Yuriy Kuzo

NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Audition Director and Soloist Yuriy Kuzo

Yuriy Kuzo has danced professionally his entire life. In 2018 he premiered as NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Soloist and Audition Director for the Dance with Us program. Yuriy took his first steps in dance when he was 6 years old and fell in love with the magic of dancing. He auditioned, and was accepted, at the school of Rushnychok Dance Ensemble studying performing art, choreography, vocal and acting skills, and the history of theatre. After graduating from Rushnychok, he was invited to Lviv State College of Culture and Art where he studied dance and choreography for four years. Under the close supervision of the teachers, he developed his dance and pedagogical skills. In his senior year he won an award for a choreographic composition called "Greek Suite" and was invited to an international seminar of choreographers in Athens, Greece.

Yuriy was invited to become teacher and leader of the Honored Dance Ensemble of Ukraine "Yunist.”  At the same time, he entered the Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University and, after three years of study, received his degree in higher education in choreography. Yuriy was later invited to join the ballet company of the Lviv National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet where he continues to perform to today. Yuriy performs Baron von Rothbart, the pas de trois Spanish Dance and the Hungarian Dance in Swan Lake; Drosselmeier, Rat King and Spanish dance in The Nutcracker; Espado, Bolero and Jig in Don Quixote; Birbanto in Le Corsaire; the Abbot in “Carmina Burana;” one of the four Suitors in “Sleeping Beauty;” King Claudius in “Hamlet” and more classic ballet roles. Yuriy and Alisa Bolotnikova lead the annual NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Summer Intensives in the US.

 In 2015 Yuriy was invited to join NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet. Yuriy says, “This is not an ordinary company - it's a large family that brings together hundreds of people and together they create an artistic miracle on stage. I am excited to add NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Audition Director to my adventures.” Yuriy participates in artistic projects around the world and works with many professional companies including the DPF Production special project in France with legend Pierre Cardin; ballet performances with Concert lírica in Spain; and more concerts in Portugal and France.