The famous Russian ballet dancer, Vladimir Shklyarov, known as the “Crown Prince of Russian Ballet,” has died at the age of 39. According to foreign media outlets such as the New York Times on the 18th, the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, announced that their principal dancer, Vladimir Shklyarov, passed away on the 16th (local time).
Born in 1985 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Shklyarov graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy and joined the Mariinsky Ballet in 2003, performing in productions such as “Swan Lake,” “Don Quixote,” and “Giselle.” He received the Leonid Massine Prize in 2008 and became the principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet in 2011.
In addition to his performances at the Mariinsky, he also performed on global stages such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House in London.
In 2019, he visited Korea and appeared in Universal Ballet’s original production “Chunhyang,” taking on the role of “Mongryong,” where he was affectionately called “the blue-eyed Mongryong.”
Local investigative authorities are focusing their investigation on the possibility that Shklyarov’s death was accidental. Former ballerina Irina Bartnovskaya stated on Telegram that Shklyarov had been taking painkillers at home in preparation for foot surgery. She mentioned, “He went out onto a narrow balcony to smoke and fell from the 5th floor.”