Valentina Kozlova
Encyclopedia
Valentina Kozlova is a Soviet
-born Russian American ballerina and founder of Boston International Ballet Competition. In 1979, while on tour as a young Principal Dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet
, Kozlova defected to the United States, where she became a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet
and later, opened her own ballet school. Perhaps best known as a lyrical and expressive ballerina, Kozlova is also renowned as a private coach, producing students who have gone on to garner prestigious prizes and positions in companies such as Boston Ballet
and American Ballet Theatre
.
to Russian parents. Encouraged by her mother, a technical supervisor for the phone company, Kozlova joined a children’s ballet company at the age of seven and was accepted, at nine, into the Bolshoi Ballet School
, where she studied until she was asked to join the company in 1973. She was quickly promoted to Principal, in 1975, and danced all of the major classical roles. While a budding star, she was asked to acquire Auber's
score for Grand Pas Classique
from the Kirov Ballet
in St. Petersburg, which she did, and premiered the ballet upon returning to Moscow.
In 1979, while in Los Angeles on tour with the Bolshoi, Kozlova and her then-husband, fellow Principal Dancer Leonid Kozlov
, defected. They guest-starred internationally for the next few years, and Kozlova briefly became a Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet. In 1982, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of On Your Toes
, featuring George Balanchine
’s ballet Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
. Balanchine asked Kozlova and Kozlov to join New York City Ballet in 1983, where she remained a Principal Dancer until 1985, when she left the company. While with NYCB, Kozlova was praised for her strong technique, flexibility and spellbinding exuberance. Describing Kozlova's performances in Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream
, The New York Times'
critic Anna Kisselgoff
commented that her Titania "has the virtue of her strong dramatic projection and a supple quality that Russian dancers call plastique." Further, in more of a factual note, Kisselgoff notes that "the glamour and high extensions that are hallmark [...] also attracted contemporary choreographers, including Jerome Robbins, who have cast her in their works."
, Kozlova returned to Moscow in 1991 to perform at the Kremlin
with dancers from NYCB, New Jersey Ballet
and Paul Taylor Dance Company
. She returned again in 1992 to perform the premiere of a solo, “Blue Angel,” created for her by American choreographer Margo Sappington
.
Sappington and Kozlova immediately connected and formed a touring company together that was first called from Bolshoi to Broadway, recognizing Kozlova’s own transformation, and was eventually named the Daring Project to emphasize the hybrid nature of the group – as Kozlova told The New York Times in 1996, "in each concert, members dare to perform everything from classical excerpts to sexy modern ballets."
Kozlova has also frequently appeared on television, including talk shows and entertainment programs around the world. She also appeared in a stage version of A Christmas Carol
as the Ghost of Christmas Future, along with movie legend Tony Randall
and Broadway star Ben Vereen
, at Madison Square Garden. Peter Marks of The New York Times noted that Kozlova brought "a seasonal elegance to the proceedings."
– featuring a female Baroness Drosselmeyer – and a spring performance at New York’s Symphony Space theater.
, Andris Liepa and Mikko Nissinen
, to name less than half. The competition, managed by the non-profit Dance Conservatory Performance Project, aims to showcase young talent, pushing them to learn new repertory and furthering their careers by putting them in front of an esteemed jury and Artistic Board. The next competition will be held May 30 - June 4, 2012.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-born Russian American ballerina and founder of Boston International Ballet Competition. In 1979, while on tour as a young Principal Dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
, Kozlova defected to the United States, where she became a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
and later, opened her own ballet school. Perhaps best known as a lyrical and expressive ballerina, Kozlova is also renowned as a private coach, producing students who have gone on to garner prestigious prizes and positions in companies such as Boston Ballet
Boston Ballet
Boston Ballet, founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams, was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. Boston Ballet’s national and international reputation developed under the leadership of Artistic Directors Violette Verdy , Bruce Marks , and Anna-Marie Holmes...
and American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
.
USSR and Early Career
Kozlova was born in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to Russian parents. Encouraged by her mother, a technical supervisor for the phone company, Kozlova joined a children’s ballet company at the age of seven and was accepted, at nine, into the Bolshoi Ballet School
Moscow State Academy of Choreography
The Moscow State Academy of Choreography , commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of ballet in the world, located in Moscow, Russia. It is the affiliate school of the Bolshoi Ballet....
, where she studied until she was asked to join the company in 1973. She was quickly promoted to Principal, in 1975, and danced all of the major classical roles. While a budding star, she was asked to acquire Auber's
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
score for Grand Pas Classique
Pas de deux
In ballet, a pas de deux is a duet in which ballet dancers perform the dance together. It usually consists of an entrée, adagio, two variations , and a coda.-Notable Pas de deux:...
from the Kirov Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet is a classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies...
in St. Petersburg, which she did, and premiered the ballet upon returning to Moscow.
In 1979, while in Los Angeles on tour with the Bolshoi, Kozlova and her then-husband, fellow Principal Dancer Leonid Kozlov
Leonid Kozlov
Leonid Kozlov is a former principal dancer of the Bolshoi and New York City Ballet. He is also a choreographer, and the founder of Kozlov Dance International and Youth Dance Festival of New Jersey.-Biography:...
, defected. They guest-starred internationally for the next few years, and Kozlova briefly became a Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet. In 1982, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of On Your Toes
On Your Toes
On Your Toes is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939....
, featuring George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
’s ballet Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue is a ballet with music by Richard Rodgers and choreography by George Balanchine. It occurs near the end of Rodgers and Hart's 1936 Broadway musical comedy On Your Toes. Slaughter is the story of a hoofer who falls in love with a dance hall girl who is then shot and killed...
. Balanchine asked Kozlova and Kozlov to join New York City Ballet in 1983, where she remained a Principal Dancer until 1985, when she left the company. While with NYCB, Kozlova was praised for her strong technique, flexibility and spellbinding exuberance. Describing Kozlova's performances in Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (ballet)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a two-act ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's play of the same name. In addition to the incidental music, Balanchine incorporated other Mendelssohn works into the ballet including Overtures to Athalie, Son...
, The New York Times'
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
critic Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff
Anna Kisselgoff is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for the New York Times. She began at the Times as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she held until 2005...
commented that her Titania "has the virtue of her strong dramatic projection and a supple quality that Russian dancers call plastique." Further, in more of a factual note, Kisselgoff notes that "the glamour and high extensions that are hallmark [...] also attracted contemporary choreographers, including Jerome Robbins, who have cast her in their works."
Daring Project
In the wake of glasnostGlasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
, Kozlova returned to Moscow in 1991 to perform at the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
with dancers from NYCB, New Jersey Ballet
New Jersey Ballet
The New Jersey Ballet is a ballet company based in Livingston, New Jersey in the United States, founded in 1958 by native New Jerseyan Carolyn Clark and her fellow dancer, George Tomal.- History :...
and Paul Taylor Dance Company
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographer of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries" and still spends more than half of each...
. She returned again in 1992 to perform the premiere of a solo, “Blue Angel,” created for her by American choreographer Margo Sappington
Margo Sappington
Margo Sappington is an American choreographer and dancer born July 30, 1947 in Baytown, Texas. She was nominated in 1975 for both a Tony Award as Best Choreographer and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work on the play Where's Charley?. In 1988, her ballet Virgin Forest was...
.
Sappington and Kozlova immediately connected and formed a touring company together that was first called from Bolshoi to Broadway, recognizing Kozlova’s own transformation, and was eventually named the Daring Project to emphasize the hybrid nature of the group – as Kozlova told The New York Times in 1996, "in each concert, members dare to perform everything from classical excerpts to sexy modern ballets."
Film and Television
Her performances on video include the Pavlova Special (CBS), La Fille Mal Gardee (Philips Video, Germany), and Spartacus (VEAR Productions, Argentina).Kozlova has also frequently appeared on television, including talk shows and entertainment programs around the world. She also appeared in a stage version of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
as the Ghost of Christmas Future, along with movie legend Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
and Broadway star Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
, at Madison Square Garden. Peter Marks of The New York Times noted that Kozlova brought "a seasonal elegance to the proceedings."
Dance School
In 2003, Kozlova launched the eponymous conservatory Valentina Kozlova’s Dance Conservatory of New York, where dancers are trained in the traditional Vaganova method, married with Balanchine footwork. The school annually presents their version of The NutcrackerThe Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
– featuring a female Baroness Drosselmeyer – and a spring performance at New York’s Symphony Space theater.
Boston International Ballet Competition
An experienced juror at international ballet competitions, Kozlova founded her own competition in 2011. The first edition of BIBC took place May 12–16, 2011, presided over by a jury made up of such acclaimed ballet professionals as Violette VerdyViolette Verdy
Violette Verdy is a French ballerina who has worked as a director of dance companies and in other related capacities since her retirement from performing in the late 1970s. Verdy began dance training as a small child and performed with Les Ballets des Champs-Elysées beginning in 1945...
, Andris Liepa and Mikko Nissinen
Mikko Nissinen
Mikko Nissinen is a Finnish ballet dancer. He has danced with the Dutch National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. He is currently the Artistic Director of Boston Ballet, a position he has held since 2002....
, to name less than half. The competition, managed by the non-profit Dance Conservatory Performance Project, aims to showcase young talent, pushing them to learn new repertory and furthering their careers by putting them in front of an esteemed jury and Artistic Board. The next competition will be held May 30 - June 4, 2012.
External links
- Valentina Kozlova at the Internet Movie Database
- About the Director
- Valentina Kozlova in Dance Magazine
- Valentina Kozlova in Dance Teacher Magazine