Kaloyan Boyadjiev was born in Sofia in 1977. He began his ballet training at the National Ballet School in Sofia, Bulgaria, studying under Maria Stefanova and Ilian Drangadjov from 1986 to 1995. During his years of study, he performed with Ballet Arabesque, Amarant Dance Studio, and the National Opera and Ballet in Sofia. In 1995, he started his professional career at The State Theater Ballet in Pretoria, South Africa, where he danced until 2000 as a Senior Soloist. Following that, from 2000 to 2002, he worked as a Soloist at the National Opera and Ballet in Sofia.
Kaloyan Boyadjiev then joined the Norwegian National Ballet in 2002 as a Principal Dancer, where he remained until his retirement in 2019. In 2015, he was appointed as the Director of the Norwegian National Ballet 2 by Artistic Director Ingrid Lorentzen, a position he held until 2018. Since 2019, he has served as the Ballet Master for the main company of the Norwegian National Ballet.
Throughout his career, Boyadjiev has performed numerous soloist and principal roles in various ballets, including Romeo and Mercurio in Romeo and Juliet (Michael Corder); Basilio in Don Quixote (Nureyev, Lukanov - Petipa); James in La Sylphide (Bjorn - Burnovil); Colas in La Fille mal Gardée (Ashton); Albert in Giselle (Petipa); John in Zorba the Greek (Massine); Lucentio in Taming of the Shrew (Cranko); Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker (Grigarovich, Bjorn); Gennaro in Napoli (Burnovil); Bronze Idol in La Bayadèr (Petipa); Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (Neumeier); The Merry Widow (Hinde); Cassio in Othello (Ljubovic); Lysander and Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream (Ashton, Sunda); Jester in Cinderella (Ashton) and (Stevenson); Blue Bird Pas De Deux in Sleeping Beauty (Petipa); Jester and Pas De Trois in Swan Lake ( Petipa ); Bella Figura, Wings of Wax, Stepping Stones, Soldiers`mass, Tar and Feathers, No More Play, Gods and Dogs; 27`52”; Last Touch First; Sweet Dreams (Kylian); Softly as I leave you, Shangri-La, Start to Finish, Same Difference, Safe of Houses (Lightfoot - Leon) ; Workwithinwork, The Second Detail; The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Limbs Theorem; Steptext; One Flat Thing (Forsythe); Por vos muero, White Darkness; Without Words; Multiplicity, Form of Silence and Emtiness (Duato); Ariel in the Storm; Victim Rite of Spring; Soloist in the Arena (Glen Tetley); Rubies, Crystal Palace, Them and Variations , Agon , Four temperament; Symphony in three movements; Ballet Imperial, Who Cares (Balanchine)
Kaloyan Boyadjiev has had the privilege of working with renowned choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, Paul Lightfoot, Sol Leon, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, La Lubovich, David Dawson, Christopher Wheeldon, Ben Stevenson, and Rudi van Dantzing.
His exceptional talent has been recognized with several accolades throughout his career. He was a finalist at the 1994 Paris International Ballet Competition and received the Prize for a Best Contemporary Dancer at the Ballet Competition in Pretoria in 1997. Boyadjiev was also nominated for the Crystal Lyre in Sofia in 2001 and received the Vita Award for Ballet in South Africa in both 1998 and 1999.
Not only a remarkable dancer, Boyadjiev has also delved into the world of choreography. His choreographic work has garnered recognition, including prizes from the Pretty Creative International Choreographic Competition in 2019 in Portland, USA. He was the winner of the Grand Prix at the Emergent Choreographic Competition in Biarritz in 2022. Additionally, his choreography for "Nutcracker" earned him a nomination for Best Premier in 2016 by Dancing Times in Great Britain. Kaloyan Boyadjiev's talent and creativity continue to captivate audiences and earn him well-deserved acclaim in the world of dance.
Choreographic works:
- Millenium - National Choreography Competition SA 1998
- Mona Lisa - National Choreography Competition SA 1999
- Kopano - South African Ballet Theater 2000
- Open for Discussion - Norwegian National Ballet 2005
- Roundabout - Norwegian National Ballet 2006
- Lost in Time - Norwegian National Ballet 2009
- Frozen Silence - Norwegian National Ballet 2010
- Different Trains - Norwegian National Ballet 2014
- Reenter - Cesar Corrales Youth Grand Prix in New York
- Fade in Black - Norwegian National Ballet 2012
- Fade in Black, (adapted version) - Delattre Dance Company 2016
- He worked as a choreographer at the National Theatre in Oslo with Liv Ullmann over staging of "Uncle Vanya" - 2012
- Different Future - Fukuoka Ballet Festival Japan 2016
- Picture Perfect - Norwegian National Ballet 2. 2016
- The Nutcracker - Norwegian National Ballet 2016
- Hedda Gabler (group scenes) - Norwegian National Ballet 2018
- Sororibus - Norwegian National Ballet RAW 2019
- Fair Enough - Norwegian National Ballet 2020
- A Midnight Sun’s Dream - Norwegian National Ballet 2022
- Hair - Norwegian National Ballet RAW 2023
- Home - Metzzo 25th Anniversary Gala, Cirque d´Hiver, Paris 2023
