Obituary: Soviet ballerina Ninel Petrova, Ron Cunningham - former Sacrament Ballet artistic director
- Ikuko
- Mar 21
- 1 min read
Soviet era ballerina Ninel Aleksandrovna Petrova passed away on 7th March 2026, the Mariisnky Theatre announced on the same day. Petrova was 101 years old. She was a student of Agrippina Vaganova. After graduating from then the Leningrad Choreographic School in Russia in 1944, she joined the Kirov Theatre, the predecessor of the Mariinsky Theatre, and danced until 1968. She later dedicated herself to teaching.
The Sacrament Ballet said on 10th March 2026 that its former artistic director, Ron Cunningham, passed away. According to the Sacrament Bee news, Cunningham passed away on 7th March and he was 86 years old. Following his career as as a ballet dancer with many companies, including the Boston Ballet, he was appointed as The Sacrament Ballet's artistic director in 1988, when the company was transitioning from a small regional company in northern California to a major professional ballet company. He held the position until 2018.
