The Rock School enjoyed having Gennadi Saveliev as a guest instructor last week. Mr. Saveliev taught a combined level master class, a men’s class, and coached our male students competing in this year’s YAGP finals coming up next week.
Born in Moscow, Russia, Gennadi Saveliev began his ballet studies at the Bolshoi Ballet School at the age of nine. At 18 he joined the Bolshoi Ballet Grigorovich Company where his repertoire included the Chinese Doll inThe Nutcracker, one of the four cavaliers in Raymonda and the pas de trios in Swan Lake. Saveliev has also danced with the Nevada Dance Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Los Angeles Classical Ballet and the New Jersey Ballet. Saveliev won the Silver Medal at the 1996 New York International Ballet Competition and was a finalist at the Nagoya Ballet Competition in 1999.
Saveliev joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in January 1996. His repertoire with the Company includes the Bronze Idol, the Head Fakir and the Rajah in La Bayadère, Accordionist in The Bright Stream. the first movement in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, the Lead Mazurka/Czardas Dancer inCoppélia, Conrad, Ali, the slave and Lankendem in Le Corsaire, the pas de deux Diana and Acteon, a leading role in Diversion of Angels, Espada in Don Quixote, Demetrius in The Dream, Henry in Christopher Wheeldon’s VIII, the Pastor in Fall River Legend, the pas de deux Flames of Paris, Albrecht, Hilarion and the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, Gaston in Lady of the Camellias, Lescaut in Manon, Camille in The Merry Widow, the Nutcracker-Prince and the Cavalier in Kevin McKenzie’s The Nutcracker, the Painter in Offenbach in the Underworld, Prince Gremin in Onegin, Sergei in On the Dnieper, a Friend of the Family in Pillar of Fire, the Warrior Chieftain in Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, Beranger and the Lead Hungarian Dancer inRaymonda, Paris and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell to Juliet), Prince Désiré and the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Siegfried, Benno, von Rothbart (Act III) and the Lead Czardas Dancer in Swan Lake, Orion in Sylvia, Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew, leading roles inBallet Imperial, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, In the Upper Room, The Leaves Are Fading, Les Sylphides, Symphonie Concertante, Theme and Variations and Without Words, as well as roles in Black Tuesday, Clear, The Garden of Villandry, HereAfter, Jabula, Overgrown Path, Petite Mort and Symphony in C. He created leading roles in Rabbit and Rogue and Seven Sonatas.
Saveliev is a member of Angel Corella and Friends and Stiefel and Stars touring companies and is also the founder and artistic director of Youth America Grand Prix, America’s first student ballet scholarship competition.
Saveliev was promoted to Soloist in August 2002.
Mr. Savaliev’s performances at American Ballet Theatre are sponsored by Brian and Darlene Heidtke.
Photos: Artistic Advisor - Violette Verdy
As a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, Violette Verdy danced in more than 25 starring roles and was the favorite of great choreographers George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and many more.
Verdy has made leaps and bounds with her buoyant style and grace. She was the very first female artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet and among her countless honors and accomplishments, she holds the title of Chevalier (Knight) in France’s National Order of the Legion of Honor, France’s Highest decoration, awarded to her in June of 2009.
It is no doubt that Violette Verdy is one of the premier ballerinas of our time, and The Rock School is honored to have such a maestro of classical ballet as its Artistic Advisor.
Enjoy some photos of Violette Verdy teaching the upper level students at The Rock School.
(from left to right) President & Director - Bojan Spassoff, Director - Stephanie Spassoff, Artistic Advisor - Violette Verdy, Artistic Faculty - Natasha Zeiger
Want to see even more photos of Violette Verdy teaching at The Rock School? Check out The Rock School’s Flickr Page, by clicking here.
