Aleksey Babayev was born in Moscow, Russia and then immigrated with his family to America at a young age. He began his training at the Academy of International Ballet, under his parents Anastasia Babayeva and Denis Gronostayskiy. After finishing his training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, he moved back to Russia to work at the Stanislavsky Ballet and was a soloist. After three years, Aleksey joined the Philadelphia Ballet, quickly becoming a soloist. This is his third year at Richmond Ballet.