St Petersburg Ballet Theatre  The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) has quickly established itself as one of Russia’s leading classical ballet companies. It was founded in 1994 by Konstantin Tachkin who has continued to direct the company over its 25-year history. The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is housed in a studio complex on Liteyniy prospect, situated in the heart of Saint-Petersburg, which in Imperial Russia had served as the House of Officers. This ensemble of sixty dancers is the only major classical ballet company in the world that exists and thrives without reliance on state subsidy or private sponsorship. To be independent of government funding or any major sponsor is a remarkable and unique achievement in the modern age. Although the company performs frequently in its home city and throughout Russia it also has an enviable reputation for its international touring, giving up to 250 performances each and every year. The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre tours have ranged over six continents, travelling to Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Turkey, Israel, United Arab Emirates, the USA, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. The company’s sixty professional ballet artists are all either graduates of the world famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg or from one of several other significant Russian ballet schools. Famous dancers of the past now work as ballet masters and mistresses, coaching the company’s principals, soloists and corps de ballet: People’s Artist of Russia, Lyubov Kunakova; Merited Artist of Russia, Yuri Gumba; and Margarita Kullik are just three of these renowned former star dancers now passing on their knowledge and expertise to today’s performers, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is proud to have created many home-grown stars of its own over the past two decades. Among the principals, soloists and character dancers who have come to maturity within the company are artists such as Margarita Avdeeva, Dmitriy Akulinin, Sitora Khismatova, Elizaveta Barkalova, Sergei Fedorkov and others. They represent the kernel of the company’s creative achievement as well as the continuing guarantee of its ongoing success. The prima ballerina is Irina Kolesnikova. The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre remains the centre of attention for the world’s press, performing as it does in such celebrated theatres as the London Coliseum, the Royal Albert Hall, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the National Theatre in Washington, the Bunkamura Hall in Tokyo, the National Theatre of Taipei, the National Theatre in Beijing and the Princess Theatre in Melbourne.