Vladimir M. Zakharov was born on 5 July 1946 in a small Russian village of Murzitsy in the
Sechenovsky District. From 1960 to 1964 he studied at Choreography Department of Kaliningrad(Sovetsk-town) Regional College of Culture. After he had graduated from the college, he studied several years at Leningrad. After graduating from the Institute in 1969, he started his professional career as Chief Choreographer with Volzhsky National Russian Folk Choir in Kuybishev city (now
Samara city) on the
Volga River. From 1970 until his death in 2013, Vladimir Zakharov successfully developed his career in choreography and ballet education. For three years (1970–1973) he worked as choreography coach at the College of Arts in
Kirov city (now
Vyatka city). In 1974 he staged choreography pieces for Ossetian Dance Group "Alan" in Ordzhonikidze (now Vladikavkaz). From 1973-1974 he was teaching choreography at Samara University of Culture. He also started his career as ballet administrator with the Ministry of
Culture of Russia (1974–1975). From 1975 to 1980 Vladimir worked as a Chief Choreographer of the
Soviet Army Dance and Song Theatre in
Dresden,
East Germany. It was in 1980 when he created together with famous singer Alexandra Prokoshina, the Russian
Folk Dance and Song Group "Iskorka" (i.e. "sparkly" ) in Kotelnichesky oblast(region) of Vyatka-city. He worked with Iskorka till 1986. At the same time (1986–1988), Vladimir Zakharov headed and administrated national choreography at Rosconcert (i.e.all Russian concert - organizing administration) in Moscow. At that time he was recognized as one of the leading Russian national choreographers: he was merited by his first national title of "Honoured Artist of Russia" and staged the official government concert at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses in 1987. In 1988 Vladimir Zakharov founded his theatre of dance "GZHEL" (now Moscow National Academic Theatre of Dance "GZHEL"). Since that time, his creative spirit and ideas, professional career, administrative skills, profound cultural knowledge and high educational mastercraft in ballet and choreography - he devoted to the Theatre of Dance Gzhel, to young ballet "sparkles" formation through the Ballet Academy he established under the Theatre Gzhel and to the global promotion of Russian Ballet and Russian National Culture and Traditions. • In 1994, he created University of Dance under the State Academy of Slavic Culture and became a Dean. • In 1998, he founded Moscow Ballet Academy Gzhel under the Theatre of Dance Gzhel. • Due to his academic efforts, in 1999 the Theatre was awarded by the Government the title "Academic" for achievements in ballet and choreography education. • In 2010, he founded a new Classical Ballet Group "Divertissement" under the Theatre of Dance Gzhel.
Death On 14 July 2013, Zakharov died at the age of 67. == Awards and titles ==