Val Goncharov

Mr. Val has been with NCDA for 15 years. His knowledge and expertise in the Vaganova syllabus is like no other. Val is known for his impeccable role as Drosilmier in The Nutcracker.

When Val was a young boy, he was described as a “weak, frail child,”.  Val’s mother encouraged him to participate in sports and dance to build his strength. In 1974, at age 11, he successfully competed against 40 other applicants for one opening in the Kiev Ballet School.

After graduation in 1982, five companies offered him positions, but he chose the Donetsk Ballet to be closer to his parents’ home. As a principal dancer with the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theater, Valery toured the United States four times, danced at the Nervi International Ballet Festival in Genoa, Italy, and completed numerous tours of Europe. He was the Medal of Honor winner at the Ukrainian International Ballet competition.

In 1991, on a U.S. tour, he defected to America and eventually brought his wife, Irena, and two children, Dimitri and Jenya, from the Ukraine.

NCDA is extremely lucky to have such a master of the ballet craft.