The great Russian dancer Vladimir Shklyarov died accidentally at 39

Considered one of the best dancers in the world, Vladimir Shklyarov died on November 16 at the age of 39. The star dancer of the Mariinsky Theater is said to have fallen from his balcony. An investigation has been opened to determine the exact circumstances of his death.

According to initial reports, Vladimir Shklyarov fell from the 5th floor of the building where he lived in Saint Petersburg. The head of the Mariinsky Theater’s press service said the dancer was undergoing treatment with painkillers to ease back pain and was scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday. PSeveral Russian media indicate that the dancer had problems with alcohol and drug addiction and that he had been locked up at home by his relatives,

Born in St. Petersburg in 1985, Vladimir Shklyarov graduated, like Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, from the Vaganova Ballet Academy. He then joined the corps de ballet of the Mariinsky Theater with whom he performed for 20 years on the greatest stages in the world from the Royal Opera House in London to the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

“You’re going to leave a big void. You always came with a smile and joy. You were so loved”

In a press release, the Mariinsky Theater mentions an artist “who forever inscribed his name in the history of world ballet”. On Instagram, her colleague Diana Vishneva, a dancer from the Mariinsky Theater, wrote: “You’re going to leave a big void. You always came with a smile and joy. You were so loved. For many of us, you were our best dance partner.”

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The dance world mourns the disappearance of the dancer. Reactions and tributes have multiplied on social networks. The Royal Ballet and Opera fondly remembers his time with the company as a guest artist. The Teatro La Fenice in Venice admits its admiration “ecstatic” for Vladimir Shklyarov and wishes “may the earth be light to you”while Russia specialist Theresa Fallon recalls that the dancer had positioned himself against the war in Ukraine and declared: “I am for the people, for a peaceful sky above our heads! “.

Vladimir Shklyarov married Maria Shirinkina, a corps de ballet dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, in 2013. The couple had two children aged 9 and 3, Alexei and Alexandra. His funeral will take place on Thursday in the cathedral. Nikolskaya after a funeral ceremony held in the hall of the Mariinsky Theater. The dancer will be buried at the Smolenskoye cemetery in Saint Petersburg.

Philippe Gault (with AFP)