TheatreNadezhda Gracheva(born 1969)Soviet UnionRussian Federation Ballerina, Bolshoi TheatreYury Grigorovich(1927–2025)Soviet UnionRussian Federation Danseur, Choreographer, Ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi TheatreYury Nikolayevich Grigorovich is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographer who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years. Grigorovich was born into a family connected with the Imperial Russian Ballet. He graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic School in 1946 and danced as a soloist of the Kirov Ballet until 1962. His staging of Sergey Prokofiev's The Stone Flower (1957) and of (1961) brought him acclaim as a choreographer. In 1964 he moved to the Bolshoi Theatre, where he would work as an Artistic director until 1995. His most famous productions at the Bolshoi were "The Legend of Love" (1965, 2002), The Nutcracker (1966), Spartacus (1967), (1975), The Golden Age (1982, 1994, 2006). Other notable productions The Sleeping Beauty (1963, 1973, 2011), Swan Lake (1969, 2001), Romeo and Juliet (1979, 2010), Raymonda (1984, 2003), Giselle (1987), La Bayadère (1991), Don Quixote (1994), Le Corsaire (1994). Choreographed for various Russian companies before settling in Krasnodar, where he set up his own company. Grigorovich has been heading the juries of numerous international competitions in classical ballet. After the death of his wife, the great ballerina Natalia Bessmertnova, on 19 February 2008, he has been offered the opportunity to return to the Bolshoi again in the capacity of ballet master and choreographer.Dmitry Gudanov(born 1975)Soviet UnionRussian Federation Danseur, Bolshoi Theatre

I PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageAvdotia Istomina (1799–1848)Russian EmpirePrima ballerinaLev Ivanov(1834–1901)Russian EmpireDanseur, choreographer, ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre

K PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageViktorina Kapitonova (born 1985)Russian FederationSwitzerlandPrima ballerinaVera Karalli (1889–1972)Russian EmpireWeimar RepublicNazi GermanyAustriaSoviet UnionBallerina, actress (1812–1842)Russian EmpireBallerina, Bolshoi TheaterTamara Karsavina (1885–1978)Russian EmpireUnited KingdomPrima ballerinaNora Kiss(1908–1993)Russian Empireballerina, ballet teacher in ParisIrina Kolpakova(born 1933)Soviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Mariinsky TheatreEvgenia Kolosova(1780–1869)Russian EmpireBallerinaMarina Kondratyeva(1934–2024)Soviet UnionRussian Federationballerina, Bolshoi TheaterTheodore Kosloff (1882–1956)Russian EmpireUnited StatesDanseur Ekaterina Krysanova(born 1985)Soviet UnionRussian FederationBallerina, Bolshoi TheatreMathilde Kschessinska (1872–1971)Russian EmpireFrancePrima ballerina assolutaNinel Kurgapkina(1929–2009)Soviet UnionRussian FederationBallerina, Teacher, Mariinsky Theatre

L PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageLeonid Lavrovsky(1905–1967)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionDanseur, Choreographer, Ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre, Mikhaylovsky Theatre, Bolshoi Theatre Mikhail Lavronsky(born 1941)Soviet Union Russian FederationDanseur, Bolshoi TheatreLarissa Lezhnina(born 1969)Russian FederationNetherlandsBallerina, Mariinsky Theatre, Dutch National BalletOlga Lepeshinskaya (1916–2008)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Bolshoi TheatreAndris Liepa(born 1962)Soviet UnionRussian FederationLatviaDanseur, Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Theatre director, Theatrical producerIlze Liepa(born 1963)Soviet UnionRussian FederationBallerina, Bolshoi TheatreMāris Liepa (1936–1989)LatviaSoviet UnionDanseur, Latvian Opera and Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi TheatreSerge Lifar (1905–1986)Russian EmpireFranceDanseur, ballet masterUlyana Lopatkina(born 1973)Soviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Mariinsky Theatre Lydia Lopokova (1892–1981)Russian EmpireUnited KingdomBallerinaFyodor Lopukhov(1886–1973)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionDanseur, Teacher, Choreographer, Ballet master, Mariinsky Theatre, Mikhaylovsky TheatreElena Lukom(1891–1968)Russian EmpireSoviet UnionBallerina, Mariinsky TheatreSvetlana Lunkina(born 1979)Soviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Bolshoi Theatre

M PortraitPersonDetailsStage ImageAskold Makarov(1925–2000)Soviet UnionRussian FederationDanseur, Choreographer, Teacher, Mariinsky Theatre, Theatre Choreographic Miniatures Natalia Makarova(born 1940)Soviet UnionUnited Statesprima ballerina assolutaChoreographer, Teacher, Kirov BalletDefected to the West in 1970. Initially active with the Royal Ballet then settled in US and active globally Yulia Makhalina(born 1968)Soviet UnionRussian FederationPrima ballerina, Mariinsky Theatre Léonide Massine (1896–1979)Russian EmpireDanseur, choreographerValery Maximov (born 1971)

Soviet Union

Russian Federation