Ballerinas of the 20th century. Famous ballerinas and longevity

Ballet is called an integral part of the art of our country. Russian ballet is considered the most authoritative in the world, the standard. This review contains the success stories of five great Russian ballerinas, which they still look up to today.

Anna Pavlova

What is curious is that the aspiring ballerina was not placed in the corps de ballet, but immediately began to give her responsible roles in productions. Anna Pavlova danced under the direction of several choreographers, but the most successful and fruitful tandem, which had a fundamental influence on her performance style, was with Mikhail Fokin.

Galina Ulanova

After graduating from the choreographic technical school in 1928, Ulanova was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. From the very first performances, the young ballerina attracted the attention of spectators and critics. A year later, Ulanova was entrusted with performing the leading role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. Giselle is considered one of the ballerina’s triumphant roles. Performing the scene of the heroine's madness, Galina Ulanova did it so soulfully and selflessly that even the men in the audience could not hold back their tears.

Galina Ulanova danced on stage until she was 50 years old. She was always strict and demanding of herself. Even in old age, the ballerina began every morning with classes and weighed 49 kg.

Olga Lepeshinskaya

Olga Lepeshinskaya easily coped with both ballet classics (“ Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty"), and with modern productions(“Red Poppy”, “Flame of Paris”.) During the Great Patriotic War Lepeshinskaya fearlessly performed at the front, raising the morale of the soldiers.

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Olga Lepeshinskaya -
ballerina with a passionate temperament. | Photo: www.etoretro.ru.

Maya Plisetskaya

Aunt Plisetskaya was a ballerina Bolshoi Theater, so Maya also began to attend choreography classes. The girl achieved great success in this field and after graduating from college she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe.

After the ballerina was fired from the Bolshoi Theater in 1990, she did not despair and continued to give solo performances. The overflowing energy allowed Plisetskaya to make her debut in the production of “Ave Maya” on her 70th birthday.

Lyudmila Semenyaka

Semenyaka coped with any part so naturally and effortlessly that from the outside it seemed as if she was not making any effort, but was simply enjoying the dance. In 1976, Lyudmila Ivanovna was awarded the Anna Pavlova Prize from the Paris Academy of Dance.

But he mastered the art of ballet in Russia, and most of life performed in the USA.

1881 in St. Petersburg. The girl was illegitimate, her mother worked as a maid for the famous banker Lazar Polyakov, he is considered the father of the child. The financier himself did not admit his involvement in her birth, but did not object to the girl being recorded as Anna Lazarevna.

Anya’s mother left Polyakov’s house with the child in her arms and settled in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. The girl grew up and developed under the supervision of her mother, who tried in every possible way to instill in her daughter a love of art.

Creative biography of Anna Pavlova

One day my mother took Anya to the Mariinsky Theater. They showed "The Sleeping Beauty" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. With the first sounds of the orchestra, Anya became silent. Then she watched the ballet without stopping, holding her breath, her heart trembling with delight, as if touching something beautiful.

In the second act, boys and girls danced a waltz on stage.

Would you like to dance like this? - Anya’s mother asked during intermission, referring to the corps de ballet dance.

No... I want to dance the way the sleeping beauty did... - the girl answered.

After visiting fabulous place under the name of the Mariinsky Theater, Anya began to dream of ballet. All conversations in the house from now on were only on the topic choreographic art, the girl danced in front of the mirror from morning to night, went to bed and got up with the thought of ballet. The hobby did not look childish at all; dancing became a part of her life.

The mother, seeing this, took Anya to the ballet school. At that time, the girl was barely eight years old. The teachers advised her to come back in two years, noting Anya’s undoubted abilities. In 1891 future ballerina was admitted to the St. Petersburg School theatrical arts to the ballet department.

The studies were Spartan in nature, everything was subject to the strictest discipline, classes lasted eight hours a day. But in 1898 Anna graduated from college with honors. The graduation performance was called “Imaginary Dryads”, in which the girl danced the role of the butler’s daughter.

Anna was immediately accepted into the Mariinsky Theater. Her debut took place in the ballet "Vain Precaution" in the pas de trois (dance of three). Two years later, Anna Pavlova danced main party staged to the music of Cesar Pugni "Pharaoh's Daughter". Then the aspiring ballerina performed as Nikia in La Bayadère, which was choreographed by Marius Petipa himself, the patriarch of Russian ballet. In 1903, Pavlova already performed in leading role in the ballet "Giselle".

Development

In 1906, Anna was appointed leading dancer of the Mariinsky Theater ballet troupe. It's begun in earnest creative work to search for new forms. Russian ballet required updating, and Pavlova managed to create several images in the spirit of modernity, collaborating with the innovative choreographer Alexander Gorsky, who sought to dramatize the plot and was a staunch supporter of some tragedy in dance.

Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Fokin

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian ballet was influenced by reform movements. One of the most ardent supporters of radical changes in ballet art was choreographer Mikhail Fokin. He abandoned the traditional separation of dance from pantomime. The next goal of the reformer Fokine was to abolish the use of ready-made forms, movements and combinations in ballet. He proposed improvisation in dance as the basis of all ballet art.

Anna Pavlova was the first performer of the main roles in the productions. These were “Egyptian Nights”, “Berenice”, “Chopiniana”, “The Grapevine”, “Eunice”, “Pavilion of Armida”. But the main result of the collaboration was the ballet “The Dying Swan” to the music of Saint-Saëns, which was destined to become one of the symbols of Russian ballet of the 20th century. The history of the ballerina Pavlova is inextricably linked with this masterpiece of choreography. The ballet scene about the dying swan shocked the whole world.

In December 1907, at one of the charity concerts Anna Pavlova performed "The Dying Swan". Composer Camille Saint-Saëns, who was present, was shocked by the interpretation of his music and expressed deep admiration for the talented performance of the miniature. He personally thanked the ballerina for the pleasure she had given, kneeling down and saying: “Thanks to you, I realized that I managed to write wonderful music.”

The best ballerinas on all continents tried to perform the famous ballet miniature. After Anna Pavlova, Maya Plisetskaya succeeded in doing this to the fullest.

Foreign tours

In 1907 the Imperial Mariinsky Theater went abroad. The performances took place in Stockholm. Soon after returning to Russia, Anna Pavlova, a world-famous ballerina, left her native theater, suffering significantly financially, since she had to pay a huge penalty for breaking the contract. However, this did not stop the dancer.

Personal life

Anna Pavlova, ballerina with extensive creative plans, went to Paris, where she began participating in “Russian Seasons” and soon became the star of the project. Then she met Victor Dandre, a great connoisseur of ballet art, who immediately took Anna under his patronage, rented her an apartment in a Parisian suburb, and equipped her with a dance class. However, all this was quite expensive, and Dandre squandered government money, for which he was arrested and put on trial.

Then Pavlova Anna Pavlovna entered into a very expensive but enslaving contract with the London agency "Braff", under the terms of which she had to perform daily, twice a day. The money received helped free Victor Dandre from prison, as his debts were paid off. The lovers got married in one of the Parisian Orthodox churches.

Swans in the life of a ballerina

After Pavlova partially worked under a contract with the Braff agency, she created her own ballet troupe and began performing triumphantly in France and Great Britain. Having paid the agency in full, Anna Pavlova, personal life which had already been established, settled with Dandre in London. Their home was the Ivy House mansion with a pond nearby where beautiful white swans lived. From now on, Anna Pavlova’s life was inextricably linked with this wonderful house and with noble birds. The ballerina found peace by communicating with the swans.

Further creativity

Pavlova Anna Pavlovna, an active nature, hatched plans in her own way creative development. Her husband, fortunately, suddenly discovered an ability to produce and began promoting his wife’s career. He became the official impresario of Anna Pavlova, and great ballerina I no longer had to worry about my future; it was in good hands.

In 1913 and 1914, the dancer performed in Moscow and St. Petersburg, including the Mariinsky Theater, where she danced the role of Nikiya for the last time. In Moscow, Anna Pavlova appeared on the stage of the Mirror Theater in the Hermitage Garden. After this performance, she went on a long tour of Europe. This was followed by months of tours in the USA, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Then, after a short break, Dandre organized a tour of Australia and Asian countries.

Commitment to reform

Even in the first years of work at the Mariinsky Theater, after graduating from college, Anna Pavlova felt the potential for changing the established canons in ballet art. The young ballerina felt an urgent need for change. It seemed to her that choreography could be expanded and enriched through new forms. The classics of the genre seemed to be something outdated, requiring a radical update.

Rehearsing my part in " Vain precaution", Pavlova suggested that Marius Petipa take a revolutionary step and replace the short crinoline skirt with a long, tight-fitting tunic, citing the famous Mary Taglioni, a representative of the ballet of the Romantic era, who introduced the ballet tutu and pointe shoes into use, and then abandoned short skirt in favor of flowing clothes.

Choreographer Petipa listened to Anna's opinion, they changed her clothes, and Marius watched the dance from beginning to end. After that, she became an attribute of performances like “Swan Lake”, where short skirt appropriate for the production style. Many considered the introduction of the tunic as the main type of ballet clothing to be a violation of the canons, but nevertheless, the ballerina’s long, flowing clothing was later noted in art ballet costume as a necessary part of the performance.

Creativity and controversy

Anna Pavlova herself called herself a pioneer and reformer. She was proud that she had managed to give up the "tu-tu" (crinoline skirt) and dress more appropriately. She had to argue for a long time with connoisseurs of traditional ballet and prove that tutu Not suitable for all performances. And what theatrical costumes should be selected in accordance with what is happening on stage, and not for the sake of classical canons.

Pavlova's opponents argued that open legs were primarily a demonstration of dance technique. Anna agreed, but at the same time spoke out for greater freedom in choosing a costume. She believed that crinoline had long become an academic attribute and was not at all conducive to creativity. Formally, both sides were right, however last word decided to leave it to the public.

Anna Pavlova regretted only one drawback of long clothes - the tunic deprived the ballerina of her “frailty.” She came up with this word herself; the term meant that the folds constrained the flying movements of the body, or rather, they hid the flight itself. But then Anna learned to use this flaw. The ballerina invited her partner to throw her a little higher than usual, and everything fell into place. The required freedom of movement and grace appeared in the dance.

Serge Lifar: impressions

“I have never seen such divine lightness, weightless airiness and such graceful movements.” So wrote the largest French choreographer Serge Lifar about his meeting with Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.

"From the first minute I was captivated by the nature of her plasticity, she danced as if she was breathing, easily and naturally. There was no desire for proper ballet, fouette, or virtuoso tricks. Only natural beauty natural body movements and airiness, airiness..."

“I saw in Pavlova not a ballerina, but a genius of dance. She raised me from the ground up, I could neither reason nor evaluate. There were no shortcomings, just as a deity cannot have them.”

Touring and statistics

Anna Pavlova was active tour life for 22 years. During this period, she took part in nine thousand performances, two thirds of which were performed in the main roles. Moving from city to city, the ballerina traveled at least 500 thousand kilometers by train. Italian master for the production of ballet shoes, he sewed two thousand pairs of pointe shoes a year for Anna Pavlova.

In between tours, the ballerina rested with her husband in her house, among tame swans, in the shade of trees, near clean pond. On one of these visits, Dandre invited famous photographer Lafayette, and he took a series of photographs of Anna Pavlova with her favorite swan. Today these photographs are perceived as a memory of the great ballerina of the 20th century.

In Australia, in honor of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, it was invented from exotic fruits with the addition of meringue. By the way, New Zealanders claim that they created the fruit treat.

Once Anna Pavlova danced on theater stage popular mexican folk dance"jarabe tapatio", which means "dance with a hat", in its interpretation. Enthusiastic Mexicans threw hats at the ballerina and the entire stage. And in 1924 this dance was announced national dance Mexican Republic.

In China, Anna Pavlova surprised the audience by dancing 37 fouettés non-stop on a small platform mounted on the back of an elephant walking across the field.

Dutch flower growers grew a special variety of snow-white tulips, which received the name of the great ballerina Anna Pavlova. Graceful flowers on thin stems symbolize grace.

Several different monuments dedicated to the ballerina were erected in London. Each of them relates to a certain period of her life. Three monuments are erected near the Ivy House, where Pavlova lived most of her life.

Anna was distinguished by a rare love of humanity, she was involved in charity work, and opened several orphanages and shelters for homeless children. Girls and boys from the guests of these institutions who had the ability to dance were selected and sent to the school of children's choreography, opened in the Ivy House.

A separate act of Anna Pavlova’s charity was her assistance to the starving people of the Volga region. In addition, on her behalf, parcels were regularly sent to the St. Petersburg Ballet School.

The death of a great dancer

Anna Pavlova died of pneumonia on January 23, 1931 in the city of The Hague, during a tour. The ballerina caught a cold during a rehearsal in a cold hall. Her ashes are in the Golders Green Columbarium in London. The urn is located next to the remains of her husband Victor Dandre.

Film created in memory of Anna Pavlova

The life and fate of the world-famous ballerina was reflected in a five-part television film, based on the script by Emil Loteanu.

The film story tells about the short but eventful life of the great ballerina and wonderful person according to Pavlova. 1983, the time the series was released, was the year of the 102nd anniversary of the dancer’s birth. The film features many characters, and the role of Pavlova was played by the actress

Famous ballerinas of the Russian school of ballet of the 19th century

The history of ballet in Russia begins in the 30s of the 18th century. In 1731, the Land Noble Corps was opened in St. Petersburg. Since graduates of the corps in the future were expected to occupy high government positions and needed knowledge of secular manners, the study fine arts, including ballroom dance, a significant space was allocated in the building.

Jean Baptiste Lande, who is considered the founder of Russian ballet art, became the dance master of the corps in 1734.

Jean Baptiste Lande, unknown

In 1738 Jean Baptiste Landais The first ballet school in Russia was opened - Dance Eya Imperial Majesty school (now the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova). Ballet in Russia gradually developed and in 1794, productions began by the first Russian-born choreographer. Ivan Valberkh.

Pushkinsky Petersburg. A.M. Gordin

Under Paul I, special rules for ballet were issued - it was ordered that there should not be a single man on stage during the performance and male roles at that time should be performed by women, for example, Evgenia Ivanovna Kolosova (1780-1869). Kolosova was one of the first to perform Russian dances on the ballet stage. Another innovation of hers was that she replaced the lush stylized costume with an antique chiton.

Evgenia Kolosova (1782-1869), Alexander Grigorievich Varnek

Ballet dancer and choreographer Adam Glushkovsky wrote about Kolosova: “I have been following the art of dance for more than forty years, I have seen many famous ballet artists coming to Russia, but in none of them have I seen such talent as that possessed by Evgenia Ivanovna Kolosova, a dancer of the St. Petersburg theater. Every movement. her faces and every gesture were so natural and understandable that they decisively replaced speech for the viewer.” Evgenia Kolosova was on stage from 1794 to 1826, after which she took up pedagogical activity.

Evgenia (Evdokia) Ivanovna Kolosova (1782-1869)

One of Evgenia Kolosova’s students was Avdotya (Evdokia) Ilyinichna Istomina (1799-1848), sung by Pushkin in “Eugene Onegin”:

Avdotya Ilyinichna Istomina (1799-1848)

Avdotya Ilyinichna Istomina (1799-1848), Henri-François Riesener

The theater is already full; the boxes shine;

The stalls and the chairs, everything is boiling;

In paradise they splash impatiently,

And, rising, the curtain makes noise.

Brilliant, half-airy,

I obey the magic bow,

Surrounded by a crowd of nymphs,

Worth Istomin; she,

One foot touching the floor,

The other slowly circles,

And suddenly he jumps, and suddenly he flies,

Flies like feathers from the lips of Aeolus;

Now the camp will sow, then it will develop,

And with a quick foot he hits the leg.

Portrait of A.I. Istomina. Pushkin Museum, A(?). Winterhalter.

Another famous ballerina of those years was Maria Ivanovna Danilova (1793-1810), whose creative path was cut short by death from tuberculosis at the age of 17 years.

Maria Ivanovna Danilova

Historians are still arguing about which Russian ballerina was the first to dance on pointe shoes (leaning only on the tips of her toes). Some believe that it was Maria Danilova, others are of the opinion that it was Avdotya Istomina.

Another student of Evgenia Kolosova was Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Telesheva (1804-1857).

Portrait of E.A. Telesheva as Louise from the ballet “The Deserter” to the music of P.A. Monsigny, Pietro de Rossi Pietro de Rossi (1761-1831)

One of her contemporaries wrote about her: “With the most charming appearance, she had so many feelings and games that she captivated the most impassive spectator.” Patron and lover, in fact common-law husband Teleshova, was a count, Governor-General of St. Petersburg Mikhail Miloradovich.

Count Mikhail Andreevich Miloradovich, George Dow

Ekaterina Telesheva. Portrait by Orest Kiprensky

Zephyr and Flora

A famous Russian ballerina of the 19th century was (1836-1882). The ballerina's husband was ballet dancer Marius Petipa.

Maria Sergeevna Surovshchikova-Petipa

Maria Sergeevna Surovshchikova-Petipa

"Adele Dumilâtre as Myrtha in Giselle", Bouvier, Jules (1800-1867)

Marius Petipa in the ballet "The Pharaoh's Daughter"

Marius Petipa.

The fruit of the union of the artistic couple Maria Surovshchikova - Marius Petipa was the daughter Maria Mariusovna Petipa (1857-1930), who, like her parents, became a famous ballet dancer. Ballet historian Mikhail Borisoglebsky wrote about her: “Happy” stage fate“, great figure, support famous father made her an indispensable performer character dances, a first-rate ballerina, diverse in her repertoire."

Maria Mariusovna Petipa

Maria Mariusovna Petipa

For 17 years (from 1861 to 1878) she performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Matilda Nikolaevna Madaeva(stage name Matryona Tikhonovna). Big scandal in St. Petersburg society became her marriage with Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn, a representative of one of the most noble Russian births, an officer who rose to the rank of Adjutant General of His Majesty's Suite.

Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1840-1918) - cavalry general

This marriage was considered a misalliance, since the spouses came from different classes, and according to the laws of the 19th century, officers of the imperial army could not be members of official marriage with people from lower classes. The prince chose to resign, making a choice in favor of his family.

Scenery and costumes by A. Benois for the ballet Giselle

A prominent representative of the Moscow school of ballet of the 19th century was Praskovya Prokhorovna Lebedeva (1839-1917), who was the leading dancer of the Bolshoi Theater for 10 years.

Cambon, Charles-Antoine (1802-1875). Dessinateur

Another famous ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater was Lydia Nikolaevna Gaten (1857-1920).

For two decades, Gaten danced almost all the female roles, without having any rivals on the Bolshoi stage. In 1883 ballet troupe The Bolshoi Theater was significantly downsized, but Gaten refused offers to move to St. Petersburg theaters in order to preserve the traditions of Moscow ballet. After leaving the stage, Gaten taught at the Moscow Choreographic School.

Coppélia 1870 decor

She worked on stage for 30 years (from 1855 to 1885) imperial theaters St. Petersburg Lyubov Petrovna Radina (1838-1917). Contemporaries wrote about her: “She had outstanding success in character dances, requiring fire and passion, but she also excelled in mimic roles.”

Bayadere -Decor Design -Act II -K Brozh -1877

In the 60s of the 19th century she shone on the stages of St. Petersburg, Moscow and Paris Marfa Nikolaevna Muravyova (1838-1879). The Italian choreographer Carlo Blasis wrote that “diamond sparks rain down from under her feet while dancing” and that her “fast and constantly changing pas can involuntarily be compared to a thread of spilling pearls.”

Giselle (A. Benois)

Giselle Queen of the Vintage

From 1859 to 1879 she performed at the Bolshoi Theater Anna Iosifovna Sobeshchanskaya (1842-1918). Yuri Bakhrushin in the book “History of Russian Ballet” wrote: “being a strong dancer and a good actress, Sobeschanskaya was the first to deviate from generally accepted rules and, performing in ballet roles, began to use characteristic makeup. Blazis, who observed Sobeshenskaya at the beginning of her career, wrote that she “she is amazing as a dancer and as a mime” and that in her dances “the soul is visible, she is expressive” and sometimes even reaches the point of “frenzy.” Later, another contemporary asserted that “it is not the difficulty of her jumps and the speed of her turns.” best impression on the viewer, but through the integral creation of a role in which dance is the interpreter of facial expressions.”

(January 31 (February 12) 1881, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire- January 23, 1931, The Hague, the Netherlands) - Russian ballet dancer, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century.

She soon became one of the first Russian film stars, releasing eight films in 1915. After the revolution of 1917, Caralli emigrated, lived in Lithuania, where she taught dance in Kaunas, worked in Romania, and acted in France and Austria. She eventually settled in Vienna, where she gave ballet lessons. Vera Caralli died in Baden, Austria, on November 16, 1972, at the age of eighty. three years. She submitted a petition asking to return to her homeland, on November 1, 1972 she received soviet passport, but two weeks later she was gone.

Matilda Kshesinskaya graduated from the Imperial Theater School in 1890. She danced at the Mariinsky Theater from 1890 to 1917.

Olga Preobrazhenskaya began studying ballet in 1879 under the guidance of Nikolai Legat and Enrico Cecchetti at the Vaganova School. After 10 years, Preobrazhenskaya was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater, where Matilda Kshesinskaya became her main rival. Since 1895, Olga Preobrazhenskaya toured Europe and South America, successfully performed at La Scala. In 1900, Preobrazhenskaya became a prima ballerina. In 1921, Olga Preobrazhenskaya left the USSR; from 1923 she lived in Paris, where she opened a ballet studio and continued her teaching activities for almost 40 years. In addition, Olga Preobrazhenskaya taught in Milan, London, Buenos Aires, and Berlin.
Olga Iosifovna Preobrazhenskaya died in 1962. She was buried in the Cemetery of Saint-Genevieve des Bois.

Lyubov Roslavleva received her choreographic education at the Moscow Theater School from the Spanish choreographer and teacher Jose Mendez. Since 1892, Lyubov Roslavleva performed at the Bolshoi Theater. In 1902, Lyubov Roslavleva took part in tours in Monte Carlo and Warsaw.

At a very young age, Olga Spesivtseva toured with the Diaghilev Russian Ballet in the USA with great success. She was Nijinsky's partner in Les Sylphides and The Specter of the Rose. Since 1918, Olga Spesivtseva became the leading dancer, and since 1920, prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater. Soon after the revolution of 1917, she became the wife of a major Soviet security officer, Boris Kaplun, who helped her emigrate with her mother in 1923 to France, where during 1924-1932. performed at the Paris Grand Opera, becoming the leading guest ballerina of the Paris Opera.

Since 1932, Spesivtseva has been working with Fokine's troupe in Buenos Aires, and in 1934, as a star, she visits Australia as part of Anna Pavlova's former troupe. Last performance Spesivtseva in Paris took place in 1939. After that, she moved to the USA.

In 1943, mental illness worsened, Spesivtseva increasingly lost her memory. Thus ended the career of the great ballerina. From 1943 to 1963 Olga Spesivtseva spent time in a psychiatric hospital, her memory gradually recovered, and the outstanding ballerina recovered. Recent years Olga Spesivtseva spent her life in a boarding house on the farm of the Tolstoy Foundation, Inc., created by the youngest daughter of the writer Leo Tolstoy, Alexandra Lvovna Tolstoy, near New York City.

Olga Spesivtseva

Vera Aleksandrovna Trefilova (in some sources Ivanova; October 8, 1875, Vladikavkaz - July 11, 1943, Paris) - Russian ballet dancer and teacher.

In 1894, Vera Trefilova graduated from the St. Petersburg Theater School (teachers Ekaterina Vazem and Pavel Gerdt). From 1894 to 1910 Vera Trefilova worked at the Mariinsky Theater. After the revolution, Vera Trefilova left the USSR and settled in Paris, where she opened her own ballet school. In 1921-1926. Vera Trefilova danced in Diaghilev's Russian Ballet, performing the main roles in the ballets The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Vision of a Rose. Last time Vera Trefilova danced in 1926 with Diaghilev. Vera Trefilova died on July 11, 1943 in Paris.

Who is the most famous Soviet ballerina? Some will name Maya Plisetskaya, others - still others - Galina Ulanova. All of them were outstanding dancers of the twentieth century. Soviet ballerinas, photos of which are given below, managed to build soviet ballet to unprecedented heights throughout the world. Each of them took their own special path to the pinnacle of fame.

Galina Ulanova

The famous Soviet ballerina was born in St. Petersburg into a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater in 1909. At the age of 9, Galina began studying ballet art at the Petrograd Choreographic School, where her mother worked as a choreographer. She went to classes without much desire, but her innate feeling did not allow her to relax for a long time, and she persistently practiced ballet poses. After graduating from college in 1928, she was accepted into the troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. A year later she was already dancing the leading role in Swan Lake and made a great impression on both ballet critics and the public. They began to talk about her as future star. Until 1944, Galina was the prima of the Kirov Theater. Her repertoire included the roles of Juliet, Giselle, and Masha from “The Nutcracker.” During the Patriotic War, the famous Soviet ballerina, along with the theater troupe, was evacuated to Alma-Ata. In 1943, she was nominated for the title of People's Artist. After the war, Ulanova was transferred to Moscow to the Bolshoi Theater troupe. She was the first Soviet ballerina to tour abroad. She spoke at prestigious ballet scenes European London, Paris, etc. Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova was considered a treasure of world ballet art. Many influential people on the planet sought her favor, but she was unapproachable and reserved. She kept everyone at a certain distance, was not friends with anyone, communicated little, for which she was nicknamed “The Great Mute.” perhaps the most gifted Soviet ballerina from the state. She was awarded the title People's Artist RSFSR and USSR, she became a twice hero Socialist Labor, winner of various prestigious awards. During her lifetime, two monuments were erected to Galina Ulanova: one in her homeland, St. Petersburg, and the other in Stockholm. Galina Ulanova died at the age of 89. Until the end of her life, she looked impeccably elegant, walked in heels and did warm-ups. Her body rests in the Novodevichy cemetery.

Olga Lepeshinskaya

Another famous Soviet ballerina, a noblewoman by birth, was born in Kyiv in 1916. To receive a choreographic education, she and her family moved to Moscow and entered the Moscow Choreographic School. Her innate talent immediately caught the eye of her teachers, and immediately after graduating from college she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe. She performed leading roles in the ballets of P. I. Tchaikovsky: Masha in “The Nutcracker”, Odette - Odile in “Swan Lake”, etc. Her ballet partners were the following famous dancers, like Asaf Messerer, Alexey Ermolaev and Pyotr Gusev. Olga Lepeshinskaya starred in the first Soviet film-ballet “Count Nulin”. After leaving the stage, the great ballerina took up teaching and raised more than one generation of ballerinas. She passed away at the age of 94.

Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya was born into a wealthy Jewish family in 1925 in Moscow. Her father always held responsible government positions, but in 1938 he was charged under the article “Enemy of the People” and executed, and her mother, a silent film actress, was exiled to Kazakhstan. To prevent the girl from ending up in an orphanage, her aunt, an artist of the Bolshoi Theater, adopted Maya. Her uncle - Asaf Messerer - was also famous dancer Bolshoi Theater. So the girl grew up among two artists and became familiar with the art of ballet. Having become a graduate of the Moscow Choreographic School, she entered the service of the Bolshoi Theater. For 5 years, Maya danced minor roles, but after performing the role of Giselle, she became the prima of the Bolshoi Theater. In 1958, the famous Soviet ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and popular composer got married. Maya starred in many Soviet ballet films, and after leaving the stage she became artistic director Rome Opera and Ballet Theater, and then the Madrid Ballet. Today Maya Plisetskaya is the chairman of the annual international ballet award “Maya”.