People’s Artist of Russia Vladimir Nikonov died in Moscow at the age of 82. This was announced on Tuesday, August 25, by the press service of the Bolshoi Theater.
The artist died earlier on the same day at the L. A. Vorokhobov hospital No. 67. The cause of death is not named. According to REN TV, the Honored and People’s Artist of the RSFSR was admitted to the hospital on August 3 with pneumonia.
Vladimir Nikonov was born on November 28, 1937. After graduating from the Moscow Choreographic School (now the Moscow State Academy of Choreography), the artist was admitted to the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater, where he was a ballet soloist from 1957 to 1978, the website kp.ru writes. He got the main roles in such productions as “Don Quixote”, “Giselle”, “Swan Lake”, “Cinderella”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Stone Flowers” and others.
Nikonov completed his career as a dancer in 1978, after which he became a teacher-tutor at the Bolshoi Theater, reports RT. Among his students are Viktor Barykin, Valery Anisimov, Alexander Vetrov, Denis Matvienko and many others. According to the website aif.ru, in 1968 Nikonov was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR, and in 1976 – People’s Artist.