Irek Dzhavdatovich Mukhamedov OBE (russian: Ирек Джавдатович Мухамедов: tt-Cyrl, Ирек Җәүдәт улы Мөхәммәтев; born 8 March 1960), is a Soviet-born British
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
dancer of
Tatar
The Tatars ()Tatar in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different
Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
. Born in
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...
, he trained at the Moscow Choreographic Institute under the guidance of Alexander Prokofiev between 1970 and 1978. Upon graduation, he joined the Classical Ballet Company, where he spent three years touring around the world. It was with this company that he first danced Romeo, a role that was to become one of his most acclaimed. In 1981 he won the Grand Prix and gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow and was immediately invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a principal dancer, where he not only became Grigorovich's favourite danseur but went to become the youngest man ever to dance the leading role in ''
Spartacus
Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...
''.
After defecting from the Soviet Union in 1990, he became a Senior Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, remaining with the company for many years and dancing lead roles in the classic ballets as well as the English repertoire. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to dance in the
2000 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and New Zealand were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various ...
.
Career
For nine years he was the Bolshoi's leading male dancer. His repertoire included ''Ivan the Terrible'', ''
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
Raymonda
''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsk ...
'' and ''Legend of Love''.
Yury Grigorovich
Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (russian: Ю́рий Никола́евич Григоро́вич; born 2 January 1927 in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographerThe Golden Age'' for him in 1984. His international tours with the Bolshoi earned him a huge fan-base and in 1988 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Prize for Best Dancer in the World.
In 1990, he defected from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
to the United Kingdom, not for artistic or political purposes, but because his wife was pregnant and they wanted a better life for his child. The family were mentored by
Tamara Tchinarova
Tamara Tchinarova ( tr. Chinarova, russian: Тамара Чинарова), also known as Tamara Finch, (18 July 1919 – 31 August 2017) was a Romanian-born émigré Russian and French ballerina who contributed significantly to the developmen ...
and he joined The
Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
in London, where he soon became a favourite of resident choreographer
Kenneth MacMillan
Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. E ...
, who helped him to develop his dramatic range. MacMillan created ''Winter Dreams'' (based on
Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
Darcey Bussell
Dame Darcey Andrea Bussell, (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle; 27 April 1969) is an English retired ballerina and a former judge on the BBC television dance contest ''Strictly Come Dancing''.
Trained at the Arts Educational Sc ...
which was subsequently filmed for television and transmitted on the BBC at Christmas 1992. He appeared on numerous television shows and was subject of a one-hour Omnibus documentary in 1991.
Mukhamedov distinguished himself for his wide repertory. At The Royal Ballet he danced the traditional classics such as ''The Nutcracker,'' ''Raymonda'' Act III, ''La Bayadère,'' ''Swan Lake'' and ''Giselle'', and he also gave unforgettable performances in more contemporary works. He performed both male leading roles in MacMillan's ''Manon'', danced Colas in Ashton's ''La Fille Mal Gardée'', and in 1992 created the leading male role in Macmillan's ''The Judas Tree'', opposite Viviana Durante, who was widely considered his finest Royal Ballet partner.
His 1992 debut in Macmillan's ''Romeo and Juliet'' was met with universal acclaim, as also his debut in ''Mayerling'' (which was filmed for television). In 1993 he danced in Balanchine's ''
'' and in '' The Prodigal Son''. Ashley Page created the lead role in ''Fearful Symmetries'' for him (1994), and in 1995
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music.
Fr ...
was so impressed by his talent that she chose him for one of the lead roles in her first full-length ballet for The Royal Ballet, ''Mr. Worldly Wise''.
In 1999, he appeared for the second time with Arc Dance Company where Kim Brandstrup created the leading role in ''The Return of Don Juan'' for him. The same year saw him create the role of Peter Quint in William Tuckett's ballet ''The Turn of the Screw''. In 2001 he was invited to make a special guest appearance in Lorka Massine's ''Zorba'' with the Ballet of Teatr Wielki in Warsaw.
He was voted Dancer of the Year (1992) by the readers of the prestigious British magazine ''Dance'' and ''Dancers'' (only the third ever male recipient of the award) and in the same year was voted Dancer of the Year by ''The Independent On Sunday''. Still in the same year he won the ''London Evening Standard'' Award for Dance and the Gino Tani Dance Award in Italy. He was also awarded the
Prix Benois de la Danse The Benois de la Danse is a ballet competition held annually in Moscow. Founded by the International Dance Association in 1991, it takes place each year on or around April 29 and it's judged by a jury. The members of this jury change every year and ...
in Paris in 1996, and in 1998 he received the Nijinsky Medal and was invited to become President of the Legat Society. In January 2000 he was awarded the OBE in the New Years Honours List.
In April 1992, Mukhamedov led his own small group of Royal Ballet dancers called Irek Mukhamedov and Company, which performed in England and Spain. For the London season, Mukhamedov invited Kim Brandstrup and Arc Theatre Company to join him. Kim Brandstrup created a new ballet for Mukhamedov, ''Othello'', in which for the first time he danced with a contemporary dance company. Othello subsequently received the Evening Standard Award for Dance.
In 2001, the Ballet of Teatr Wielki, Warsaw premiered his production of ''Swan Lake'', a new conception of this enormously popular ballet which saw the introduction of his own choreography, including a new pas de deux for the Prince and Odette in the last act.
Mukhamedov stopped dancing regularly in 2004, but returned to the stage in the mid-2010s.
Repertoire
* Franz in ''Coppélia'', Moscow Choreographic School, Moscow, 1978.
* Tybalt, ''Romeo and Juliet'', Moscow Classical Ballet, 1978–81.
* Romeo, ''Romeo and Juliet'', Moscow Classical Ballet, 1978–81.
* Pas de deux, ''Carnival in Venice'' (from ''Santanilla''), Moscow Classical Ballet, 1978–81.
* Diana and Acteon (pas de deux), ''Esmeralda'', Moscow Classical Ballet, 1978–81.
* Basil, ''
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
'' Pas de Deux, Moscow Classical Ballet, 1978–81.
* Conrad, '' Le Corsaire'' Pas de Deux, Moscow Classical Ballet, 1978–81.
* Colin, Lise and Colin; ou, ''
La Fille mal gardée
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'', Moscow Classical Ballet, 1980.
* Title role, ''
Spartacus
Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...
'', Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow, 1981.
* Basil, Don Quixote, Bolshoi Ballet, 1981.
* Title role, ''Ivan the Terrible'', Bolshoi Ballet, 1982.
* Romeo, ''Romeo and Juliet'', Bolshoi Ballet, 1983.
* Boris, '' The Golden Age'', Bolshoi Ballet, 1984.
* Jean de Brienne, ''
Raymonda
''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsk ...
Petrushka
Petrushka ( rus, Петру́шка, p=pʲɪtˈruʂkə, a=Ru-петрушка.ogg) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry. Italian puppeteers introduced it in the first third of the 19th century. While most core characters came from Italy ...
La Bayadere
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'', Royal Ballet, London, 1990.
* Principal dancer, ''Farewell'' (pas de deux, later incorporated into ''Winter Dreams''), Royal Ballet, London, 1990.
* Prince, ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...
'', Royal Ballet, London, 1990.
* Vershinin, '' Winter Dreams'', Royal Ballet, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, 1991.
* Des Grieux, ''Manon'', Royal Ballet, London, 1991.
* Lescaut, ''Manon'', Royal Ballet, London, 1991.
* Jean de Brienne, ''Raymonda'', Royal Ballet, London, 1991.
* Title role, ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', Royal Ballet, London, 1991.
* Chanson Dansee (an "Athlete"), ''
Les Biches
''Les biches'' () ("The Hinds" or "The Does", or "The Darlings") is a one-act ballet to music by Francis Poulenc, choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska and premiered by the Ballets Russes on 6 January 1924 at the Salle Garnier in Monte Carlo. Ni ...
'', Royal Ballet, London, 1991.
* Romeo, ''Romeo and Juliet'', Royal Ballet, London, 1992.
* Title role, '' Othello'', Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, 1994.
Television appearances
* The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1987.
* "The Nutcracker" The Bolshoi at The Bolshoi NHK production 1989
* The Hans Christian Andersen Awards 1988, PBS, 1990.
* Solor, "La Bayadere from the Royal Ballet," Great Performances, PBS, 1991. Dancing, PBS, 1993.
* Omnibus documentary, 1991.
* The South Bank Show, 2002.
See also
*
List of Russian ballet dancers
This is a list of ballet dancers from the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation, including both ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities. This list includes as well those who were born in these three states but later emigra ...