Founder

VALENTINA KOZLOVA 

is known to be a major innovator in the international ballet world. Her passion for dance and for the choreographers and dancers who create and perform have led her to create new outlets for their talents. Ms. Kozlova's current endeavors are a conservatory which teaches pure classical ballet, a Federation of International Ballet Competitions -endorsed ballet competition venue, and a dance foundation which sponsors stateside and international performances. These endeavors and her past accomplishments earned Ms. Kozlova recognition by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation as a 2018 Great Immigrant/Great American 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 on July 4, 2018.

ABOUT VALENTINA KOZLOVA'S CURRENT ENDEAVORS:

Ms. Kozlova sponsored her first international ballet competition in 2010. Since then, the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition has awarded prizes which help young dancers to achieve their professional goals and assist them in getting company contracts. To date 56 company contracts and 13 trainee positions, over 240 scholarships, 14 choreographer commissions and awards, and numerous financial and other prizes have been bestowed on competitors. In 2017 VKIBC became a member of the International Federation Ballet Competitions. VKIBC competitions have been held in Europe and North and South America. Sadly, the competition in 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic. It would have marked the 10th year of the competition and the 40th year of Ms. Kozlova's defection to the United States. VKIBC resumed in 2021 with the world’s first ever online edition live, by time zones. VKIBC returned to a New York theater for its 2022 finals, June 20-24 at Symphony Space. Now entering its 12th year, the 2023 Finals will take place April 18-21 at Hunter College’s The Kaye Playhouse on East 68th Street in Manhattan. (www.vkibc.org)

The Valentina Kozlova Dance Foundation (VKDF) not only hosts the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (VKIBC), but also has sponsored many ballet performances for her school, and galas around the world. It also has brought to the United States dancers and companies to perform, such as, to name a few: K Arts Dance Company from South Korea, several VKIBC Semi Finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Mexico City, Mexico. (www.valentinakozlovadancefoundation.org)

ABOUT VALENTINA KOZLOVA'S PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Ms. Kozlova 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 in 1983 to join New York City Ballet as Principal Dancer. She accepted and performed with the company until 1995, dancing the classics along with the leading roles in works by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Eliot Feld, Richard Tanner and more. On Balanchine’s suggestion she also worked closely with Alexandra Danilova while she 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, to name a few. She also appeared in ballet galas in Africa, Greece, England, India, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Don des Etoiles in Canada, Taiwan, South 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 after she formed The Daring Project, a ballet company dedicated to creating new works. Ms. Kozlova also danced on Broadway in "A Christmas Carol" with Tony Randall and Ben Vereen.

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.