YURI POSSOKHOV

Yuri Possokhov is among the most active and imaginative ballet choreographers currently working. He danced with the Bolshoi Ballet for 10 years, rapidly advancing through the ranks to principal dancer. While performing, Possokhov studied choreography and ballet pedagogy at the State College of Theatrical Arts, completing the five-year course in 1990.

Possokhov was a principal dancer for two years with the Royal Danish Ballet before joining the San Francisco Ballet in 1994, where he was a principal dancer for 12 years. Following his retirement from the company, Possokhov was named Choreographer-in-Residence in May 2006. He has choreographed 14 ballets for San Francisco Ballet, including: Damned, Don Quixote, Study in Motion, Reflections, Firebird, Fusion, Diving into the Lilacs, Classical Symphony, RAkU, Francesca da Rimini, The Rite of Spring, and Swimmer. One of Possokhov’s early works—Magrittomania—received an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Choreography.

He has created three full-length ballets for the Bolshoi Ballet: Cinderella, A Hero of Our Time, and Nureyev. For A Hero of Our Time and Nureyev, he received the prestigious Benois de la Danse Award, established by the International Dance Union.

Possokhov is a frequent guest choreographer with The Joffrey Ballet. He has choreographed Bells, Adagio, Don Quixote, The Miraculous Mandarin, and Bluebeard’s Castle (with the Cleveland Orchestra). Please visit yuripossokhov.com for more information.