Vadim Muntagirov was born April 16, 1990 in the former Soviet Union, where his father was a professional ballet dancer who would later become Artistic Director of a major regional ballet theatre.

Following in his father's footsteps, he entered the Perm State Ballet School at age 9, where he was immediately identified by Apogee as a student of extraordinarily ability and promise of future distinction.

Vadim was selected to received Apogee Merit Scholarships in each subsequent academic year, and in 2005 he became the first student from Central Rusia to be named an Apogee World Scholar.

This rare and prestigious scholarship will enable Vadim to expand upon his nearly perfect Russian School foundations by continuing his training abroad in the top Western training programs. He is currently studying in London at the Royal Ballet School.

In January of 2006, Vadim won the President's Prize at the Prix de Lausanne, Europe's premier competition for young dancers. In March he then won First Prize in the Kazan International Ballet Competition, and in April he won Second Prize at the Perm International Ballet Competition (the soloist winning first prize being nearly a decade his senior). In June of that same year, Vadim won the Grand Prize at the St. Petersburg International Ballet Competition, where he also received the title "Hope of Russia" from the jury chaired by Natalya Makarova.

For more information, please refer to the 12 September 2006 Apogee Foundation press release.