The nominees for the 21st annual Benois de la Danse Awards, well known as the Oscars of the ballet world, were announced today at a press conference here. The awards will be presented May 21 at a ceremony and gala at the Bolshoi Theater of Russia here.

The nominees included Justin Peck, a choreographer with the New York City Ballet; a ballerina, Maria Kochetkova of the San Francicso Ballet, and a male dancer, Taras Domitro, also of the San Francisco Ballet. The nominees came from eight different ballet companies in six countries. The nominees follow.

Benois de la Danse Award Nominees-2013

CHOREOGRAPHERS

• HANS VAN MANEN – Variations for Two Couples, Benjamin Britten, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Stevan Kovács Tickmayer, Astor Piazolla. Dutch National Ballet
• JUSTIN PECK – Year of the Rabbit, Sufjan Stevens. New York City Ballet.
• CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON – Cinderella, Sergei Prokofiev. Dutch National Ballet.
• GEORGE WILLIAMSON – Firebird, Igor Stravisky. English National Ballet

BALLERINAS

• GUDRUN BOYESEN – Marguerite Gautier in The Lady of Camellias, Frederic Chopin/John Neumeier. Royal Danish Ballet.
• MARIA KOCHETKOVA – Tatiana in Onegin , Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky/John Cranko. San Francisco Ballet.
• KSENIA OVSYANICK – The title role in Firebird, Igor Stravinsky/George Williamson. English National Ballet.
• EKATERINA PETINA – Broken Fall, Barry Adamson/Russell Maliphant. Bavarian State Ballet.
• OLGA SMIRNOVA – Nikia in La Bayadère, Ludwig Minkus/M.Petipa, version by Yuri Grigorovich; Aspicia in Pharaoh’s Daughter, C.Pugni/P.Lacotte after Marius Petipa; Anastasia in Ivan the Terrible, Sergei Prokofiev/Yuri Grigorovich; Principal in Diamonds of Jewels, Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky/George Balanchine. Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.
• ANNA TSIGANKOVA – The title role in Cinderella, Sergei Prokofiev/Christopher Wheeldon. Dutch National Ballet.

DANCERS

• TARAS DOMITRO – Lensky in Onegin, Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky/John Cranko. San-Francisco Ballet.
• MATTHEW GOLDING – Prince in Cinderella, SergeiProkofiev/Christopher. Wheeldon. Dutch National Ballet.
• VLADISLAV LANTRATOV – Solor in La Bayadère, Ludwig Minkus/Marius Petipa, version by Yuri Grigorovich; the title role in Ivan the Terrible, Sergei Prokofiev/Yuri Grigorovich.
• ALBAN LENDORF – Armand Duval in The Lady of Camellias, Frederic Chopin/John Neumeier. Royal Danish Ballet.
• TIGRAN MIKAYELYAN – Third duo in Goldberg Variations, Johann Sebastian Bach/Jerome Robbins. Bavarian State Ballet.
• VADIM MUNTAGIROV – Prince in Sleeping Beauty, Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky/Kenneth MacMillan. English National Ballet.
• EDWARD WATSON – Principal in Fool’s Paradise, Joby Talbot/Christopher Wheeldon. Royal Ballet, London.

 ©2013 Danza Ballet®