Biography

Vasily Medvedev

Born in Russia. Graduated from St. Petersburg Vaganova Ballet School (now Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet) under the guidance of famous N. Dudinskaia, K. Sergeiev, G. Seliutsky. Later studied at Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory and graduated as a choreographer and ballet master. Began his career in the Small Theatre (now Mikhailovsky theatre), where he danced solo roles in Vain Prudence, Nutcracker, Copellia. Later in 1981, he accepted an invitation to be a principal dancer and choreographer in Estonia (Theatre Vanemuine). There, he started to create feature ballets as Satanella, The Prince of Pagodas, Peter and Wolf and many others.

Vasily's repertory included most of the leading male roles such as Albert in Giselle, Fabio in Satanella, Prince in Nutcracker, Franz in Copellia, James in La Sylphide, Prince Salamander in Prince of Pagodas, etc. As an appreciation of his personal endowment and of his development of the art of ballet in Estonia, Mr. Medvedev received the title of Honored Artist of Estonia.

Since 1989, Vasily collaborated as a dancer and choreographer with various theatres and companies in Russia and abroad and was invited to prestigious events such as “World Ballet Festival” (Donetsk, Ukraine), “World Stars Gala” (Minsk, Belarus), “Stars of St.Petersburg Ballet” (USA), “Notte di Stelle” (Cagliari, Italy), “Gala International” (Estonia, Lithuania), “Y.Makhalina and Stars of St.Petersburg Ballet” (Argentina, Costa Rica), “Stars of St.Petersburg Ballet” (USA).

Medvedev's ballet Onegin, presented in National Theatre in Prague in 1999, was awarded by the US Pushkin Legacy with the Pushkin Legacy Ballet Award for its choreography. Fragments from Onegin were successfully performed in important ballet Gala's around the world, such as Gala des etoiles in Montreal, World Ballet Stars in Spoleto, Russian Ballet Stars in Japan, and were interpreted by famous dancers such as I. Ciaravola (Ballet of Paris Opera), Y. Makhalina and S. Gumerova (Mariinsky), D. Klimentova and E. Glurdzhidze (English National Ballet), M. Eichwald (Stuttgart Ballet), I. Kolb and Y. Smekalov (Mariinsky Ballet), S. Feco (Prague National Ballet).

This ballet has been staged by various international ballet companies already seven times since its premiere. In 2012, the duet from ballet Onegin became obligatory repertory for couples in the Boston International Ballet Competition.

In December 2009, Vasily had a successful debut at the famous Bolshoi theatre with the ballet La Esmeralda, created together with former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, Yuri Burlaka. In 2011, La Esmeralda was shown LIVE from the BOLSHOI theatre around the world in the more than 400 cinemas. In 2011, V. Malakhov invited Medvedev and Burlaka to the Staatsballet Berlin to create a new version of La Esmeralda for his company. In 2012, the same version was staged for the National Ballet Company in Mexico City, Mexico.

Medvedev's ballet Seven Beauties, created to music by Q. Qarayev at National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Azerbaijan in Baku, received the highest National award Zirvia, and it was successfully performed at the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow in 2011, as well as at the Bolshoi theatre of Belarus in Minsk in 2012.

In 2013, Vasily staged his ballet Coppelia for the National Ballet of Panama. His latest production, once again created with Yuri Burlaka, is a historical reconstruction of the ballet Nutcracker, created for Staatsballett Berlin in 2013.
In 2014, his ballet Lady of the Camellias was staged for the fifth time; the most recent staging is with Macedonian Opera and Ballet Theatre in Skopje.
Vasily staged his version of Corsaire for the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Samara in 2014 and for Slovak National Ballet in Bratislava in 2015. He staged La Bayadere with Croatian National Ballet in Zagreb, also in 2015 and in the same year Staatsballett Berlin together with french company Bel Air ,released DVD of ballet Nutcracker and was presented multiple times on channel Mezzo as well in german cinemas.
In 2016 staged new version ballet Don Quixote for Lithuanian National Ballet in Vilnius and new original ballet Cleopatra for Macedonian Opera and Ballet Theatre in Skopje.
In 2018 created ballet Goya for National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Azerbaijan in Baku ,dedicated to the legendary composer Qara Qareyev. In Slovak National Ballet staged together with Stanislav Feco ballet La Esmeralda as a tribute to worldwide celebrations of 200 years since the birth of Marius Petipa. Another celebrating of Petipa was the premiere of Sleeping Beauty in National Opera in Bucharest ,Romania ,as well with co-choreographer Stanislav Feco and later his new piece Dedication to Petipa on L.Minkus music from ballet Night and Day was performed on Kremlin Gala in Moscow by Bolshoi principal dancers A.Kovaleva and J.Tissi .
In 2019 Grand pas from ballet Blue Beard was staged in National Ballet in Mexico City and new version of Don Quixote in co-choreography with Stanislav Feco has been staged for Slovak National Ballet.
Russian-turkish writer Yana Temiz wrote an biographic novel The choreographer about Vasily Medvedev's life and his career . In summer of 2021 Vasily choreographed the forgotten last ballet of Marius Petipa Romance of the Rosebud and the Butterfly on music by R.Drigo . The premiere was at Mountain View at Center of performing arts, performed by Bayer Ballet. Later the same year this ballet had a premiere in Kazakh National Academy of Choreography and at 2022 received the highest theatrical Kazakh award - UMAI

in 2021 Vasily choreographed an original dance mystery The Pilate's Dream story based on Bulgakov's Master and Margarite ,on music by Stefan Dimitrov in State Ballet of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria ,with world premiere in Sofia at National palace of the culture. This show received highest national theatrical award of Municipality of Stara Zagora , Impuls Award from professional dance community in Sofia as well as Crystal Lyra Award . The show was highly acclaimed by Bulgarian and international critics. The show was called as a most impressive dance show in Bulgaria in decades and as well it was a first original ballet on Bulgarian music in last 40 years. At the same year Vasily together with Stanislav Feco successfully staged ballet Esmeralda at ballet company of National Theatre in Split . At the same theatre a year later staged his iconic ballet Onegin. Later in 2022 together with Stanislav Feco and Bayer Ballet staged a suite from Esmeralda. The shows were held at Palace of fine arts in San Francisco.

Among Vasily's works are more than 40 titles created for international audiences in many theatres in the United States , Germany, Croatia , Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Panama, Ukraine, Estonia, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Russia, and Mexico. He makes his own versions of classical ballets such as Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, The Nutracker, Sleeping Beauty, La Esmeralda, La Fille mal gardee, and Coppelia, as well as original productions such as Katya and Prince of Siam, Romeo and Juliet, Salome, Lady of the Camellias, Cleopatra, Master and Marguerite ( The Pilate's dream) Cinderella to the music of J. Strauss & Son.

Vasily is a founder and artistic director of the International St. Petersburg Dance Open Ballet Festival and St. Petersburg Dance Open Award, since 2001. President and founder of Petipa Heritage Fund since 2016. From 2022 the organization was renamed on Petipa Heritage Foundation and relocated to California and Vasily is a chairman and founder .

Vasily's Gallery