Alexei Kremnev
As the founding Artistic Director of The Joffrey Academy of Dance and the Joffrey Studio Company in Chicago (2009-2016), Alexei Kremnev brought a reputation to the Academy as one of the most innovative and fast-growing dance organizations worldwide. The Joffrey Academy was the third organization where Mr. Kremnev stimulated substantial financial and artistic success as an Artistic Director.
Mr. Kremnev began his career in Moscow at the world famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy (Degree of Ballet Artist), the Russian Academy of Theatrical Art (GITIS), and the Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Degree in Pedagogy and Choreography).
Either as a Principal Artist, Choreographer or Teacher, he has worked internationally with the Moscow Festival Ballet (Russian National Ballet), England's Northern Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, BalletMet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi, Russian and European Stars of the Ballet.
Among the legendary teachers Mr. Kremnev studied with, two have influenced his teaching philosophy the most: Eleonora Vlasova was a great ballerina and a laureate of the Paris Academy of Dance Award for her achievements in ballet, and German Pribilov, who studied with the great Alexander Pushkin, a teacher of Rudolph Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
He has been praised for his extraordinary ability to work with a young generation of dancers, as well as for his original, creative choreography. Mr. Kremnev’s choreography was presented at the legendary Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 2004-2006, Lincoln Center in New York in 2015, and the Opernhaus Zurich in 2016 and 2017. His works have been successfully performed in collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Mr. Kremnev's artistic vision was essential in the creation and success of the Gala of the International Ballet Stars in Cincinnati, Children's Ballet Theatre Series, and Winning Works: Choreographers of Color at the Joffrey Ballet. During his time as Artistic Director of the Joffrey Academy of Dance and the Joffrey Studio Company, Mr. Kremnev created sixteen new works at the Joffrey.
Previously, he was the Artistic Director of the Evansville Dance Theatre and Southold Dance Theatre, respectively, between 2003-2009. Mr. Kremnev has been featured on PBS Holiday Specials “Love is Here to Stay” and “A Family Thanksgiving”.
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Mr. Kremnev received superlative reviews in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Dance Magazine for the leading roles he danced.
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Honors & Awards
Mr. Kremnev has received awards and honors locally, nationally and internationally.
"Kremnev is making ballet choreography as a whole better. He doesn't push limits; he works beyond them. His ideas aren't adapted; he invents new ones." (The Huffington Post)
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He is the Laureate of the Leonide Massine Award, the Nureyev International, and Lifar International Ballet Competition.
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In 2001, Mr. Kremnev was recognized as one of the Most Influential People in the Arts in Cincinnati and was elected to the Advisory Board on Eastern Europe for Illinois under Senator Mark Kirk in 2011.
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Under his leadership, the Southold Dance Theatre was named Outstanding School at YAGP in 2008, the Joffrey Academy of Dance claimed the same title at YAGP every year they participated in 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, and the A&A BALLET did so in 2019,2020, 2022, 2023.
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He received the Outstanding Choreographer Award at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2021, and the Outstanding Teacher Award in 2017 and 2018.
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In 2013, Mr. Kremnev received the Achievement Award in Culture from the Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI), and the Business Leaders Award from the American Councils for International Education and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the United States Department of State in 2017.
United States
International
American Ballet Theatre
​​Atlanta Ballet
Ballet Met
Ballet San Antonio
Ballet San Jose
Boston Ballet
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Cincinnati Ballet
Complexions
Joffrey Ballet
Houston Ballet
Kansas City Balle
Lines Ballet
Milwaukee Ballet
Nashville Ballet
New York City Ballet
Oregon Dance Theater
Oklahoma City Ballet
Orlando Ballet
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Richmond Ballet
Sarasota Ballet
Tulsa Ballet
USC Kaufman School of Dance
​Alberta Ballet
Ballet du Capitole
Bayerisches Staatsballet Junior Company
Bejart Ballet
Czech National Ballet
Dortmund Ballet
Dresden Semperoper
Dutch National Ballet School
English National Ballet
English National Ballet School
Estonian National Ballet
John Cranko School of Stuttgart Ballet
K-Ballet
Les Grands Ballet Canadiens
Nederlands Dans Theater
New Zealand Royal Ballet
Norwegian National Ballet
Paris Opera Ballet
Paris Opera Ballet School
Polish National Ballet
Princess Grace Academy of Monaco
Royal Ballet School
Royal Danish Ballet
Staatsoper Berlin
Tokyo City Ballet
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Student Acceptance
Alexei's thorough knowledge of the most current teaching methods and styles has produced many dancers who have been accepted into some of the most prestigious companies and elite dance institutions in the world.
Choreography
"It is impossible to find one word that summarizes Kremnev's choreography: It is everything, encompassing the best and brilliance of what movement can be while breaking boundaries of what we know. Perhaps this is fitting: Kremnev isn't one thing, either. He is a rarity. Choreographer, yes--but also a soulful transcendentalist and pioneer of physicality, musicality, and emotion in dance. He is a revolutionary. " (The Huffington Post)
Full-length: "Cinderella", "Snow Queen", "New Adventures of Pinocchio", "Coppelia", "La Fille Mal Gardee", "Blue Bird of Happiness", "The Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", "The Art Deco Nutcracker".
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Other works: "Aleko", "Everest", "Coco + Igor," "Windy Sand", "Swan Lake Inspiration", "Solo in Black", "Carnival of the Animals", "Sleepover at the Museum", "Rhapsody in Blue", "Le Roi s'amuse: Dances in Ancient Style", "The Firebird Suite", "Blue Velvet", "Lament", "Dances on the Rocks", "About the Tails... Northern Suite", "Pavane", "Toma Que Toma", "Beatles go Baroque", "Uakti", "Wall Street", "Amelie", "Running on a wave", "Shy","The Bloody Mary".