Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographer who dominated the Russian ballet for 30 years.
Background
Grigorovich was born into a family connected with the Imperial Russian Ballet.
Education
He graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic School in 1946 and danced as a soloist of the Kirov Ballet until 1962.
Career
His staging of Sergey Prokofiev"s The Stone Flower (1957) and of The Legend of Love (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 Nutcracker (1966), Spartacus (1967), and Ivan the Terrible (1975).
He controversially reworked Swan Lake to produce a happy end for the story in 1984.
In 1995, he was accused of having allowed the theatre to plunge into stagnation and after many a squabble was ousted from office. Thereupon he 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. 1957 - Honoured Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
USSR State Prize; Order of Lenin; Hero of Socialist Labour; Order of the October Revolution; People's Artist of the USSR; Order For Services to the Fatherland 1st degree; Order For Services to the Fatherland 2nd degree; Order For Services to the Fatherland 3rd degree; Order of the Badge of Honour
Order of Lenin; Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius; Order of Francisc Skorina; Hero of Socialist Labour; People's Artist of the USSR; Medal "In Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad"; Medal of Honour; Lenin Prize; Order of the October Revolution; Order of Merit for the Fatherland; National Theatre Prize Golden Mask; Order of Merit The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology.
USSR State Prize; Order of Lenin; Hero of Socialist Labour; Order of the October Revolution; People's Artist of the USSR; Order For Services to the Fatherland 1st degree; Order For Services to the Fatherland 2nd degree; Order For Services to the Fatherland 3rd degree; Order of the Badge of Honour
Order of Lenin; Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius; Order of Francisc Skorina; Hero of Socialist Labour; People's Artist of the USSR; Medal "In Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad"; Medal of Honour; Lenin Prize; Order of the October Revolution; Order of Merit for the Fatherland; National Theatre Prize Golden Mask; Order of Merit The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology.