Sergey Vikulov: Album

This album is devoted to the artistic career of Sergey Vasilievich Vikulov, an outstanding dancer of the Leningrad/St. Petersburg ballet school, holder of the title of People’s Artist of the USSR. He was a leading dancer of the Kirov Ballet in the 60s–70s of the last century. He won first prize at the International Ballet Dancers’ Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, and was awarded the Vatslav Nizhinsky diploma and the title of the World’s Best Ballet Dancer conferred by the Paris Académie Royale de Danse in 1965. Sergey Vikulov was often referred to in the European press as the leading romantic dancer of his day. He regularly performed a strictly classical repertoire with consummate skill, demonstrating on stage the pure lines of his postures and a range of (sometimes incredibly complex) supports in the duets. His unique skill in the elevations and spins, enabling him to create the impression of floating on air, combined with his exceptional acting talent and his flair for introducing his own personal interpretations into every scene, led to the creation of a memorable gallery of vivid images. The present edition includes rare, previously unpublished photographs from Sergey Vikulov’s family archive. Some photographs were made available by courtesy of the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatrical and Musical Art. These include works by the eminent photographers V. Baranovsky, V. Bliokh, N. Borisov, D. Vasiliev, V. Gabay, M. Gershman, V. Golubovsky, T.-K. Kremke, Y. Larionova, E. Lesov, B. Manushin, A. Medvednikov, M. Paley, D. Saveliev, I. Tunkel, A. Ukladnikov, E. Umnov, J. Walton, M. Davis, S. Lido and others.