Yuri Possokhov

Yuri Possokhov, born in Luhansk, Ukraine, trained at the Moscow Choreographic School under Pyotr Pestov, graduating in 1982. He joined the Bolshoi Ballet, rising to principal dancer and performing leading roles in classical and contemporary ballets. In 1992, he became a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet. Later that year, he joined San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer, performing leading roles and partnering with renowned ballerinas. He retired from the stage in 2006 and became the company's Choreographer in Residence.

Possokhov has created over 30 works for leading ballet companies worldwide. Notable choreographic milestones include: Magrittomania (2000), Damned (2002), Don Quixote (2003), Firebird (2005), Cinderella (2006), Nureyev (2015) and Anna Karenina (2019). Possokhov continues to create ballets for San Francisco Ballet and other companies, including Swan Lake for Hong Kong Ballet, which premiered in 2024.