The Dancer

Vladimir Derevianko came to the attention of the world's audiences and critics at the International Dance Competition in Varna, Bulgaria in 1978. He was awarded the Gold medal and "Grand Prix". The "Grand Prix" is a special award that only Vassiliev, Baryshnikov and Dupond had ever won before Derevianko. This special prize was given to Derevianko in recognition of his extraordinary qualities and of his original personality which, unintentionally, brought to the fore an entirely new style for the male dancer.

Derevianko studied ballet at the school of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. In 1977 he joined the company of the Bolshoi Theatre where he soon became a principal dancer.
At the Bolshoi, under the direction of Yuri Grigorovich, Derevianko danced most of the roles of the classical repertoire. He rehearsed with Galina Ulanova, Vladimir Vassiliev, Raissa Struchkova, Vladimir Nikonov. His partners were Liudmilla Semenyaka, Ekaterina Maximova and Irina Piatkina. Derevianko's interpretation of Mercutio in Yuri Grigorovich's "Romeo and Juliet" is still legendary.

In 1983 he moved to Western Europe, and from that moment was invited to perform with some of the world's most famous companies. His ability to interpret highly diverse roles (from the dramatic to the comical) inspired many choreographers to create numerous ballets for him. He enjoyed artistically-enriching and regular collaborations with Yuri Grigorovitch and Vladimir Vassiliev at the Bolshoi and with John Neumeier and Uwe Scholz in the West. He has always been considered an "unusual" dancer and this has given him occasion to dance some unforgettable roles that are characterized by their originality like: "The Firebird" and Julien Sorel in "Scarlet and Black" by Uwe Scholz; King Ludwig II in "Illusionen-Like a Swan Lake", "Don Quixote", "Unicorn", Drosselmeyer in "The Nutcracker" and the title role in "L'après-midi d'un faune" by John Neumeier; Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" and the Conferencier in "The Golden Age" by Yuri Grigorovitch; "Petit Papillon" and "Paganini" by Vladimir Vassiliev; "Mazapegul" by Amedeo Amodio.

He worked in Paris with Nicholas Beriozoff and Serge Golovine who gave him a part of the Nijinsky repertoire, including "Spectre de la rose", "Carnaval" and "Chopiniana". Recently he has interpreted the role of a very touching "Petrushka" in the famous ballet restaged by Andris Liepa, thus adding another unforgettable role to his rich 'gallery'.

On the occasion of Derevianko's 20th anniversary on stage, Glen Tetley gave him the very special role of "Pierrot Lunaire" while in 2003, on the occasion of his 25 years on stage, to mark their significant cooperation and long-standing friendship, Uwe Scholz left Derevianko an artistic legacy by giving him the last work he created before his premature death: "Winterreise" to Schubert's famous Lieder.

Derevianko has had a long-standing stage partnership with Noella Pontois. He has also danced with some of the most acclaimed ballerinas of our times like Elisabeth Maurin, Carla Fracci, Evelyn Hart, Alessandra Ferri, Eva Evdokimova, Margaret Illmann and Viviana Durante.

Derevianko has received numerous prizes and awards: "Benois de la Danse" as best dancer of the year (Moscow, 1994) which was given to him directly on the stage of Bolshoi Theatre by Yuri Grigorovitch on the occasion of his first return to Russia. He has received the "Leonide Massine Award" in Positano twice: as a new talent in 1983 and again in 2004 for his major contribution to the ballet world - not only for his great career as dancer but also for his success at the helm of the Ballett Dresden. He received the "Nijinsky Award" in Kiev as best dancer of the year in 2001.

Derevianko has also performed in many international TV and film productions with Italian RAI, BBC, and Russian Television.

In 2011 with the ballet "Petrushka" in Paris at the Theater Champs-Elysees