Svetlana Zakharova Appointed Acting Rector of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography

Svetlana Zakharova, renowned Russian ballet dancer and People's Artist of the Russian Federation, has been appointed Acting Rector of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. A winner of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, Zakharova was a soloist at the Mariinsky Theatre from 1996 to 2003. Since then, she has served as prima ballerina at the Bolshoi Theatre and, since 2008, at La Scala in Milan. In addition to her performance career, she has been a member of the State Duma in its fifth convocation and, since 2018, a member of the Presidential Council for Culture and the Arts.

In 2011, she founded the charitable organization ‘Promoting the Development of Ballet Art,’ which provides scholarships for top students at choreographic schools.

Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, acknowledged that Marina Leonova led the Moscow State Academy of Arts for over 20 years. On behalf of the Ministry, she expressed gratitude for Leonova's invaluable contributions to the development of one of the world’s leading ballet schools. “Marina Konstantinovna remains an integral part of the Academy's staff, and there are still many ambitious tasks ahead,” the Minister emphasized.