Bolshoi dancer Iwata receives Russian award

The Yomiuri Shimbun

MOSCOW--Ballet dancer Morihiro Iwata, a Japanese soloist of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday for his contribution to cultural exchange between Japan and Russia.

At the award ceremony, Iwata, 39, was praised by the president for speaking beautiful Russian.

Iwata, originally from Yokohama, flew to the then Soviet Union to train as a dancer and joined the Bolshoi troupe in 1995.

In 2003, he became the first foreigner in the troupe to be named first soloist and drew public attention last year by choreographing and staging an original ballet performance.