The message reads, in part:

“An outstanding ballet dancer, you were the Bolshoi Theatre’s principal dancer for many years. The leading roles that you brilliantly performed in the ballets Swan Lake, Giselle, Spartacus and The Sleeping Beauty, have become classics of the art of choreography.

“You are esteemed by your colleagues as a wonderful teacher, who has educated an array of renowned dancers and passed on the love of ballet to his talented sons, Alexei and Alexander.”