Juri Grigorowitsch: Ballet star died at the age of 98

Juri Grigorowitsch is dead. The choreographer, who has shaped the ballet of the famous Bolschoi theater in Moscow for decades, died at the age of 98, as Russian media and the state central theater museum of Russia report.

Grigorowitsch was born in 1927 in Saint Petersburg, then Leningrad. He was considered one of the most important choreographers of the 20th century. As director of the Bolschoi ballet until 1995 and choreographer, he shaped the Soviet ballet over more than three decades. His name became a synonym for contemporary choreographies in the west. In 2008 he returned to the Bolschoi. According to Reuters, the Bolschoi Theater explained in a statement that it wanted to honor its memory and to protect “its invaluable heritage”.

In addition, Grigorowitsch also made a name for himself as a member or head of international juries at numerous ballet competitions. At the important Benois de la Danse, which is also known as “Ballet-Oscar” and is awarded every year in Moscow, he also took this role.

At the Bolschoi, Grigorowitsch choreographed “Spartacus”, “Romeo and Julia” as well as “Iwan the terrible” and revised works such as “The Nutcracker” or “Schwanensee”. During his long work he was given numerous prizes – including as a hero of socialist work, with the State Prize of the Russian Federation and the Yuri Lyubimov International Theater Award.