5 most FAMOUS male Russian ballet dancers (PHOTOS)
1. Vladislav Lantratov
This hereditary ballet dancer graduated from the Moscow Academy of Choreography and was immediately accepted into the Bolshoi Theater company. He has been dancing on the country's main stage since 2006 and has been a principal dancer for more than 10 years.
Considered to be the most famous Nutcracker Prince, Lantratov, in his 36 years, is already an ‘Honored Artist of Russia’ and the winner of numerous awards. He is currently married to Maria Alexandrova, a former Bolshoi prima ballerina.
2. Artemy Belyakov
His performance as Vronsky in duet with Svetlana Zakharova as Anna Karenina won the hearts of many viewers. Belyakov was born in Tver. Since 2019, he has been a principal dancer at the Bolshoi Theater, which he joined in 2010, immediately after graduating from the Moscow Academy of Choreography.
He is currently married to Daria Khokhlova, the Bolshoi's first soloist. The media calls them the most beautiful couple of the theater, however, at work, they rarely dance together.
3. Ivan Zaitsev
Passionate Spartacus, Quasimodo from ‘Notre Dame de Paris’, the Prince in ‘Cinderella’ and ‘The Nutcracker’. This ballet dancer is amazingly versatile and has a virtuoso technique. There was a lot in the ballet biography of the dancer. Zaitsev graduated from the Krasnodar Choreographic School and then from the St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts. He worked at the Leonid Yakobson Ballet Theater and then at the Boris Eifman Ballet Theater.
Zaitsev was invited to the Bolshoi Theater, but, since 2011, has been faithfully serving the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg as a soloist for more than a decade. The dancer actively shares videos of his performances and rehearsals on social media.
4. Timur Askerov
A native of Baku and ‘Honored Artist of Azerbaijan’, Askerov began his ballet career in his homeland. But, since 2011, he has been dancing at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and has been a principal dancer for the last 10 years. He can be seen in all the major productions, from ‘Giselle’ and ‘Pharaoh's Daughter’ to ‘Swan Lake’, ‘La Bayadère’ and ‘Le Corsaire’.
The media marvel at Askerov's light and high leaps and his incredible beauty. He is currently married to his ballet partner, Kristina Shapran, the first soloist of the Mariinsky Theater.
5. Philip Styopin
Styopin grew up in a ballet family and graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in his native St. Petersburg. After that, he was accepted into the Mariinsky Ballet Company. Since then, the tall dancer has performed roles in a varied repertoire: princes in ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Ali in ‘Le Corsaire’ and Solor in ‘La Bayadere’, one of his dream roles. In 2025, he became a principal dancer of the Mariinsky Theater, a position he had been aiming for for 20 years.
The dancer is currently dating Vlada Borodulina, the Mariinsky Theatre's second soloist. However, they do not dance together very often and mainly post photos on social media of themselves together on vacations, for example, fishing.