Gennadi Nedvigin, principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, has been named artistic director of the Atlanta Ballet.
The news comes just seven months after John McFall announced his retirement from the post after more than 20 years. McFall will officially end his tenure as artistic director on June 1.
Nedvigin, who assumes direction on Aug. 1, has a background in the tradition of the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow, where he trained. He combines this classical base with a 19-year career with San Francisco Ballet, where he performed principal roles in works ranging from 19th century classics to 20th century masterworks to an array of ballets by today's most prominent choreographers.
In recent years, Nedvigin has built a strong reputation as a teacher and coach. He staged Yuri Possokhov's "Classical Symphony" on Atlanta Ballet for a performance last May and looks forward to using his classical heritage and experience with a variety of styles and techniques to guide the company into the future.
