Renowned ballet dancer, choreographer, and pedagogue Denis Matvienko will assume the position of Director of Ballet at the Croatian National Theatre in Split on February 1, 2025.

Ukrainian ballet dancer Denis Matvienko was trained at the Kyiv State Choreographic School (1987-1997). He continued his education at the International Slavic University in Ukraine (2005-2007), where he trained as a choreography tutor and teacher.

He began his dance career as a soloist at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. He was a principal dancer at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv from 2002 to 2007. He continued at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and later at the Mariinsky Theatre from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2016. He also served as the Artistic Director of the Ballet at the Ukrainian National Opera (2013-2016), the Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (2020-2022), and as an Assistant Professor in the Classical Ballet and Pas de deux Department at the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg.

He danced all the principal roles of the classical ballet repertoire and in ballet creations by renowned choreographers such as G. Balanchine, J. Robins, W. Forsythe, R. Petty, F. Ashton, Y. Grigorovich, A. Gorsky, M. Petipa, N. Makarova, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, V. Chabukiani, E. Klug, N. Duato, A. Ratmansky, H. Lander, C. Wheeldon, M. Bigonzetti, R. Nureyev, P. Lacotte, and D. Rhoden.

He appeared as a guest principal dancer at the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Japan (2000-2015), the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia (2005-2008), Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy (2007-2009), Opéra de Paris, France (2007), the American Ballet Theatre in New York, USA (2012-2013), and the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia (2009-2022).

He participated in the "Kings of Dance" project alongside distinguished dancers such as M. Gomes, D. Hallberg, R. Bolle, N. Tsiskaridze, G. Kot, L. Sarafanov, I. Vasiliev, F. Vogel, Joaquin de Luz, and A. Corella.

He has toured and performed multiple times with renowned Russian theaters in London (Covent Garden, Coliseum Theatre).

He co-created, produced, and performed the title role in the ballet performance "The Great Gatsby," choreographed by Dwight Rhoden (2014), presented in over 35 theaters across Europe and the Middle East.

He was also the author and co-creator of the annual "Ballet of the Future" project in St. Petersburg (2020). The project successfully featured graduates from ballet schools and young ballet dancers for three consecutive years. This ballet casting project was created to provide work for beginners and young dancers. Among the selectors of the project were directors and representatives from theaters such as the Finnish National Opera and Ballet (Helsinki), Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Royal Swedish National Opera (Stockholm), Polish National Ballet (Warsaw), Mariinsky Theatre, Mikhailovsky Theatre (St. Petersburg), Dortmund Ballet Theatre (Germany), Boris Eifman Ballet, and many other Russian theaters.

He was also the author and co-creator of the "Ballet Stage" platform, which united Ukrainian ballet artists affected by the shocking events in Ukraine. The platform established a network of global contacts in the ballet industry (theaters, schools, brands, and artists) who were ready to support Ukrainian ballet artists and students.

Denis Matvienko, an Honored Artist of Ukraine (2006), has received several other prestigious awards and honors. He won the Grand Prix at the 4th International Ballet Competition in Luxembourg (1997) and the 3rd International Rudolf Nureyev Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary (1998). He also won a gold medal and the "Vaslav Nijinsky" prize at the 3rd International Contemporary and Classical Choreography Competition in Nagoya, Japan (1999), the Grand Prix at the 10th International Ballet and Choreography Competition in Moscow (2005), and the "Spirit of Dance" award in the Star category (2008). He received a medal from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan for his achievements in culture (2009) and the "Dance Open" International Ballet Prize in the "Best Partners" category (2011).