On June 25, the 15th International Ballet Competition opened in Moscow on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre.

The competition was founded in 1969 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR. The global influence of the Russian ballet school, the authority of the competition’s founders — the legendary ballerinas Galina Ulanova, Olga Lepeshinskaya, and choreographer Igor Moiseyev — as well as the magic of one of the world’s principal stages, gave the event the status of a premier international ballet competition.

In 2026, the Competition is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding contemporary choreographer Yuri Nikolaevich Grigorovich (1927–2025). Maestro Grigorovich served for more than 50 years, since 1973, as the permanent Artistic Director and Chairman of the Jury of this significant international project. “The competition is a special universe,” Yuri Grigorovich liked to repeat. “Those who are skeptical about the competition movement say that competitions determine nothing. There are competition dancers who know how to pull themselves together, who love to compete — sprinters — and there are non-competition dancers who need the dramaturgy of a full performance to раскрыть their individuality. True. And yet competitions are necessary. It is not about the awards. Competitions are an excellent incentive for preparing new repertoire and for professional growth. They provide an opportunity to present oneself to the public and, as a rule, reveal the participants’ abilities, their technical and emotional resources. A competition is a space where the ballet community of the world, absorbed in its own problems, comes together. We communicate, see the levels of different schools, observe what our colleagues are living by. It is fascinating to follow the young!”

Traditionally, contestants compete in two age categories: junior (up to 19 years old) and senior (up to 27 years old). This year, 362 applications were submitted from 35 countries, including Austria, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, China, Russia, the USA, Turkey, Sweden, and Japan. A total of 77 participants in the junior group and 54 in the senior group have been admitted to the competition.

The dancers’ mastery will be evaluated by a distinguished jury. The Chair of the Jury is Bolshoi Theatre prima ballerina and People’s Artist of Russia Svetlana Zakharova. Among the jury members are: Officer of the Order of Rio Branco, Dance Ambassador of the Brazilian Dance Council at UNESCO, and former prima ballerina of the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro Cecilia Kerche (Brazil); Artistic Director and Principal of the National Theatre Ballet in Belgrade Jovica Begojev (Serbia); prima ballerina and General Director of the National Ballet of Cuba Viengsay Valdés (Cuba); National Distinguished Worker of China and Artistic Director of the Shanghai Ballet Xin Lili (China); Honored Artist of Russia and Chief Ballet Master of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus Igor Kolb (Belarus); People’s Artist of Hungary and Director of the Hungarian National Ballet Tamás Solymosi (Hungary); People’s Artist of Russia and founder of the St. Petersburg Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre Boris Eifman (Russia).

On June 25, at the opening of the 15th International Competition, greetings from the President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin were announced: “Over the decades, the renowned Moscow Ballet and Choreographers Competition has ignited a whole constellation of new names and given a ‘start in life’ to many talented dancers and choreographers.”

Throughout the history of the Moscow competition, only four artists have been awarded the Grand Prix: Nadezhda Pavlova (USSR) in 1973, Irek Mukhamedov (USSR) in 1981, Andrey Batalov (Russia) in 1997, and Denis Matvienko (Ukraine) in 2005.

The competition has paid tribute to outstanding figures of Russian and world ballet: the 7th competition (1993) was dedicated to the choreography of Marius Petipa; the 9th competition (2001) to Galina Ulanova; the 11th competition (2009) to Marina Semyonova. The current edition is held in honor of Yuri Grigorovich.

The first day was dedicated to Yuri Nikolaevich Grigorovich. It opened with a lecture on his artistic legacy and continued with a meeting featuring performers of his ballets from different generations. The day concluded with a screening of the film “Grigorovich. Yuri the Formidable.”

Specially for this year’s competition, the project “The Birth of a Supernova” has been prepared. The heroes of the mini-film series are prize-winners of different years who have achieved significant heights. Renowned choreographers, teachers, and young dancers share the stories of their artistic journeys, reflect on their profession, the continuity of generations, and the art of ballet.

On June 30, a program dedicated to international ballet competitions is scheduled: a lecture on their history and a retrospective of the Moscow competition. The day will conclude with a screening of the documentary film “Empire of Ballet.”

The 15th International Ballet Competition will conclude on July 5 with the announcement of the prize-winners.