PARTNERS & HONORED GUESTS

The Organizers and Participants of VALOIS FEST express special gratitude to Kevin O'Hare, Director of the Royal Ballet; Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of the American Ballet Theatre; Tan Sagturk, Founder and CEO of Tan Sağtürk Akademi; Zeynep Taner, Founder and Manager of Tan Sağtürk Akademi Izmir-Mavisehir; Mikhail Baryshnikov, Artistic Director, Baryshnikov Arts; Nima Kiann, Founder and Artistic Director Les Ballets Persans; Natalia Zilber Director of The Russian Classical Ballet Academy; Carlos Prado Artistic Director of the Companhia Nacional de Bailado (National Ballet of Portugal), Alexandr Sovostyanov, Director of Astana Ballet; Galym Akhmedyarov, Director of Astana Opera; Saifiddinzoda Kamoliddin Sharofiddin, Director of the Sadriddin Aini Tajik State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre; Nizomi Muhriddin Zainiddin, Rector of the Mirzo Tursunzade Tajik State Institute of Culture and Arts; Kholov Mehriddin, Head of Department international relations TSICA named after Mirzo Tursunzoda, to partner companies for financial, technical, informational and other assistance in organizing Online and Offline events of the Festival.

BENEFITS FOR PARTNERS COMPANIES

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Ninette de Valois is a seminal figure in both British and Turkish ballet history. At The Royal Ballet, we owe our very existence to Madam Valois’s entrepreneurial spirit and indomitable will. The same artistry, vision and leadership enabled the art form to flourish in Turkey too where her influence remains similarly potent. As we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of this remarkable woman, it is wonderful to see how the VALOIS FEST exhibition inspires so many young people through showcasing the cultural heritage of Ninette de Valois and contributes to the bright future of ballet and choreography.

Kevin O’Hare
Director of The Royal Ballet

Dear friends and colleagues,

I welcome participants, organizers, and guests of VALOIS FEST. I hope that for many young dancers’ participation in VALOIS FEST will become an incentive for further professional growth. I wish them to successfully perform at the events of the Festival and continue to improve their skills in choreographic art. As a woman, and a leader of one of the world’s major ballet companies, I take great inspiration in the extraordinary example of Ninette de Valois’s visionary leadership. I express my gratitude to the organizers and partners of the VALOIS FEST project for their desire to support young talents. The VALOIS FEST exhibition pays respect to Ninette de Valois and other outstanding figures who have made significant contributions to world culture and art.

Susan Jaffe

American Ballet Theatre, Artistic Director

Dear all,

Like many of you, I grew up reading about the incomparable Ninette de Valois. It was a tremendous honor to get to know her personally during my time performing with the Royal Ballet. Her brilliance and vision for the future, not just for that company but for all of ballet, remain unmatched today. To all participants in the 2023 VALOIS FEST, congratulations on your dedication and emerging talent. May this experience be rewarding and fruitful. Some advice: don’t try to over dance your choreographic material. Try to understand why you are dancing and perform with an open heart. Good luck to all involved with the festival. Having seen the magnificent portraits and artwork at the VALOIS FEST exhibition, I was pleased to remember our meetings with Ninette de Valois and other wonderful people from the Royal Ballet.

Mikhail Baryshnikov,

Artistic Director, Baryshnikov Arts

Dear colleagues,

I welcome participants, organizers and guests of VALOIS FEST. I wish young dancers to successfully perform at the events of the Festival and continue to improve their skills in choreographic art. The VALOIS FEST exhibition reflects the cultural processes that took place in the field of choreography in the period of the 19th-20th centuries. I express my gratitude to the organizers and partners of the VALOIS FEST project for their respect for outstanding figures of world culture and art, such as Ninette de Valois.

Carlos Prado
Artistic Director

CNB Companhia Nacional de Bailado (National Ballet of Portugal)

Dear Friends and Colleagues
ARBTA (Association of Russian Ballet & Theatre Arts) gives thanks to the organisers, and welcomes all involved in the VALOIS FEST which celebrates the 125th anniversary of the birth of Ninette de Valois, thus recognising the importance of her legacy and influence on the growth of Classical ballet. She was one of the great figures of 20th Century ballet, dancing with Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe and later using her knowledge and experience to help establish and develop various schools and companies across the Globe, and notably the Royal Ballet in UK. The VALOIS FEST will bring together institutions and professionals from today’s Ballet world and give opportunities to the next generation of talents. We send our best wishes to everyone taking part in this wonderful event.

Gypsy Booth, ARBTA - President,

Jane Farrell, ARBTA - Chairman

The VALOIS FEST exhibition provided rich and varied information about the multifaceted talent of Ninette de Valois, as well as the wonderful world of ballet to which she dedicated her entire life. I was interested in the section of the exhibition dedicated to the work of Madame Valois in the Russian Ballet of Sergei Diaghilev I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of exhibited paintings and graphic works by Rinat Kuramshin. I really liked the portraits of choreographers, ballet dancers, opera singers, and composers. Bravo to you for bringing us so much pleasure with your paintings. I will be glad to have a number of works in our collection

Prince Dmitry Lobanov-Rostovsky
Advisor to the auction houses Christies and Sothebys, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association of the Museum of Theater in London, Member of the Association of Benefactors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, philanthropist, art collector

The VALOIS FEST exhibition is a kind of tribute to the memory of an outstanding dancer, choreographer and teacher, whose work was highly valued by her contemporaries. She danced with Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and learned to manage a ballet company there. The exhibition reveals the multifaceted talent of Ninette de Valois, and also helps us better understand the wonderful world of ballet. The exhibition reminded us of the significant contribution that Ninette de Valois made to world culture. Museum specialists, art collectors, artists and other organizers of the VALOIS FEST exhibition would like to express their respect for the work of dancers, choreographers, and other performing arts workers.

Let me express my gratitude to the organizers and partners of VALOIS FEST for the opportunity to see a unique collection of artifacts and art works related to the life and work of Ninette de Valois. It was a great pleasure for me to see paintings and graphic works on the theme of ballet, portraits of famous people, sketches of scenery and costumes for ballets. The portrait of Ninette de Valois and portraits of other prominent personalities are perhaps the main exhibits of the exhibition. The VALOIS FEST exhibition helps us learn more about the history of choreography, theater, music, performing and visual arts.

Lilia Zaitseva

President of the Association of Figures of Ethnography, Culture and Art

Dear friends, colleagues and participants in the VALOIS FEST,

VALOIS FEST aims to create opportunities for young dance talents to both be seen as young dance aspirants and also to see and get inspired by other emerging choreographic artists. The goal of the VALOIS FEST is also to invigorate the ties of artistic and professional cooperation between dance institutions and actors from different countries and cultures.
I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers and partners of the VALOIS FEST project for their initiatives on supporting young talents, as well as for their respect for outstanding figures of world culture and art, such as Dame Ninette de Valois.

Nima Kiann

Founder and Artistic Director of Les Ballets Persans,

The successor company of the Iranian National Ballet

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Dear dance lovers , dear friends

This project is a unique opportunity to once again remember Ninette de Valois, a great choreographer and teacher. She laid the foundations of the ballet tradition not only in the UK, but also in many other countries. I hope that for many young dancers participation in VALOIS FEST will become an incentive for further professional growth. I wish them lots of success in performing at the events of the Festival and continuing to improve their skills in choreographic art.

Ted Brandsen

Director

Dutch National Ballet/Het Nationale Ballet

Ninette de Valois is one of the most influential figures in the history of 20th century ballet. Her task was to create a British ballet theater repertory, a British ballet style.

And she did it brilliantly!
She invited the best choreographers to work at the Royal Theater: Frederick Ashton,

Kenneth Macmillan, George Balanchine and others. Her name is associated with the rise of the ballet careers of such famous dancers as Lynn Seymour, Rudolf Nureyev, Margo Fontaine.

I sincerely wish success to the VALOIS FEST International Festival!

Galym Akhmedyarov
Director of the State Opera and Ballet Theatre "Astana Opera"

I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers and partners of the VALOIS FEST project for their desire to support young talents, as well as for respect for outstanding figures of world culture and art. I am sure that this event will contribute to many young participants and will become an incentive for further professional growth. I wish the participants of the festival productive work, achievement of the intended result, success and prosperity!

Alexandr Sovostyanov
Director of the Astana Ballet Theatre

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VALOIS FEST under the auspices of the 125th anniversary of Dame Ninette de Valois is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of a great personality, ballerina and teacher. By founding the Royal Ballet in Great Britain, as well as organizing a professional ballet company in Turkey, she made a great contribution to the development of international ballet. She served the theater for many years, remaining devoted to the art of ballet all her life.

Let me express my gratitude to the organizers of such a prestigious event as VALOIS FEST, which will serve as a bright platform for revealing the abilities of emerging artists.

Kamaliddin Sayfiddinov

Director of the Sadriddin Aini Tajik State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre

Dear friends and respected colleagues!

I express my gratitude to the organizers and partners of the VALOIS FEST project for their desire to support young talents, as well as for their respect for outstanding figures of world culture and art, such as Ninette de Valois.
Dance as a cultural value reflects the customs, traditions, spiritual world and national thinking of a particular people. Therefore, to preserve this priceless and cultural heritage, as well as to pass it from generation to generation, is the most important duty of specialized specialists and masters of this field. I am sure that for many young dancers participation in the VALOIS FEST will become an incentive for further professional growth and will certainly provide professional support in the field of choreographic art, and also contributes to the development of professional cooperation between dance institutions from different countries.

Nizomi Mukhriddin Zainiddin

Rector of the Tajik State Institute of Culture and Arts named after Mirzo Tursunzade,

Doctor of Philology, Professor

Dance is a value of spiritual culture, because it embodies not only the present, but also the past, and always contributes to the spiritual growth of the human soul. Therefore, the development and formation of a person is impossible without knowledge of national culture and cultural heritage.

I wish the participants to successfully perform at the events of the Festival and continue to improve their skills in choreographic art. I hope VALOIS FEST will become an unforgettable event for participants, guests and partners of the Festival.

Kholov Mehriddin Rayshanovich

Head of Department international relations TSICA named after Mirzo Tursunzoda,

Excellence of education and culture of Tajikistan

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The VALOIS FEST exhibition is a great opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage of Ninette de Valois, a great choreographer, teacher and director of a dance company. The festival is also a chance for talented young dancers to show their abilities and gain recognition. This event allows us to popularize the beauty of dance and raise the prestige of the art of ballet throughout the world. By forming partnerships with companies, patrons and sponsors, VALOIS FEST is a great example of how international collaboration can create a better future for dance and theater arts.

Tan Sağtürk

Director General of the Turkish State Opera and Ballet, ballet dancer,

Founder of Tan Sağtürk Akademi,

Zeynep Taner

Owner and Manager of Tan Sağtürk Akademi, İzmir-Mavisehir
Royal Academy of Dance Registered Teacher (RAD RTS)

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Dear Esteemed Friends and Colleagues,
We extend a warm welcome to all participants, organizers, and esteemed guests attending the esteemed International Festival and Dance Contest, VALOIS FEST.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the organizers and partners of VALOIS FEST for their unwavering commitment to fostering and nurturing young talents. We also commend them for their profound respect for world-renowned figures in culture and art, such as the legendary Ninette de Valois. Undoubtedly, participation in the VALOIS FEST Contest will serve as a catalyst for the professional growth of many young dancers. We wish them all the success in their performances during the Festival events and encourage them to continue honing their skills in the captivating world of choreographic art.

Natalia Zilber
Director, The Russian Ballet School,Toronto

The VALOIS FEST continues to receive Greetings from partners and Honored Guests.