Lyudmila Semenyaka: biography, personal life, family, career, photo

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

Lyudmila Semenyaka was the legendary prima of the Bolshoi Theater for a quarter of a century. Graceful, incredibly light, she seemed not to dance, but hovered over the stage. Her talent conquered many lovers of classical ballet. None of the dancers could repeat her swift fouettes. Lyudmila Semenyaka entered the galaxy of stars representing the school of Russian ballet.

Birth of a future legend

Back in 1952, on January 16, a girl was born in the family of an engraver from the Pravda publishing house and an apparatchik in a chemical laboratory. They decided to call the newborn Lyudmila. The girl's dad, Ivan Yakovlevich, despite the exhausting work at the enterprise, still found time to take his daughter to the choreographic circle at the Zhdanov Palace of Pioneers. Mom, Maria Mitrofanovna, developed in little Lucy a love for literature and art. The girl eagerly absorbed new information. But her heart was given to dance. Lucy began to show her talent for choreography from an early age. She constantly, without getting tired,rhythmically moved to the music, repeating the dances of adults. Sometimes, in the usual series of steps, the girl introduced new steps invented by her. Parents who watched their daughter's fantasies decided to enroll her in a choreographic circle.

First steps in ballet

The creative biography of Lyudmila Semenyaka begins with her admission to the choreographic school named after Agrippina Vaganova in her native Leningrad. The girl at that time was barely ten years old. Despite her tender age, Lyudmila possessed perseverance, perseverance and fearlessness. It was the remarkable courage that the future student needed when passing the entrance exams. The test had to be passed without the support of beloved parents.

Father, Ivan Yakovlevich, was hospitalized. Maria Mitrofanovna was forced to be on duty day and night at her husband's bedside. The independent girl, who came to all stages of the selection without any accompaniment, was extremely liked by the examination committee. Rather mediocre data was more than compensated for by great diligence and perseverance. They decided to enroll the girl in the class of the ballerina and teacher Nina Viktorovna Belikova. For a long eight years, Lyudmila Semenyaka traveled to study through the whole of Leningrad. But the long road was a familiar girl. She has already experienced this experience by attending classes in a choreographic circle. This was the fate of the future ballerina - the path to each intended goal turned out to be extremely long, but surmountable.

Loving parents tried their best to support their daughter in allher endeavors. The recovered father, educating his daughter's endurance, every Sunday overcame with her on Sundays on skis a path 16 kilometers long. Mom communicated with Lucy's teachers, delving into all educational issues. With the joint efforts of adult mentors, the working regime was built and the abilities of the future star of the Bolshoi Theater developed.

First ballet role

The debut of the ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka happened in 1964 on the stage of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov. The role of little Marie in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker was a success. Bright prospects opened up before the young dancer.

In 1969, at the First International Ballet Competition, the girl won the third prize. As a result of the triumph, Lyudmila Semenyaka was noticed by the leading choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater, Yuri Grigorovich. The master made remarkable efforts to lure the young talent to his theater. Two years after graduating from college, after working on the stage of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, the ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka moved to Moscow, where she was to become the prima of the most famous theater in the world.

Bolshoi Theater

In 1972, another important turn happened in the fate of the young ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka. The girl took second place at the All-Union competition of choreographers and ballet dancers in Moscow, the capital of the USSR. Lucy shared the silver award with the young dancer Valentina Ganibalova. The competition opened a real ballet sensation in the person of a young talent - fifteen-year-old Nadezhda Pavlova.

Shortly after Ludmila's performancechoreographer Yuri Nikolayevich Grigorovich again receives an invitation to become part of the famous troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. This time, the girl happily agrees and moves to the capital.

Later, being the prima of the theater, Lyudmila Ivanovna Semenyaka performed the main roles in ballet performances. Odile and Odette in Swan Lake, Giselle in the ballet of the same name by A. Adam, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Anastasia in Ivan the Terrible, Phrygia in Spartacus… All the roles performed by Lyudmila Semenyaka were distinguished by an original approach, combined with classical traditions Russian ballet.

Mentors

Having joined the Bolshoi Theater, the young ballerina first danced in crowd scenes. However, this did not last long. Soon fate brought her another surprise. Due to the sudden illness of two soloists, the new dancer was forced to play the title role in Swan Lake. The party was so successful for Lyudmila that not only the audience applauded her, but also her colleagues.

While studying at the Vaganova School, the young ballerina learned not only the secrets of choreography. Foreign languages were also included in the number of subjects. The diligent Lyudmila Semenyaka mastered French so successfully that the Parisian journalists were amazed at the ease with which she gave interviews in their native language.

In the Bolshoi the ballet legend Galina Sergeevna Ulanova became the mentor of the young dancer. At first, Lucy was literally in awe of the image of the greatUlanova. But the former prima in communication turned out to be so accessible that the girl switched her attention from respectful awe to comprehending the experience of a mentor.

First marriage

Nina Viktorovna Belikova remained Semenyaka's favorite teacher at the Leningrad school. In addition to teaching her ward the basics of choreography, the former ballerina played a fateful role in the fate of Lyudmila. The well-known dancer Elena Georgievna Chikvaidze, an old friend of Nina Viktorovna, lived in the capital. The son of the famous ballerina was the soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Mikhail Leonidovich Lavrovsky. Pretty diligent Lyudochka immediately liked Elena Georgievna. Despite the age difference between the girl and Mikhail, the ex-ballerina decided to marry young people. Frequent invitations to visit, affectionate treatment and delicious treats soon did their job. There were several dates before the wedding. And yet this turned out to be enough for Lyudmila to become interested in Mikhail. Marriage seemed like an incredible success. Shortly after the romantic proposal of the future spouse in the backstage of the Big, the couple got married. The wedding was played in a modest setting without numerous guests. There was no traditional honeymoon: the next day, the newlyweds rehearsed their parts in the hall again.

Despite the fact that at first the relationship between the spouses developed as well as possible, soon a nuisance happened in the young family. Having become pregnant, Lyudmila was forced to get rid of her unborn child. The birth of the first child could put an end tosuccessful careers for both mother and father. This incident was the beginning of the end of family happiness. In addition, love and respect between the spouses were not mutual. Lyudmila gave herself up to the flared feelings without a trace. Restrained Michael could not show his feelings with sincere zeal. Soon the husband fell in love with another woman. Ironically, the rival turned out to be a colleague and close friend of Lyudmila. Having lost two close people at once, the ballerina decided to file for divorce. After four years of marriage, Lyudmila left her husband's house. On the stage, performing the main roles, they continued to portray romantic feelings and passion. Semenyaka was saved from depression by Galina Ulanova. Her words “Only ballet can save from grief” became the guiding star of the ballerina. The teacher's advice, coupled with the main roles, helped Semenyaka survive separation without painful consequences.

Lyudmila plus Andris

Endless rehearsals and performances occupied almost the entire personal space of the actress. However, the personal life of Lyudmila Semenyaka was in full swing. The next passion of the ballerina was the blond prince, the heir to the ballet dynasty Andris Liepa. The young man was captivated by the grace of his father's partner, the legendary Maris Liepa. Over time, a simple worship of talent grew into a real feeling, and Andris dared to take decisive steps. Persistent and romantic courtship soon did their job. Lyudmila could not resist the onslaught and surrendered to the mercy of the winner.

Soon, despite the resistance of Liepa's mother, the couple formalized their relationship. Unionnovice dancer and brilliant ballerina was short-lived. Less than a year later, the couple filed for divorce. The marriage is over. But this did not mean the end of the relationship. For a long six years, the couple converged, then diverged. Stormy quarrels and reconciliations only fueled the passion of the lovers. Who knows, maybe it would continue like this. But two miscarriages during this period ended the relationship.

The best performance

In the photo, Lyudmila Semenyaka, like every actress, looks great, despite the emotions bubbling inside. Becoming a celebrity, a person dooms himself to constant close attention from others. The celebrity image embodies a happy and carefree person. In fact, the dancer had enough worries and troubles. Endless tours were physically exhausting, and the failed personal life of Lyudmila Semenyaka ate from the inside. The ballerina's most cherished dream was to realize herself not only in the creative field. Like any woman, Lyudmila Ivanovna wanted a quiet family happiness with a faithful husband and wonderful kids. And if men in Semenyaka's life happened from time to time, then for some reason children did not work out. The ballerina had already come to terms with the fact that she was not allowed to be a mother. However, in 1988, on tour in Greece, the prima learned about the main event of her life: she would soon have a son. Lyudmila Semenyaka was in seventh heaven with happiness. It doesn't matter if the baby is born out of wedlock. Most importantly, he will. The ballerina hides the name of the father of the child to this day. It is only known that the man supports her and her son andmorally and financially.

The dancer recorded the born baby in her certificate as Ivan Semenyaka. The son of Lyudmila Semenyaka is very similar to his mother - the same soft look and sweet smile. That's just, having studied for some time at the choreographic school, the Academy of Natalia Nesterova and the acting and directing course of Elena Tsyplakova, the young man flatly refused to follow in the footsteps of his mother. Acting and directing are not interesting to him. The heart of a young man belongs to heaven. More than anything, Ivan wants to fly. Despite the timid objections of Lyudmila, the young man entered the school of flight attendants. Today, he has dozens of flights under his belt.

With the advent of her son, Lyudmila Semenyaka's personal life has changed. The doors of her house are cordially open to all Ivan's friends. The ballerina herself is visited only by people close to her in spirit. Among them is the ex-husband of the dancer Mikhail Leonidovich Lavrovsky, with whom Lyudmila maintained friendly relations and even invited him to become Vanya's godfather, whom she calls the best performance in her life.

Filmography of the actress

Being the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre, Lyudmila Semenyaka has acted extensively in films and on television. In addition to acting, the ballerina was the author of original designs for staged costumes and choreographic solutions for episodes. She is the director of the performances "The Fountain of Bakhchisaray" in Astrakhan, "Giselle" and "Swan Lake" in Yekaterinburg.

Films with the participation of Lyudmila Semenyaka are still a success with the audience. "Thismerry planet", "My Giselle", "Ulanova's World", "Choreographic novels", the film-ballet "Ivan the Terrible" and many other performances were successfully shown on television in different years. Episodes of the brilliant talent of Lyudmila Semenyaka were the decoration of even serious documentaries.

Victory and awards

In different years, Lyudmila Semenyaka personally won prizes at competitions. The first victory was the third place at the First International Ballet Competition in Moscow. The young laureate was only 17 years old.

Later in the creative destiny of the actress there were victories at the All-Union and International competitions of ballet dancers. Lyudmila Ivanovna became the owner of the title of "Maitre of Dance", received the "Crystal Rose of Donetsk" and the Evening Standard for outstanding achievements in the field of choreographic art. The awards named after Anna Pavlova and Elena Smirnova were also included in the collection of achievements of the great ballerina.

Life today

Currently, the ballet legend is patronizing. In 1989, the first charity event took place in the form of a large gala concert "Lyudmila Semenyaka invites".

Since 2002, Lyudmila Ivanovna has been a teacher-repetiteur of the Bolshoi Theatre. Parts of young ballerinas and dancers, prepared under the guidance of a celebrity, are distinguished by grace and original approach.

Despite her miniature height and weight, Lyudmila Semenyaka is extremely active. In 2000-2004, the former ballerina served as an actress at the Moscow Theatre. Dramatic roles in the plays "The Seagull",“A wonderful cure for longing” and others succeeded brilliantly for Lyudmila Ivanovna.

In addition, the ballerina also acts as a member of the jury at international competitions ("Fuete Artek", named after Serge Lifar, "Benoit de la danse", etc.). Despite her venerable age, Lyudmila Ivanovna Semenyaka is energetic and full of creative plans.