The most famous Soviet ballerina. Who is she?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Who is the most famous Soviet ballerina? Someone will call Maya Plisetskaya, others - Olga Lepeshinskaya, others - Galina Ulanova. All of them were outstanding dancers of the 20th century. The Soviet ballerinas, whose photos are shown below, with their skill managed to raise the Soviet ballet to an unprecedented height all over the world. Each of them went their own way to the pinnacle of glory.

Galina Ulanova

The famous Soviet ballerina was born in St. Petersburg in a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater in 1909. From the age of 9, Galina began to study ballet at the Petrograd Choreographic School, where her mother worked as a choreographer. She went to classes without much desire, but an 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 taken to the troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theatre. A year later, she already danced the leading part in Swan Lake and made a great impression on both ballet critics and the public. They began to talk about her as a future star. Until 1944, Galina was the prima ballerina of the Kirov Theatre. Her repertoire included the roles of Juliet, Giselle, Masha from The Nutcracker. During the Patriotic War, the famous Soviet ballerina, together with the theater troupe, was evacuated to Alma-Ata. In 1943, she was nominated for the title of People's Artist of the Kazakh SSR. After the war, Ulanov was transferred to Moscow to the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. She was the first of the Soviet ballerinas who made a foreign tour. She performed on reputable ballet stages in European capitals: Vienna, London, Paris, etc. The Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova was considered the property of the world ballet art. Many influential people on the planet sought her favor, but she was impregnable and withdrawn. She kept everyone at a certain distance, did not make friends with anyone, communicated little, for which she was nicknamed the “Great Mute”. Galina Ulanova is perhaps the most gifted Soviet ballerina on the part of the state. She was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, she became twice a Hero of Socialist Labor, a laureate of various authoritative awards. During the life of Galina Ulanova, two monuments were erected: one in her homeland - in 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 a warm-up at the ballet barre. Her body rests at 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 congenit altalent immediately caught the eye of her teachers, and immediately after graduating from college she was taken to the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. She performed the leading roles in the ballets of P. I. Tchaikovsky: Masha in The Nutcracker, Odette - Odile in Swan Lake, etc. Her ballet partners were such famous dancers as Asaf Messerer, Alexei Ermolaev and Pyotr Gusev. Olga Lepeshinskaya starred in the first Soviet ballet film Count Nulin. After leaving the stage, the great ballerina took up teaching activities and brought up more than one generation of ballerinas. She passed away at the age of 94.

Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya was born into a we althy Jewish family in 1925 in Moscow. Her father always held responsible government posts, but in 1938 he was accused under the article "Enemy of the People" and shot, and her mother, a silent film actress, was exiled to Kazakhstan. In order for the girl not to end up in an orphanage, her aunt, actress of the Bolshoi Theater Shulamith Messerer, adopted Maya. Her uncle - Asaf Messerer - was also a famous dancer of the Bolshoi Theater. So the girl grew up among two artists and joined the ballet art. Having become a graduate of the Moscow Choreographic School, she entered the service of the Bolshoi Theater. For 5 years, Maya danced minor parts, but after playing the role of Giselle, she became the prima of the Bolshoi Theater. In 1958, the famous Soviet ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and the popular composer Rodion Shchedrin got married. Maya starred in many Soviet ballet films, and after leavingstage became the artistic director of the Rome Opera and Ballet Theater, and then the Madrid Ballet. Today Maya Plisetskaya is the chairman of the Maya annual international ballet award.