The funeral of renowned Russian ballet dancer Vladimir Shklyarov, who died at the weekend aged 39, will be held on Thursday, the Mariinsky Theatre has announced. Shklyarov was a star dancer at the Mariinsky, the historic opera and ballet venue in Russia’s imperial capital of Saint Petersburg. Citing theatre representatives, Russian media reported that he fell from a fifth-floor balcony on Saturday, when he had been taking painkillers ahead of back surgery that was scheduled for Monday.

“His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world,” the Mariinsky said Monday in a statement, without commenting on the circumstances of his death. Shklyarov had been a principal dancer with the theatre since 2011, “captivating audiences with his expressive artistry and technical brilliance,” it said. A memorial service will be held Thursday at the theatre, followed by a church service and burial in central Saint Petersburg.

Russian investigators have launched a probe into Shklyarov’s death, with the RIA Novosti news agency reporting their preliminary assessment is that it was likely to have been an accident. Shklyarov won several prestigious awards for his performances in classic ballets including The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and Manon, and had regularly toured internationally.

Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine, Shklyarov criticized Russia ordering troops into Ukraine in a now-deleted post on social media. Unlike other performers such as Olga Smirnova, a prima ballerina at Moscow’s Bolshoi who left the country in protest, Shklyarov stayed in Russia and continued performing with the Mariinsky under its pro-Kremlin leadership. — AFP