Russian dancer Vladimir Shklyarov has died at the age of 39 after falling from the balcony of a fifth-floor building, as reported by the local outlet Fontanka, regarding the accident that occurred on Saturday, November 16.
The aforementioned outlet quotes former ballerina Irina Bartnovskaya on Telegram shortly after the tragedy. "He went out to the balcony to get some fresh air and smoke, lost his balance, and fell (from the fifth floor)," Bartnovskaya stated, describing the death as "a stupid and unbearable accident."
Anna Kasatkina, the press officer of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, to which Shklyarov belonged, explained to Fontanka that the dancer was taking painkillers. "Vladimir Shklyarov had a back injury, and a complex spine operation was scheduled for Monday, November 18. He had been taking strong painkillers throughout this time," she detailed.
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Authorities in St. Petersburg are investigating the circumstances of Shklyarov's death; however, preliminary data indicate that "the cause of death was an accident," as reported by the St. Petersburg Investigative Committee to the Ria Novosti agency.
"This is a great loss not only for the theater staff but also for the entire current ballet art. Our deepest condolences to the artist's family, friends, and all fans of his work and talent," lamented the Mariinsky Theater in a statement.
Shklyarov was born in Leningrad in 1985 and graduated from the Russian Ballet Academy in 2003. That same year, he joined the Mariinsky Theater company, becoming a principal dancer in 2011. Shklyarov's repertoire includes productions such as Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote, among many others.