Cristina Terentiev, prima ballerina of the National Opera and Ballet Theater, won the gold medal at the 23rd International Ballet Competition in the Bulgarian city of Varna, Info-Prim Neo reports. Considered to be among the top-five ballet events in the world, the Varna Competition has gained the fame of Europe's most significant tournament of the kind. At the same competition, our ballerina was also awarded with the special prize “Varna – Europe's Cultural Capital 2019” and with a prize from sponsors. At a news conference in Chisinau on September 4, Cristina Terentiev said she was extremely happy with the result, adding that just to be on the stage in Varna, a stage which hosted all the stars of the world's ballet, is a tremendous experience for any ballet dancer. Cristina together with her partner in life and onstage, Alexei Terentiev, performed at the competition three classical pieces (pas-de-deux) from “Don Quijote”, “Corsar”, “The Nutcracker”, and two contemporary pieces – “Lullaby” and “Dancing Pergolesi” – specially created for them by Moldovan choreographer Radu Poclitaru. These two dances brought Poclitaru the gold medal for the best contemporary dance composition. Alexei Terentiev was awarded the special prize “The Best Partner”. Alexei explained he wasn't able to compete due to the age limit of 26 years, but he tried his best to help his wife and partner win this very important prize in her career. The competition brought together 300 ballet dancers from 23 countries, which amounted to a very tough competition, according to the Moldovan couple. They said the toughest competition came from the duets from Asian countries, which have started to invest a lot of money in ballet. In fact, silver went to a Korean couple and bronze to a Chinese one. At the same conference, National Opera and Ballet Theater's general director Andrei Lozovan stated that the victory won by Cristina and Alexei Terentiev has confirmed the value and the great potential of the Moldovan ballet school. Cristina Terentiev, 25, can boast a multitude of prizes won at national and international competitions. Her most recent and major success was the Grand-Prix of the Vienna International Ballet Competition in 2007.