Valentina Kozlova

Ballet

Biography:

In 1979, she defected to the United States while on tour with the Bolshoi. As a student, she had already performed, in Western Europe and the U.S. but had remained intrigued by what she saw. Her quest for artistic freedom and growth led her to seek a career that would offer new roles by Western contemporary choreographers while still preserving her classical background. She was immediately in demand as a guest artist internationally.

She made her Broadway debut in the leading role for the revival of “On Your Toes”, learning the part from its original creators: George Abbott and George Balanchine. Her performance led Balanchine to invite her as Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet in 1983. She accepted and performed with the company until 1995, dancing the classics along with the leading roles of works by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Eliot Feld and Richard Tanner. From the suggestion of Balanchine, she had also worked closely with Alexandra Danilova while Danilova was a teacher at the School of American Ballet, restaging and rehearsing Swan Lake for the school.

The list of Ms. Kozlova’s guest appearances with major international ballet companies is impressive, including Spoleto, La Scala, Florence Opera House, English National Ballet, Paris Opera, Basel Ballet, Australia, Ballet de Santiago (Chile), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires), and Hong Kong. She also appeared in ballet galas in Africa, Greece, England, India, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Don des Etoiles in Canada, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Her performances on video include the Pavlova Special (CBS), La Fille Mal Gardée (Philips Video, Germany), and Spartacus (VEAR Productions, Argentina).

Valentina Kozlova has appeared on television, including talk shows and entertainment programs around the world. Following Glasnost, she made a triumphant return to Moscow in 1991, with NBC News covering her performances at the Kremlin Palace. She returned to Moscow in 1992 to perform again as a guest artist. She formed Ballet: The Daring Project, a ballet company dedicated to creating new works. Ms. Kozlova also danced in “A Christmas Carol” with Tony Randall and Ben Vereen.

In 2003, Ms. Kozlova opened her dance conservatory, Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York (VKDCNY), a professional school that provides students, who have the talent, determination and ability, the opportunity to receive the quality of training needed to pursue professional careers. Additionally, she founded Dance Conservatory Performance Project, a venue to produce performances for her dancers.

In 2009, Ms. Kozlova presented “One Magical Performance: The Legacy Gala” at The Joyce Theater in New York in celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of her defection.

Principal dancers from New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater were guest artists, performing at the spectacular event alongside students from her school.

In 2011, Ms. Kozlova presented the debut of another new organization: the highly acclaimed Boston International Ballet Competition (BIBC). The competition took place again in Boston the following year. In 2013, it was renamed as the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (VKIBC) and was presented in New York. The competition has now benefited well over a thousand of dance students, worldwide.

In March of 2016, Ms. Kozlova transformed the Dance Conservatory Performance Project into another 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, the Valentina Kozlova Dance Foundation, Inc. (VKDF). the Foundation's mission is to support talented dancers and choreographers and their achievements. In 2017 Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition became an official member of the Federation of International Ballet Competitions that include Lausanne's Prix Benois de la Danse and Varna. On July 4th, 2018, Ms. Kozlova was recognized as a Great Immigrant / Great American by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation for her dedication to dance. This award was given to a total of 38 distinguished immigrants who have contributed tremendously to the enrichment of American culture. The New York Times published a full page dedicated to her and the awardees. The competition in 2020 should have marked the 10th year of the competition and also the 40th year of Ms. Kozlova's defection to the United States. Due to the pandemic VKIBC 2020 was canceled.

In 2021 VKIBC took place live, online, worldwide. It was the first time ever a dance competition was shown live, through various time zones, all over the world. VKIBC 2021 was very successful and confirmed how much young dancers needed to get back to 'normal'. VKIBC 2022 finals were held again in New York City, the only dance competition happening live, in a theater, in the city in 2022. Close to 150 young dancers, from all over the world, participated, in front of a panel of 20 distinguished jury members. True to her mission, Ms. Kozlova continues to help the new generation of dancers getting company contracts, trainee positions, scholarships and exposure.

2022 was the year where Valentina Kozlova diversified, again, her activities: she can be seen again teaching advanced ballet in the city, coaching selected dancers and staging classical ballets. While continuing to judge international dance competitions.

VKIBC 2023, scheduled to happen April 17-21, will take place at The Kaye Playhouse in Manhattan.

Class Description: