Vladimir Yaroshenko


Vladimir Yaroshenko – Polish-Russian ballet dancer in type danseur noble, first soloist with Yury Grigorovich's Ballet Theatre, Krasnodar, trained in classical Russian ballet school. Polish resident since 2007, engaged with Teatr Wielki, Warsaw, where since September 2010 is a first soloist, and since January 2020 - a principal dancer of Polish National Ballet under direction of Krzysztof Pastor.

Russian beginnings

Yaroshenko, a son of Ludimla and Aleksandr Yaroshenko, was born in Slavyansk-na-Kubani in Krasnodar Krai on the Russian South. He takes up folk dance in children's dance company at the age of seven, and in 1998 begins his classical ballet training in Choreographic School in Krasnodar. As a 3ed grade student he takes over the part of the Mouse King in The Nutcracker by Yury Grigorovich in his Ballet Theatre, Krasnodar and takes part in theatre's shows ever since. In 2003, after graduating he gets his first professional contract with Ballet Theatre in Krasnodar, immediately as a soloist.
In Krasnodar, Yaroshenko worked under Yury Grigorovich's supervision for four years, and in this time, he took over main male roles in his versions of Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Raymonda, Le Corsaire and Legend of Love. But it was main role in famous Ivan the Terrible premiere to bring him the first soloist position. He performed with Ballet Theatre, Krasnodar on many major stages in Russia but also in USA, Japan, Spain, Italy, France or Ukraine and Kazakhstan. In the same time, he managed to graduate in pedagogy of ballet on Krasnodar State University of Culture and Arts.

In Poland

Seeking for professional challenges other than Grigorovich's works, along with his wife Olga, who was also a dancer with the company, he decided to leave Krasnodar Ballet Theatre. At the invitation of his old teacher he moved to Lublin, Poland, where it was planned to create a new ballet company in Lublin Musical Theatre. He started working there since January 2007 bit soon it appeared that the plan failed, so he engaged with ballet company of Warsaw Teatr Wielki, under leadership of Jolanta Rybarska. In a short time, he took over main parts in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and John Cranko's Oniegin. In 2009, when the company under direction of Krzysztof Pastor was elevated to the rank of Polish National Ballet, he was already a soloist and in September 2010 after Patrice Bart's premiere of Chopin the Romantic Artist he was promoted to first soloist. With Polish National Ballet, he performed in Sankt Petersburg, Shanghai, Seville, Barcelona, Huston, New York, Washington, The Hague and Vilnius. In 2015, he performed as Chopin in Belweder Palace and as Casanova in Presidential Palace during special ballet evenings hosted by presidential couple. Yaroshenko also takes part in international ballet galas in Japan, Spain, Sweden, Latvia, Czech Republic, Estonia and Georgia. In 2016, he took part in Hamburg Ballet's tour to Tokio, where he danced Theseus-Oberon in John Neumeier's A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He received the Jan Kiepura Theatre Music Award twice for best male dancer and best classical male dancer in Poland. In 2015, he and whole his family received Polish citizenship and in 2016 he was awarded by the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage the Bronze Medal for Merit to Culture ‘Gloria Artis’.

Major achievements

Yury Grigorovich's Ballet Theatre, Krasnodar