Sergei Daniliyan

Biography

Graduated from the Russian Academy of the Theater Arts (aka GITIS) in 1985 (Bachelor of History of Theatre and Master of Art Management). In 1990 Sergei Danilian and his wife Gaiane founded the agency Ardani Artists (since 1994 incorporated in state of New York) to produce, present and tour major companies and artists in the United States and abroad. Ardani has commissioned innovative and award-winning new productions of dance that showcase works by both established and emerging choreographers performed by acclaimed international dancers representing the world’s greatest companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Mariinsky Ballet, the Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet and others.

Collaborating with Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, Ardani Artists has produced and toured Kings of the Dance, Tour de Force, Reflections and Diana Vishneva: on the Edge. The productions Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion and Diana Vishneva: Dialogues (which was created in collaboration with the Diana Vishneva Foundation) won Russia’s most prestigious national theater award Golden Mask as Best Ballet Event and Best Female Role in Ballet. Solo for Two with Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev received five Golden Mask Awards nominations.

In 2016 working with Segerstrom Center to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Ardani created the Mariinsky Festival, which featured three weeks of performances by the Mariinsky Opera, Ballet and Orchestra.

Ardani Artists introduced the Eifman Ballet of St Petersburg to American audiences in 1998 and continues to present this company’s annual return engagements to theaters across the United States. Ardani also produces the American tours of the Mariinsky Ballet, the Mikhailovsky Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and La Scala Ballet.

In 2016, Sergei Danilian was selected as one of Russia’s most influential men by Russian GQ Magazine. He published coffee-table books Diana Vishneva. Beauty in Motion (2008,) Impresario. Dancers in New Dimensions (2016), and Choreographer. Boris Eifman, the Man Who Dared (2018).

Sergei Danilian is a member of the jury of the national award Golden Mask – 2017, since 2017 he has taught a course of innovative programs in dance art at the Vaganova Ballet Academy.

Sergei Danilian produced in 2017-2019 following projects: “The Dreamers” set to music Daft Punk, choreographed by Maxim Petrov, Vladimir Varnava and Ilya Jivoy, as part of Young Choreographers Workshop of the Mariinsky Theater, and “Isadora” co-production with Segerstrom Center for the Arts set to music Sergei Prokofiev, choreographed by Vladimir Varnava, starring Natalia Osipova as Isadora Duncan.

In 2020 Ardani Artists will celebrate 30th Anniversary with new production in collaboration with Mariinsky Theater, set to music by Dmitry Selipanov, choreographed by Maxim Petrov with costumes designed by Frol Burimskiy.