Daniil Simkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniil Simkin
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Simkin in Don Quixote in 2012
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| Born | 12 October 1987 Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Former groups | Vienna State Ballet American Ballet Theatre Berlin State Ballet |
Daniil Simkin (born October 12, 1987) is a famous ballet dancer and a creative artist. He was a main dancer, called a principal dancer, for both the American Ballet Theatre and the Berlin State Ballet. Daniil lives in New York and started his own company, Studio Simkin. This company creates new and exciting ballet projects using digital technology and different art forms.
Daniil has shared that he was inspired by other great dancers like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev. He also looked up to his father, Dmitrij Simkin. He once said that a perfect male ballet dancer would combine Baryshnikov's skill, Nureyev's stage presence, and his father's hard work.
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Early Life and Dance Training
Daniil Simkin was born in Novosibirsk, Russia. He grew up in Wiesbaden, Germany. His parents, Dmitrij Simkin and Olga Aleksandrova, were also ballet dancers. They met while performing at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Daniil's older half-brother, Anton Alexandrov, also danced ballet and is now a teacher.
Daniil learned ballet from his mother, who was his first teacher. He also went to a regular school in Wiesbaden. He finished his Abitur, which is a German qualification to go to university. While he was a student, he performed with Ballet Wiesbaden from 1993 to 2006.
Daniil Simkin's Dance Career
In 2006, Daniil won a Senior Gold Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. After this, he was invited to perform in special shows in Paris and New York. He joined the Vienna State Ballet in 2006 and quickly became a first soloist in 2007.
In 2008, Daniil joined the American Ballet Theatre as a soloist. He performed many important roles there. A critic from The New York Times once described him as "a dancer happiest in the air."
Daniil became a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre in December 2012. Over the next few years, he danced leading roles in many famous ballets. These included Don Quixote, Prodigal Son, and Swan Lake. He also performed works by famous choreographers like George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.
In 2018, Daniil also became a principal dancer with the Berlin State Ballet. He explained that this move allowed him to explore more modern European dance styles. He also found inspiration in Berlin's lively cultural scene, including its music and clubs. In his first season there, he danced the role of Solor in a new version of La Bayadère.
In 2021, Daniil was the first teacher on a new online platform called "Dance-Masterclass." He taught students how to do pirouettes and turns. He also helped produce an interview with the famous ballerina Sylvie Guillem for the platform.
Studio Simkin: New Ideas in Ballet
In 2021, Daniil Simkin started his own company, Studio Simkin. This company focuses on new ways to create ballet performances. They use digital tools and combine dance with other art forms. The goal is to make dance more exciting and to try new things.
Studio Simkin's ideas are inspired by the German concept of “Gesamtkunstwerk.” This means a “total work of art” where many different art forms come together in one performance.
Special Dance Projects
Daniil Simkin also creates his own special dance projects. These projects let him explore new ways to present dance. He uses things like virtual reality, immersive performances, and new dance films. These projects give him a chance to do things that might not be possible in traditional ballet. He also helps raise money and produces these works himself.
- Intensio (2015): This was a co-production with the Joyce Theater in New York. It included several different ballets. One of them, Islands of Memories, was the first ballet ever to use video projections that reacted to the dancers in real-time. It first showed at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July 2015. It then toured to Houston and Buenos Aires before playing in New York.
- Falls the Shadow (2017): This was a multi-art dance show at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. It featured choreography by Alejandro Cerrudo. Daniil's father, Dmitrij Simkin, created the video designs. The costumes were made by Dior. The New York Times noted how the museum's unique space made the dance even better.
- Diorama (2020): This was a dance film made with the Berlin State Ballet during the pandemic. Daniil worked with his long-time partner Maria Kochetkova. The film was described as "dark, and strange—a surreal and bizarre chase." It won an award for "Best Screen Dance Film under 10 Minutes" at the 2021 San Francisco Dance Film Festival.
Awards and Recognition
Daniil Simkin has won many awards throughout his career:
- 2000: First Prize, International Ballet Competition St. Pölten, Austria
- 2001: First Prize, Fourth International Ballet Competition, Vienna
- 2002: First Prize, Nyon Ballet Competition, Nyon, Switzerland
- 2003: First Prize Junior / Encouragement Prize, Prix Grande-Duchesse Maria Teresa, Seventh International Ballet Competition, Luxembourg
- 2004: Grand Prix, Fifth International Ballet Competition, Vienna
- 2004: First Prize Senior, "Mikhail Baryshnikov" for best male dancer, Eighth International Ballet Competition "Arabesque," Perm, Russia
- 2004: First Prize and gold medal, 21st International Ballet Competition, Varna
- 2005: Gloria Grand Prix, International Ballet Competition, Helsinki
- 2006: Men's Senior Gold Medal, USA International Ballet Competition, Jackson
See also
In Spanish: Daniil Simkin para niños
