World-renowned Russian ballet star Vladimir Shklyarov has died after falling from the fifth floor of a building on Saturday. Mariinsky Theatre, a venue in St. Petersburg, confirmed the news of his death. Shklyarov was the highest-ranking dancer at the Mariinsky Theatre.
“This is a huge loss for the entire Mariinsky Theater team,” the statement released by the team said.
Who was Vladimir Shklyarov
Renowned for his performance as Zéphyr in the 2007 premiere of Sergei Vikharev's reconstruction of Marius Petipa's The Awakening of Flora, Shklyarov also showcased his talent as Harlequin in Vikharev's revival of Michel Fokine's La Carnaval.
Shklyarov was married to Maria Shirinkina, a fellow dancer at Mariinsky. They have two children, a son and a daughter.
In 2014 and 2015, he was a guest dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. In early 2016, Shklyarov joined the Mariinsky Ballet on a U.S. tour.
Later that year, he and his wife took a one-year sabbatical from the Mariinsky Ballet to join the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, Germany, as guest principals, at the invitation of Igor Zelensky, the company’s new artistic director.
Though they returned to Saint Petersburg in 2017, the couple continued performing as guest artists in Munich.
In 2017, Shklyarov joined The Royal Ballet in London as a guest principal. He stepped in at the last minute for Sergei Polunin, who withdrew from performing in Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand.
For the last two decades of his career, Shklyarov starred in notable productions such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, and Don Quixote. Apart from his work at Mariinsky, he also performed roles as a guest artist with several companies outside Russia, including London's Royal Ballet and the America Ballet Theatre in New York.
In his career spanning over two decades, Sakharov received numerous accolades including the Léonide Massine International Prize in 2008. He was also appointed as an Honored Artist of Russia in 2020.
Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Shklyarov graduated from the prestigious Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. After graduating in 2003, he joined the Mariinsky Theater the same year and has grown to become a principal dancer – the highest-ranking position in the company since 2011.
More on his death
The preliminary cause of the death has been judged as an accident, however, Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the dancer's death, a Russian state media outlet reported.
“He died a natural death. It’s not a crime,” a source in the emergency services told the media outlet.
As per the report, Shklyarov was scheduled for a complex spinal surgery two days after his death and he had been on serious painkillers for some time.
After the news of the star dancer broke, many of his fans and fellow dancers took to their social media to pay tribute. Diana Vishneva, a fellow principal dancer at the Mariinsky said, "Shklyarov’s death is a tragedy for the ballet world. You were so loved by your audience. You were the favourite partner of many ballerinas. (sic),” she wrote on Instagram.
In February 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Shklyarov was quoted as speaking out in support of peace. “I am against the war in Ukraine! I am for the people, for a peaceful sky above our heads! (sic),” he was quoted as saying in a Facebook post by Alexei Ratmansky, a Russian-Ukrainian former ballet dancer.
Ratmansky, a former director of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet, had been collecting anti-war messages from other ballet figures.
Other Famous People Who Fell To Their Death
Here are some notable individuals who tragically died after falling from buildings:
Owen Hart
A professional Canadian wrestler for WWF (now WWE), Hart tragically fell to his death in 1999, during a live pay-per-view event when a stunt involving a descent from the rafters went wrong. As Hart was being lifted in the air, his quick-release harness malfunctioned and he fell 78 feet. It was later reported that he died due to many injuries before he reached the hospital.
Liam Payne
Member of the English-Irish pop band, One Direction, and a solo singer-songwriter, Liam Payne died this year on October 16, 2024, from injuries after falling from the third floor of a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Sophie
Sophie Xeon was an English singer-songwriter, DJ and music composer. She fell three stories from a building rooftop in Athens, Greece in January 2021. She succumbed to the injuries.
DJ Mehdi
The French DJ and producer who was on the label Ed Banger Records, DJ Mehdi died in 2011. He dies after falling through a skylight on the roof of his Paris home. The DJ along with his friends was reportedly partying on the roof at the time of the accident.
Divya Bharti
One of the most popular actresses of Bollywood in the 90s, Divya Bharti died in 1993 from head injuries. She fell off from the balcony of her fifth-floor apartment at Versova, Mumbai.
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