19 Facts About Nikolay Tsiskaridze

Nikolay Maximovich Tsiskaridze PAR is a Georgian-Russian ballet dancer who had been a member of the Bolshoi Ballet for 21 years.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze was born in Tbilisi, Soviet Georgia in 1973.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze was the first-born child of Lamara Nikolayevna Tsiskaridze, who was 42 years old at the time and grew up without knowing his father.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze began his dance studies at the Tbilisi Ballet School in 1984.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze saved up enough money and took him to Moscow for auditions where in 1987, he joined the Moscow Ballet School, studying under Pyotr Pestov.

In Bolshoi, Nikolay Tsiskaridze was coached by Galina Ulanova and Marina Semyonova.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze was promoted to the position of principal dancer in 1995.

Since then, Nikolay Tsiskaridze has performed internationally with a number of ballet companies across the world, including the Mariinsky Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze participated in most of the foreign tours of the Bolshoi Ballet, "Kings of the Dance" international project, Les Saisons Russes du XXI Siecle.

In October 2003, Nikolay Tsiskaridze faced a major injury which threatened to end his career.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze has appeared in many reality shows and been a judge on Russia's version of Dancing with the Stars for several years.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze has received many awards and accolades: he became the youngest person to be named a People's Artist of Russia.

In 2011, Nikolay Tsiskaridze was a contender for directorship in Bolshoi, but Sergei Filin was chosen to the post.

On 30 June 2013, Nikolay Tsiskaridze left the Bolshoi when his contracts expired and the management decided not to extend them.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze openly criticized the theatre's management for soiling the Bolshoi's repertoire of classics with contemporary works from abroad, for favoritism and bad taste.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze was one of the suspects, but he had a strong alibi on the day of the assault.

In July 2011, Nikolay Tsiskaridze was appointed a member of the President's Council for Culture and Arts.

In 2014, Nikolay Tsiskaridze graduated as a Master of Law at Kutafin Moscow State Law University.

On 29 November, 2014, Nikolay Tsiskaridze was formally confirmed as a Rector of the Vaganova Academy in an unopposed election, winning 227 of the 244 possible votes which include professors, students, and even school canteen workers.