Andrey Kaydanovskiy

Andrey Kaydanovskiy was born in Moscow. After his education at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in his hometown, the Ballet Conservatory in St. Pölten, the John-Cranko-Ballet Academy in Stuttgart and the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera, he joined the Ballet of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper in 2007. In 2015 he was promoted to demi-soloist. At the end of the 2021/22 season, Andrey Kaydanovskiy will end his active dance career in order to devote himself entirely to his choreographic projects.

His repertoire as a dancer comprised Madge in Pierre Lacotte's »La Sylphide«, Rotbart in Rudolf Nureyev's »Swan Lake«, Gamache in Nureyev's »Don Quixote«, Hilarion in Elena Tschernischova’s »Giselle«, Blaubarts Alter Ego in Stephan Thoss‘ »Blaubart«, Egeus in Jorma Elo's »A Midsummer Night’s Dream«, The Death/Arthur Schnitzler in Ashley Page's/ Antony Mc Donald »Ein Reigen«, Widdow Simone in Frederick Ashton’s »La Fille mal gardée«, Monsieur G.M. in Kenneth MacMillan's »Manon«, Count Larisch in MacMillan’s »Mayerling«, the destiny in Patrick de Bana’s »Marie Antoinette«, The Death in Edward Clug's »Peer Gynt« and roles in Paul Lightfoot's und Sol León's »Skew-Whiff«, Jerome Robbins' »Glass Pieces«, George Balanchine's »Rubies« and »Stravinsky Violin Concerto«, Twyla Tharp's »Variationen über ein Thema von Haydn«, Alexander Ekman's »Cacti«, Jean-Christophe Maillot's »Vers un pays sage«, Thierry Malandain’s »Mozart à 2« and Natalia Horecna's »Contra Clockwise Witness«, in which he was creating two roles.

In 2009 he did his first choreography »Drei Unbekannte« for choreo.lab 09 of the Ballettclub Wiener Staatsoper & Volksoper where he was also dancing in, as well as in »Love Song« (2014) which was also be performed at the Bolshoi Ballet (2018) and the Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg (2020). Furthermore, he has been working as a choreographer for the Vienna State Ballet since 2013 with »Zeitverschwendung« and »The ugly Duckling«. In 2017 his version of »Firebird« had its premiere where he was also interpreting the role of Koschey in four performances. In 2016 he created »Tea or Coffee« for the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow which was nominated in 2017 for the famous Russian Theatre-Award »The Golden Mask« in two categories (best contemporary choreographer and best contemporary piece). At the same place his »Pajama Party« was performed in 2018 and was nominated for the »Golden Mask« in five categories in 2020. In January 2017 he created for the Bundesjugendballett in Hamburg »Reversal« to a composition on commission by Michel van der Aa. In 2017 also his collaboration with the Bavarian State Ballet has started with his piece »Discovery« in the context of »Ballettabend – Junge Choreographen«. Since 2019 he is choreographer in residence of that company. In the same year, his »Cecil Hotel« was performed there and nominated for the Benois de la Danse 2020, in April 2021 his story-telling ballet »The blizzard « was premiered, for which Lorenz Dangel composed the music. In June 2018, his piece »Perfect Example« had its premiere with the Czech National Ballet. In 2019 he was doing the choreography for the ballet scenes for the New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. On occasion of the handing over of the Fanny-Elßler-Ring to Rebecca Horner in May 2019. he was creating the solo »Seit ich ihn gesehen« (music: Robert Schumann, op. 42) for her. On 17 November 2021, the world premiere of »Die kahle Sängerin« based on the one-act play »La Cantatrice chauve« by Eugene Ionesco took place for the Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg (music: Alfred Schnittke, stage & costumes: Emma Bailey). For the Vienna State Ballet he created in February 2022 »lux umbra« to the commissioned composition of the same name by Christof Dienz at the Volksoper Wien. In October 2022 the premiere of »Jolanthe & the Nutcracker« took place there, directed by Lotte de Beer and choreographed by Andrey Kaydanovskiy. His most recent work includes a new version of »The Sleeping Beauty«, which premiered at the Linz Music Theatre in December 2022. 

Other awards and honours of Kaydanovskiy are the Special Prize as »Best Dance Theatre Performer and Choreographer« at the International Dance Festival TANZOLYMP in 2015. In March 2016 he received the German Dance Prize »ZUKUNFT« as a choreographer.