Our guest on 16.08.2009 Vladimir Malakhov, Dancer, Choreographer and Artistic Director

Vladimir Malakhov is one of the world’s finest and best-known ballet dancers. Critics have put the exceptional artist in a class with historic ballet luminaries such as Nijinsky and Nureyev. After guest performances at high-profile ballet houses worldwide, he took on the position of artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet in 2004, as well as the ballet’s first soloist and choreographer. In just a few short years, Malakhov has shaped the company into an internationally-renowned ensemble.

Vladimir Malakhov was born on January 7 – Russia’s Christmas Day – in 1968 in Krivoy Rog, a metal industry hub in southern Ukraine.

His mother encouraged the dance ambitions of her son early on, as she herself had cherished dreams of becoming a dancer. His teacher, too, supported the "wunderkind" and recommended he pursue ballet at another school. After a difficult selection process, Malakhov began his training at age 10 with Moscow’s Bolshoi Academy, a prestigious school notorious for its difficult regimen – the elite training center of the Russian ballet. There he received instruction six days a week for 10 hours a day.

Farewell and New Beginnings

Despite his obvious talent, the Bolshoi Theater opted not to accept Malakhov following the completion of his training in 1986 – the company preferred Russian dancers. Instead, he became the youngest principal dancer of the Moscow Classical Ballet and, after taking on a number of classical dance roles, quickly rose to become a sought-after star. At one of the numerous guest performances of the ensemble – 1992 in California – Malakhov decided to stay in the West. An important motivating factor was the dancer’s desire to avoid a life spent confined to the "prince" role in classical ballet.

"Dancer of the Century"

In the West, too, Malakhov had no trouble gaining recognition and new engagements, which brought him to the most important stages in Europe and America. As a principal dancer in Vienna, he gained Austrian citizenship in 1994. Though Austrians would have liked to keep Malakhov for themselves, the dancer took on other international engagements. Among the most important in his career: Stuttgart Ballet (from 1992), Toronto, National Ballet (from 1994), New York, American Ballet Theater (from 1995) as a principal dancer. Moreover, he appeared as a guest star in important ballet performances for leading dance companies worldwide.

Ballet critics are especially fond of Malakhov’s gravity- and distance-defying leaps, as well as his silent landings, his velocity, the noble character of his poses and his charisma. Equally lauded was "his phenomenal feeling for rhythm, phrasing, timing and legato." All these qualities contributed to his reputation as the "dancer of the century."

The Berlin Affair

In 2002, Malakhov moved to Berlin as artistic director for ballet – first at the Berlin State Opera, where he worked as both a choreographer and solo dancer. He took on the same tasks in 2003 for the Berlin State Ballet, which was established from the fusion of three dance companies from three Berlin opera houses – first provisionally, then permanently in 2004. With 88 dancers, the ensemble appeared most notably at the Deutsche Oper and the State Opera. Following early skepticism as to whether he was up for the job, Malakhov’s work was widely praised, particularly his efforts to elevate the ensemble’s standard and broaden contacts with other top-notch German and international ballet companies. Part of his success can be attributed to his discovery of new talents, whom Malakhov has systematically transformed into star material, such as the young Russian ballerina Polina Semionova.

In addition to classical ballet, Malakhov has endeavored to produce more contemporary stagings, such as "Caravaggio," written about the painter of the same name. Malakhov has also established new training programs for all age levels, as well as an in-house talent pool for the promotion of young dancers.

Moreover, the Berlin State Ballet supports a transition project to prepare older dancers for the twilight days of their careers.

Malakhov lives with his German partner in Berlin.

(Re-broadcast from 10 May 2009)