Prof. Kirill Melnikov

Kirill Melnikov was born in St. Petersburg. He studied at the Vaganova Ballett Academy, where he completed his training as a ballet dancer with distinction. As a soloist with the Kirov (Mariinsky) Ballet in St. Petersburg, he danced many leading roles in works from the classical repertoire. In 1990, he left Russia to work in London and the United States. From 1992 to 2005, he was principal dancer with the Bayerisches Ballett, where he expanded his repertoire to include works by neoclassical and contemporary choreographers. Throughout his career as a dancer, Kirill Melnikov has thrilled both international ballet critics and audiences alike. In 2002, Kirill Melnikov was voted winner of the Merkur Theatre Prize by the readers of the »Münchner Merkur« newspaper.

During his active dancing career, Kirill Melnikov appeared in various television and video recordings, such as »Nuit blanche de la danse à Leningrad« and »Kirov Classics« (with the Kirov Ballet) as well as »Black Cake« (with the Bayerisches Staatsballett).

Since 1998, Kirill Melnikov has been working as a ballet teacher at the Ballet Academy of the University of Music and Theatre Munich, where he completed his training as a ballet teacher with Prof. Alexandre Prokofiev in 2000. Since 2002, he has held a professorship for classical dance and pas de deux at the Ballet Academy.