Tomiris Akyn Receives Three Awards at the Maria International Competition for Young Choreographers

Dear friends,

We are delighted to share some wonderful news with you.

On April 13, 2026, the 17th International Competition for Young Choreographers Maria, named after Rostislav Vladimirovich Zakharov, came to a close. The Educational Theatre of GITIS hosted the official award ceremony for the laureates, followed by a gala concert featuring the competition’s finest performances.

This year, Maria brought together participants from Russia and Kazakhstan, who presented 72 performances over the course of two competition days.

Tomiris Akyn, a ballet artist of the Abay Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre (from the studio of Gulzhan Usambekovna Tutkibayeva, People’s Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan), received three awards:

— Second Prize Laureate
— Diploma for Preserving the Traditions of Classical Dance
— Prize of GITIS Rector Grigory Zaslavsky

We warmly congratulate Tomiris Akyn and Gulzhan Usambekovna Tutkibayeva on these high honors and wish them continued artistic inspiration and many new achievements!