CPPM OPEN CLASS: SASHA PEPELYAEV • CPPM OPEN CLASS 2025

A distinguished director and choreographer, Sasha Pepelyaev’s artistic journey began in secondary school drama classes and deepened during his studies at Moscow University, where he discovered pantomime. His early career saw him perform as a mime soloist at the Taganka Theatre and the Moscow Concert Agency, laying a strong foundation for his later achievements.

In 1984, Sasha Pepelyaev became the artistic director at the mime studio of Moscow State University. With the onset of perestroika in 1987, his studio evolved into one of Moscow’s first independent theatre studios, giving rise to the company “Poor Yorik.” During this transformative period, he also refined his craft at the State Institute of Theatrical Arts over a four-year course in drama.

After “Poor Yorik” closed in 1990, Sasha expanded his artistic pursuits, working as a director and choreographer in diverse settings—from circus and television to drama theatres in Moscow and abroad. His career was enriched by extensive travel to Western Europe, participation in innovative theatre dance projects, and studies in dance in Amsterdam. In 1994, he launched the project “The Kinetic Theater” in Moscow, which marked the beginning of a series of experimental works aimed at redefining contemporary Russian dance through a fusion of postmodern texts, contemporary dance, and traditional Russian dramatic styles.

As the founder and artistic director of the contemporary dance company KINETIC (1994–2014), Sasha Pepelyaev has crafted numerous groundbreaking works that have been showcased at festivals across Russia, Europe, the USA, and Israel, as well as featured on international television. A graduate of both Moscow State University and the State Institute of Theatrical Arts, he has also enriched almost 80 original productions as a guest choreographer and director, and led workshops at prestigious institutions including the American Dance Festival, Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and Helsinki Theatre Academy.

His innovative work has earned him several notable awards: the Prix d’Auteur for the choreography of “The View of Russian Grave from Germany” at the Rencontres Choregraphique Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis (France) in 1998; the Annual Prize of Theatre (Estonia) for “Swan Lake” in 2003; the Choreographer/Creator Award at THE BESSIES for “Swan Lake” during 2003–2004 by the New York Dance and Performance Awards Committee; and the GOLDEN MASK award in Russia for “CAFE IDIOT,” recognized as the best performance of contemporary dance in 2016. Since 2006, his creative focus has shifted towards integrating dance, visual theatre, and interactive video — a trend that continues to influence his work since he began living and working in Estonia in 2020.