"Artistic director Victor Smirnov - Golovanov deserves applause for his direction of this superb company."
Victor Smirnov-Golovanov
(Artistic Director)
Victor Smirnov-Golovanov, Deserved Figure of Arts in Ukraine was born in 1934 in Moscow. He is a graduate of the famous Moscow School of Choreography, and he counts among his teachers such great names as Lavrovsky and Goleizovsky, as well as Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. He later became a soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet, where he appeared for more than 20 years. Between 1970 and 1989 he was Chief Ballet-Master with the Odessa State Opera and Ballet Theatre.
In 1988 Victor formed Moscow City Ballet with the aim to promote the original ideas of the great 19th century choreographers. He encourages his dancers to use their own character delineation, while adhering faithfully to the original choreography.
"Of course, the renowned corps de ballet is the proud creation of chief ballet mistress Ludmila Nerubashenko. It must be a great discipline building environment for young ballerinas."
Ludmila Nerubashenko
(Principal Ballet Mistress)
Ludmila Nerubashenko was born in 1955 in Odessa. After graduating from the Kiev Choreographic School in 1974, she became a soloist at the Odessa State Opera and Ballet Theatre where her repertoire comprised over thirty leading roles.
From 1988, Ludmila was a leading soloist and teacher with Moscow City Ballet. In 1993 she became the Principal Ballet Mistress with the company. She is responsible for rehearsing the major classical ensembles as well as preparing new roles with leading soloists and corps de ballet, as well as teach junior dancers. She is frequently invited to teach masterclasses at ballet schools in Moscow, as well as abroad.