Yuri Grigorovich, choreographer, choreographer. Biography

Yuri Grigorovich was born in Leningrad in 1927. His father, Nikolai Grigorovich, was an accountant, and his mother, Claudia Grigorovich (nee Rozai), was a homemaker.

Since childhood, the future choreographer dreamed of a career as a choreographer, writing down ideas for ballets based on his favorite books in his diaries. Grigorovich was influenced by the personality of his maternal uncle, the famous ballet dancer, soloist of the Mariinsky Theater and participant of the Paris Seasons, Georgy Rozai. The boy grew up listening to stories about a famous relative who did not live to see his birth until he was only 10 years old.

In 1937, Grigorovich entered the Leningrad Choreographic College (LHU, modern Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet) and a year later began performing on the stage of the Leningrad Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater (modern. The State Academic Mariinsky Theatre). The young artist participated in children's scenes of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker.

As Grigorovich himself recalled in an interview, then he received "greetings from the past" from his uncle. During the next inventory, the theater copied a children's costume from the Nutcracker, on the inside of which the inscription "George Rosai" was preserved.

Dictator of beauty: choreographer Yuri Grigorovich has died

The outstanding choreographer staged his first ballet at the age of 20

"So, as a child, he [Georgy Rozai] was engaged in that first "The Nutcracker" by Lev Ivanov, which has not exactly been preserved even in the descriptions. Greetings from the past. Then I danced in children's scenes as a student <...> How do you like such coincidences?" said Grigorovich.

In 1940, together with other students of the Leningrad State University and artists of the Kirov Theater, Grigorovich performed on the stage of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater. Among the distinguished guests in the auditorium was the head of state, Joseph Stalin.

After the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, all students and staff of the LHU were evacuated to the city of Molotov (modern times). Perm). There Grigorovich took part in the premiere of Aram Khachaturian's ballet Gayane. Returning to Leningrad in 1944, he continued his studies and graduated from Leningrad State University in 1946. Immediately after graduation, he joined the troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater, where he worked until 1961.

Grigorovich performed mostly characteristic, often grotesque roles on stage.: Polovchanina from "Prince Igor" by Alexander Borodin, Retiarius from "Spartak" by Aram Khachaturian, Nurali from "Bakhchisarai Fountain" by Boris Asafyev, and others.

Despite his stage success, Grigorovich did not abandon his dream of becoming a choreographer. Back in 1947, he staged the play "The Stork" to the music of Dmitry Klebanov at the children's ballet studio of the Gorky Leningrad Palace of Culture. Subsequently, he created two more ballet productions for children: "Seven Brothers" based on the fairy tale "Tom Thumb" and "Fantasy Waltz" to the music of Mikhail Glinka.

In the 1950s, Grigorovich choreographed performances for the Kirov Theater. In particular, he had a hand in creating the operas "Sadko", "Rigoletto", "The Three Fat Men" and others.

Grigorovich made his debut as a choreographer in 1957. His first "brainchild" was the ballet "The Stone Flower" to the music of Sergei Prokofiev. Initially, it was assumed that Konstantin Sergeev would direct the play. However, Grigorovich's choreography, combining classical movements and elements of Russian national dance, pleased the theater's management so much that he got the post of choreographer.

"Stone Flower" was a resounding success. Grigorovich's next production, the ballet Legend of Love, to the music of Arif Melikov (1961), was also warmly received. From 1961 to 1964, Grigorovich was the choreographer of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater.

In 1964, Grigorovich received the position of chief choreographer of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater (since 1988 — artistic director of the ballet company) and moved to Moscow.

His first original production on the main theatrical stage of the country was the ballet The Nutcracker to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Unlike his predecessors, Grigorovich presented the story of the toy prince not as a children's fairy tale, but as a philosophical and choreographic poem with deep psychology in every movement.

One of Grigorovich's most famous works was the ballet Spartacus to the music of Aram Khachaturian, staged in 1968. The play was awarded the Lenin Prize and was a huge success not only in the Soviet Union, but also abroad.

In total, from 1964 to 1995, about 15 performances directed by Grigorovich were shown on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Among them are the original ballets Ivan the Terrible (1975), Angara (1976), The Golden Age (1982), as well as restorations of classical ballets: Sleeping Beauty (1963, 1973), Swan Lake (1969, 2001), Raymonda (1984, 2003), "Giselle" (1987), "Don Quixote" (1994) and others.

In 1990, Grigorovich founded the Yuri Grigorovich Bolshoi Theater Studio troupe, which he led for five years. In 1996, he moved to Krasnodar, where he created a new ballet company at the Premiere Musical Theater. On this stage, the choreographer recreated many of his famous ballets: "Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker", "Spartacus", "The Golden Age", "The Stone Flower" and others. In 2001, he resumed his collaboration with the Bolshoi Theatre.

In addition, Grigorovich was active in teaching. In 1973-1988, he was a professor at the ballet department of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. After that, he became the head of the Department of Choreography and Ballet Studies at the Moscow State Choreographic Institute. In 1975-1989, he was President of the Dance Committee of the International Institute of Theater at UNESCO. From 1992 to 2022, he was a member of the jury of the Ballet Oscar, the Benoit de la Danse International Prize.

Yuri Grigorovich — death

Yuri Grigorovich died at the age of 98. This was announced by his assistant on May 19, 2025. The farewell ceremony for the choreographer is scheduled for May 23, it will take place on the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, called Grigorovich a symbol of an entire epoch in the history of Russian and world ballet art. In her Telegram channel, she noted the highest professionalism of the choreographer, his unique creative vision and selfless work on the stages of iconic theaters in Russia.

"Bold, uncompromising in his work and in his life, Yuri Nikolaevich created a new and unique choreographic language that increased the glory of Russian ballet, reflecting the depths of his soul and feelings," Lyubimova wrote.

In turn, director of the Mariinsky Theatre Valery Gergiev, in an interview with Izvestia, stressed that Grigorovich is a key figure in the history of Russian ballet.

"The legendary figure, I think, will continue to attract huge attention, [arouse] respect and admiration in decades to come," he said.