Vaclav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov – these names have entered the history of ballet and are known throughout the world. And which Russian dancers are shining on stage right now?

1. Vladislav Lantratov

The “hereditary” ballet dancer graduated from the Moscow Academy of Choreography and was immediately accepted into the Bolshoi Theater company. He has been dancing on the country’s main stage since 2006, and for more than 10 years as a premiere dancer.

The main Nutcracker Prince, Lantratov, at 36, is an Honored Artist of Russia and the winner of numerous awards. He is married to Maria Alexandrova, a former Bolshoi prima donna.

2. Artemy Belyakov

Vronsky in his duet with Svetlana Zakharova as Anna Karenina won the hearts of many viewers. Belyakov was born in Tver. Since 2019, he has been a premier at the Bolshoi, where he joined the company in 2010, immediately after graduating from the Moscow Academy of Choreography.

He is married to Daria Khokhlova, the Bolshoi’s first soloist. The media call them the most beautiful couple in the theater, but they do not see each other much at work.

3. Ivan Zaitsev

Passionate Spartacus, Quasimodo from Notre Dame de Paris, the Prince in Cinderella and The Nutcracker. This ballet dancer is amazingly versatile and has a virtuoso technique. In the ballet biography of the dancer was a lot of things. He graduated from the Krasnodar Choreographic School, and then from the St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts. He worked at the Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theatre and then at the Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre.

Ivan was called to the Bolshoi, but since 2011 he has been faithfully serving the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, as a soloist for over ten years. The dancer actively shares videos of performances and rehearsals on social media.

4. Timur Askerov

A native of Baku and Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, Askerov began his ballet career in his homeland. But since 2011 he has been dancing at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, and for 10 years as a premiere dancer. He can be seen in all major productions, from Giselle and Pharaoh’s Daughter to Swan Lake, La Bayadera and Le Corsaire. 

The media marvel at Askerov’s lightest and highest leaps and his incredible beauty. He is married to his ballet partner, the first soloist of the Mariinsky Theater, Kristina Shapran.

5. Philip Styopin

Stepin grew up in a ballet family and graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in his native St. Petersburg. Afterwards he was accepted into the Mariinsky Ballet Company. Since then, the tall dancer has performed roles in a varied repertoire: princes in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, Ali in Le Corsaire and one of his dream roles, Solor in La Bayadere. In 2025 he became premier of the Mariinsky Theatre – he had been working towards this for twenty years.

The artist is dating the second soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre, Vlada Borodulina. They do not dance together very often, and they mostly post pictures of themselves together on social media from vacations – for example, fishing trips.