INDIANAPOLIS BALLET THEATRE

Company Profile

Founded as the Civic Ballet Society of Indianapolis in 1959, the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre debuted as a fully professional ballet company in 1973. Prior to 1973, the company performed primarily for school audiences utilizing the talents of local advanced student dancers. It soon became apparent a need existed for a company of professional dancers who were capable of meeting increasing artistic demands.

That need was met in 1973 by Artistic Director George Verdak and ten fully-paid dancers. Mr. Verdak remained artistic director until 1988 and was succeeded by former Assistant Artistic Director Dace Dindonis in the 1988-89 season. The company continued to grow and improve through the years under Ms. Dindonis, celebrating 20 years in 1993-94. It begins its third decade of excellence under newly appointed Artistic Director Eldar Aliev. The stellar troupe features dancers from the United States as well as from Russia, Austria, Japan, Italy and Canada.

IBT patterned its style after that of the world renowned Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The development and maintenance of a high quality touring company remains one of the priorities of IBT, as does establishing itself nationally as a major regional ballet company.

Artistic Director

ELDAR ALIEV was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Russia, where he studied at the Baku Choreographic Academy. He graduated with honors and joined the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1979 he joined the Kirov Ballet, where as a principal dancer, he enjoyed a celebrated career in St. Petersburg (Leningrad) and throughout the world. In 1992 he left Russia with his wife and son and joined the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer and ballet coach, He was named assistant artistic director in 1993 and interim artistic director in March 1994. On August 22, 1994, Eldar Aliev became the artistic director of the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, the third artistic director since the company was founded in 1973.

While at the Kirov, he performed principal roles in Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, Spartacus, Don Quixote. Paquita, Scotch Symphony, Raymonda, Napoli and numerous other ballets. Aliev toured as a principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet in more than 30 countries, with Bolshoi and Kirov stars Yekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev and with the "Galaxy of Russian Ballet" series. A special guest star with the Bolshoi Ballet and the Australian Ballet, Aliev is often featured in major international galas in Germany, Japan, Montreal-Canada. Australia and the United States. He often appears as a partner with Leslie Browne, Amanda McKerrow, Tatiana Terekhova, Altynai Asylmuratova and Lyubov Kunakova. He frequently collaborates with ballet luminaries Irina Kolpakova and Vladilen Semenov. He was featured in Le Gala Des Etoiles in Montreal in 1993 and 1994 and has been invited to return next Vear.