Russian ballet world says farewell to celebrated dancer Shklyarov after balcony fall

Ballet fans and members of Russia's cultural elite on Thursday filed past the open casket of Vladimir Shklyarov, a principal dancer at the world-famous Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg, whose life they said had ended too soon at the age of 39.

The body of Shklyarov, the recipient of a top state award and the leading man and male dancer in numerous classical Russian ballet productions at the Mariinsky, was found on Nov. 16 after CCTV footage captured him falling from a fifth floor balcony of the building where he lived.

Police investigators have told state media they are looking into the circumstances of his death, but that initial information suggests he died as the result of an accident. Irina Bartnovskaya, who runs a Telegram channel focused on ballet called "The Devil in Ballet Shoes," said he had gone out on the balcony to get some air and to smoke but had lost his balance.

Shklyarov was variously reported to be suffering from severe back, foot and hip pain and had been due to have an operation on Nov. 18.

Several media outlets in St Petersburg reported he had also been trying to navigate a split with Maria Shirinkina, his wife, the mother of his two children, and a first soloist at the Mariinsky.

Dressed in black and visibly upset, Shirinkina greeted mourners at Thursday's farewell ceremony held at the Mariinsky, thanking them for coming to pay their respects.

Valery Gergiev, general director of both the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, paid tribute to Shklyarov.

"This loss has hit all ballet lovers around the world. We are receiving a huge number of condolences and expressions of love and admiration for this amazing artist," said Gergiev.

Shklyarov, who was widely respected for his flair in executing the classical Russian ballet repertoire, had also danced at the Royal Ballet in London, at the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, and at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre.

Fans and friends filed past his half-open casket to the strains of sombre classical music.

'GREAT FUTURE'

At one stage, Alexei Bezobrazov, a ballet columnist and friend of the late dancer, sobbed as he knelt beside the casket.

Danila Korsuntsev, Shklyarov's trainer, told Reuters the dancer had had a great future ahead of him, but he had sometimes struggled to cope with the ups and downs of life as a top dancer.

"...He was a big kid and required a lot of attention. Unfortunately, he left us at an early age, at a young age. He had great promise, but he couldn't cope," said the trainer.

"I think psychologically he couldn't cope with this barrier when an artist dies twice as a creative person - once physically and once as a creative person...but I had no doubt that he had great potential and would do a lot of things."

Some Kremlin critics have highlighted what they say was a condemnation of the Ukraine war made by Shklyarov in 2022 and posted on Facebook by someone else. However, Shklyarov's own social media feed contains no such post and Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the post made in his name.

Vladimir, a pensioner, said Shklyarov had been up there with the ballet greats. "For me he is greater than (George) Balanchine, (Rudolf) Nureyev and other great dancers. Because he hasn't had time to fully prove himself.

"I think he would have made a wonderful choreographer...He really had a huge future, a huge creative potential."