“Amateur” decided to talk about the legends of ballet art of the 20th century.

Olga Preobrazhenskaya

In 1879 she entered, where I studied with teachers Nicholas Legat and Enrico Cecchetti . After graduation she was accepted intoMariinskii Opera House, where her main rival wasMatilda Kshesinskaya. Since 1895, she toured Europe and South America, successfully performed in the theater La Scala. In 1900 became a prima ballerina. She left the stage in 1920.

In 1914 began pedagogical activity, from 1917 to 1921 she taught a plastic class at the opera troupe Mariinsky Theater, taught at the Petrograd Choreographic School, at the School of Russian Ballet A. L. Volynsky.

She emigrated in 1921, and since 1923 she lived in Paris , where she opened a ballet studio and continued her teaching activities for almost 40 years. Also taught at Milan, London, Buenos Aires, Berlin . Left teaching activities in 1960. Among her students were Tamara Tumanova, Irina Baronova, Tatiana Ryabushinskaya, Nina Vyrubova, Margot Fonteyn, Igor Yushkevich, Serge Golovin and others.

Olga Iosifovna died in 1962 and buried on(some sources erroneously indicateMontmartre cemetery).

Matilda Kshesinskaya

Born into a family of ballet dancersMariinsky Theater: daughter of a Russian PoleFelix Kshesinsky(1823-1905) and Yulia Dominskaya (widow of the ballet dancer Leda, she had five children from her first marriage). Sister of ballerina Yulia Kshesinskaya (“Kshesinskaya 1st”; married Zeddeler, husband - Zeddeler, Alexander Logginovich) And Joseph Kshesinsky(1868-1942) - dancer, choreographer, director, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1927).

In 1896, Preobrazhenskaya received the status of prima ballerina.

Graduated in 1890 Imperial Theater School, where her teachers were Lev Ivanov, Christian Ioganson and Ekaterina Vazem . After graduating from school she was accepted into the ballet troupeMariinsky Theater, where at first she danced as Kshesinskaya 2nd (Kshesinskaya 1st was officially called her older sister Julia ). Danced on the imperial stage with 1890 to 1917.

In 1896 received the status prima ballerinas imperial theaters (probably largely due to his connections at court, since the chief choreographer Petipa did not support her promotion to the very top of the ballet hierarchy).

In 1929 opened her own ballet studio in Paris . Kshesinskaya’s student was a “baby ballerina”Tatiana Ryabushinskaya.

In exile, with the participation of her husband, she wrote memoirs , originally published in 1960 in Paris on French. The first Russian publication in Russian was published only in 1992.

Matilda Feliksovna lived long life and died December 5, 1971 a few months before his centenary. Buried atCemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Boisnear Paris in the same grave with her husband and son. On the monument epitaph : “Your Serene Highness Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters KShesinskaya».

Vera Trefilova

Vera Trefilova was born into an artistic family. N.P. Trefilov’s mother, a non-commissioned officer’s widow, was a dramatic actress and was not married. Outstanding dramatic actress became godmother M. G. Savina.

Besides Despite the fact that sources also give the ballerina the surname Ivanova, she bore three more surnames after her husbands: after her 1st husband - Butler, after her 2nd - Solovyova, and after her 3rd - Svetlova.

Trefilova was a follower of classical ballet

Graduated in 1894Petersburg Theater School, teachers Ekaterina Vazem and Pavel Gerdt , and was immediately accepted onto the stage at the ImperialMariinskii Opera House to the corps de ballet with the promise that in a few years she will take role soloist - which happened in 1906 after she, already working on stage, continued to take lessons, her teachers were:Katarina Beretta, Enrico Cecchetti , Maury in Paris, Evgenia Sokolova, Nikolai Legat . In 1898, at the premiere of The Mikado's Daughter, the choreographer She replaced L.I. Ivanov Ekaterina Geltser, but the exit was unsuccessful, leaving the ballerina in the corps de ballet for several more years. Nevertheless, she performed in small solo roles. And having finally become a soloist, she already felt confident in the difficult first roles.

Trefilova was a supporter of classical ballet, denying innovation. But she became a master of academic ballet.

V. Trefilova worked at the Mariinsky Theater from 1894 to 1910.

Yulia Sedova

Graduated St. Petersburg Choreographic Schoolin 1898. Leading teacher Enrico Cecchetti staged for her and his other student Lyubov Egorova special graduation performance “Dance Lesson at the Hotel”, designed to demonstrate good mastery of performance technique.

Although from the first years of her stay at the Mariinsky Theater, she was entrusted with significant roles, her career was far from going well, only in 1916, before resigning, she received the highest title in her ballet career as a ballerina. There were subjective reasons for this; the director openly didn’t like herimperial theatersV. A. Telyakovsky, who left many unflattering reviews about her in his diaries. She was accused of squabbles and intrigue. Now it is impossible to judge the objectivity of these statements, especially if we take into account the specific atmosphere of relations in the St. Petersburg ballet, which was actually run byMatilda Kshesinskaya.

Sedova had a large build, broad shoulders, strong muscular legs

Objectively, we can say that the artist had an enterprising, active nature and apparently got along with her colleagues, as evidenced by the numerous tours that she led. However, apart from subjective reasons, it is not entirely successful career, there were also quite objective ones. She had a large-boned build, broad shoulders, strong muscular legs with large feet, therefore, while achieving very good results in complex jumps and rotations, she lost in the plasticity of poses. Thus, her external data did not suit the spoiled St. Petersburg ballet public.

By 1911, the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater relied heavily on her, as a number of artistes, for example Anna Pavlova and Vera Trefilova left the theater, and Kshesinskaya andTamara Karsavinaappeared on stage to a limited extent. However, she did not receive the long-deserved title of ballerina and probably submitted her resignation in protest when Karsavina's salary was increased. The resignation was accepted.

Left without work, the artist led a large tour around USA , her travel partner was Mikhail Mordkin . The soloists of the troupe were Lydia Lopukhova, Bronislava Pozhitskaya, Alexander Volinin And Nikolay Solyannikovlike a mimic dancer. The corps de ballet consisted of six to ten people. The scenery was painted by the artistKonstantin Korovin. The tour was a success. The American public, seeing a classical ballet of this level for the first time, received it well. The performance schedule was very intense, performances were given almost every day. The troupe performed in 52 cities. Sedova performed 38 times in "Swan Lake", 27 times in "Coppelia "and 10 times in "Russian Wedding", a small ballet staged by M. Mordkin. The production of “Giselle” had to be canceled due to Mordkin’s illness. The St. Petersburg press followed the tour and reported on the delight of the Americans.

After returning from America, negotiations followed about returning to the Mariinsky Theater, which led nowhere. On March 6, 1912, the actress gave “Farewell Evening” on stageSt. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1912-1914, the actress toured in Western Europe . Only in 1914 was she able to return to the Mariinsky Theater. On November 9, 1916, her farewell benefit performance took place, at which she first performed the role of Aspiccia in “ Pharaoh's daughters " At the age of 36, she left the stage forever.

Agrippina Vaganova

Agrippina Vaganova was born on 14 ( June 26) 1879 in St. Petersburg, in the family of a chaperone Mariinsky Theater. Her father, Akop (Yakov Timofeevich) Vaganov, moved to St. Petersburg from Astrakhan, where there had been a Armenian community; however, he himself was from Persian Armenians and did not make any capital in Astrakhan; served as a non-commissioned officer, and after retirement he moved to St. Petersburg.

In 1888 it was accepted intoImperial Theater School. Among Vaganova's teachers wereEvgenia Sokolova, Alexander Oblakov, Anna Joganson, Pavel Gerdt, Vladimir Stepanov. IN junior classes studied with Lev Ivanov , calling this time “two years of idleness”, then went to class Catherine Vazem . Vaganova’s first role was the mother of Lisa, the main character, in the school play “magical flute", staged by Lev Ivanov for middle school students.

In 1897, after graduating from college, she was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, and a few years later received the status soloists . Vaganova brilliantly succeeded in individual solo variations, for example, in the ballet Delibes "Coppelia" ", for which she was nicknamed the "Queen of Variations".

She made some changes to choreographic techniques, which at first may have seemed inappropriate to strict adherents of academicism, but later occupied a worthy place in the technique of leading dancers.

Vaganova made some changes to choreographic techniques

Leaving the stage in 1916 , took up teaching. At first she taught at various private schools and studios, then, after the revolution, she was invited A. A. Oblakov to work in Petrograd Theater School. Its first issue, which included Nina Stukolkina, Olga Mungalova and Nina Mlodzinska, prepared in 1922. In 1924 she graduated from the class that she began teaching in 1921. Taking pre-graduation women's classes prepared by such teachers as E. P. Snetkova, M. A. Kozhukhova, M. F. Romanova , released every other year, sometimes annually. She developed her own pedagogical system, based on the clarity and meaningfulness of technique, the rigor of body positioning, and the positions of arms and legs. "Vaganova system"played a decisive role in the development of ballet art of the 20th century.

From 1931 to 1937 Vaganova - artistic director ballet troupeLATOB named after S. M. Kirov.

Agrippina Yakovlevna died in Leningrad November 5, 1951. Buried at Literary BridgesVolkovsky cemetery

Publications in the Theaters section

Modern Russian ballerinas. Top 5

The proposed five leading ballerinas include artists who began their careers in the main musical theaters of our country - the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi - in the 90s, when the situation in politics, and then in culture, was rapidly changing. The ballet theater became more open due to the expansion of the repertoire, the arrival of new choreographers, the emergence of additional opportunities in the West, and at the same time more demanding of performing skills.

This short list the stars of the new generation are being discovered by Ulyana Lopatkina, who came to the Mariinsky Theater in 1991 and is now almost finishing her career. At the end of the list is Victoria Tereshkina, who also began working in the era of perestroika in ballet art. And right behind her comes the next generation of dancers, for whom the Soviet legacy is only one of many directions. These are Ekaterina Kondaurova, Ekaterina Krysanova, Olesya Novikova, Natalya Osipova, Oksana Kardash, but more about them another time.

Ulyana Lopatkina

Today's media call Natalia Dudinskaya's student Ulyana Lopatkina (born in 1973) a “style icon” of Russian ballet. There is a grain of truth in this catchy definition. She is the ideal Odette-Odile, the true “two-faced” heroine of “Swan Lake” in the coldly refined Soviet version by Konstantin Sergeev, who also managed to develop and convincingly embody on stage another swan image in Mikhail Fokine’s decadent miniature “The Dying Swan” by Camille Saint-Saëns. From these two works of hers, recorded on video, Lopatkina is recognized on the street by thousands of fans all over the world, and hundreds of young ballet students are trying to master the craft and unravel the mystery of transformation. The refined and sensual Swan is Ulyana, and for a long time, even when the new generation of dancers eclipses the brilliant galaxy of ballerinas of the 1990–2000s, Odetta-Lopatkina will bewitch. She was also unattainable, technically precise and expressive in “Raymond” by Alexander Glazunov, “The Legend of Love” by Arif Melikov. She would not have been called a “style icon” without her contribution to the ballets of George Balanchine, whose American heritage, imbued with the culture of the Russian Imperial Ballet, was mastered by the Mariinsky Theater when Lopatkina was at the very peak of her career (1999–2010). Her best roles, namely roles, not parts, since Lopatkina knows how to dramatically fill plotless compositions, were solo works in “Diamonds”, “Piano Concerto No. 2”, “Theme and Variations” to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, “Waltz” by Maurice Ravel . The ballerina participated in all avant-garde projects of the theater and as a result of collaboration with modern choreographers will give a head start to many.

Ulyana Lopatkina in the choreographic miniature “The Dying Swan”

Documentary“Ulyana Lopatkina, or Dancing on Weekdays and on Holidays”

Diana Vishneva

Second by birth, only three years younger than Lopatkina, student of the legendary Lyudmila Kovaleva Diana Vishneva (born in 1976), in reality she never “came” second, but only first. It so happened that Lopatkina, Vishneva and Zakharova, separated from each other by three years, walked side by side at the Mariinsky Theater, full of healthy rivalry and at the same time admiration for each other’s enormous, but completely different capabilities. Where Lopatkina reigned as the languid, graceful Swan, and Zakharova formed a new - urban - image of the romantic Giselle, Vishneva performed the function of the goddess of the wind. Having not yet graduated from the Academy of Russian Ballet, she was already dancing on the stage of the Mariinsky Kitri - main character in Don Quixote, a few months later she showed her achievements in Moscow on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. And at the age of 20 she became a prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, although many have to wait until they are 30 or more years old to be promoted to this status. At 18 (!), Vishneva tried on the role of Carmen in a number composed specially for her by Igor Belsky. In the late 90s, Vishneva was rightfully considered the best Juliet in Leonid Lavrovsky’s canonical version, and she also became the most graceful Manon Lescaut in Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet of the same name. Since the early 2000s, in parallel with St. Petersburg, where she participated in many productions of such choreographers as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Angelen Preljocaj, she began performing abroad as a guest etoile (“ballet star”). Now Vishneva often works in her own projects, commissioning ballets for herself from famous choreographers (John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, Caroline Carlson, Moses Pendleton, Dwight Rhoden, Jean-Christophe Maillot). The ballerina regularly dances in premieres of Moscow theaters. Vishneva had enormous success in ballet Bolshoi Theater in the choreography of Mats Ek “Apartment” (2013) and John Neumeier’s play “Tatyana” based on “Eugene Onegin” by Alexander Pushkin at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theater in 2014. In 2013 she became one of the organizers of the November festival modern dance Context, which since 2016 has been taking place not only in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg.

Documentary film “Always on the move. Diana Vishneva"

Svetlana Zakharova

The youngest of the three famous chicks of the A. Vaganova Academy from the 90s, Svetlana Zakharova (born in 1979) instantly caught up with her rivals and in some ways surpassed them, acting like the once great Leningrad ballerinas Marina Semyonova and Galina Ulanova, “to serve” at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater in 2003. She had behind her her studies with the excellent ARB teacher Elena Evteeva, experience working with Olga Moiseeva, the star of the Kirov Ballet of the 70s, and a gigantic track record. In any of the performances of the St. Petersburg period, Zakharova stood out clearly. Her strong point, on the one hand, was the interpretation of heroines in ancient ballets by Marius Petipa, restored by Sergei Vikharev, and soloists in avant-garde productions by leading choreographers, on the other. According to natural data and " technical specifications“Zakharova not only surpassed her colleagues at the Mariinsky Theater and then at the Bolshoi, she entered the cohort of the most sought-after ballerinas in the world who dance everywhere in guest status. And the most important ballet company in Italy - La Scala Ballet - offered her a permanent contract in 2008. Zakharova at some point admitted that she danced “Swan Lake”, “La Bayadère” and “The Sleeping Beauty” in all possible stage versions from Hamburg to Paris and Milan. At the Bolshoi Theater, shortly after Zakharova moved to Moscow, John Neumeier staged his program ballet “Dream in summer night“, and the ballerina shone in it in the double role of Hippolyta-Titania paired with Nikolai Tsiskaridze’s Oberon. She also took part in the production of “Lady with Camellias” by Neumeier at the Bolshoi. Zakharova successfully collaborates with Yuri Posokhov - she danced the premiere of his “Cinderella” at the Bolshoi Theater in 2006 and in 2015 she performed the role of Princess Mary in “A Hero of Our Time”.

Documentary film “Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater Svetlana Zakharova. Revelation"

Maria Alexandrova

At the same time, when the triad of St. Petersburg dancers conquered Northern Palmyra, the star of Maria Alexandrova (born in 1978) rose in Moscow. Her career developed with a slight delay: when she came to the theater, ballerinas of the previous generation had finished their time dancing - Nina Ananiashvili, Nadezhda Gracheva, Galina Stepanenko. In the ballets with their participation, Alexandrova - bright, temperamental, even exotic - was in the supporting roles, but it was she who received all the experimental premieres of the theater. Critics saw the very young ballerina in Alexei Ratmansky’s ballet “Dreams of Japan”; soon she interpreted Catherine II in Boris Eifman’s ballet “Russian Hamlet” and others. And debuts in the main roles of such ballets as “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty” ", "Raymonda", "The Legend of Love", she waited patiently for years.

The year 2003 became fateful when the choreographer chose Alexandrova as Juliet new wave Radu Poklitaru. It was an important performance that opened the way for new choreography (without pointe shoes, without classical positions) at the Bolshoi Theater, and Alexandrova held the revolutionary banner. In 2014, she repeated her success in another Shakespearean ballet - The Taming of the Shrew, choreographed by Mayo. In 2015, Alexandrova began collaborating with choreographer Vyacheslav Samodurov. He staged a ballet about the theater behind the scenes - “Curtain” in Yekaterinburg, and in the summer of 2016 he chose her for the role of Ondine in the ballet of the same name at the Bolshoi Theater. The ballerina managed to use the forced waiting time to hone the dramatic side of the role. The secret source of her creative energy aimed at acting does not dry out, and Alexandrova is always on alert.

Documentary film “Monologues about myself. Maria Alexandrova"

Victoria Tereshkina

Like Alexandrova at the Bolshoi, Victoria Tereshkina (born 1983) was in the shadow of the aforementioned trio of ballerinas. But she did not wait for anyone to retire; she began to energetically capture parallel spaces: she experimented with novice choreographers, did not get lost in the difficult ballets of William Forsythe (Approximate Sonata, for example). She often did what others did not undertake, or attempted, but could not cope with, but Tereshkina succeeded and is succeeding in absolutely everything. Her main strength was impeccable mastery of technique, helped by endurance and the presence of a reliable teacher nearby - Lyubov Kunakova. It is curious that, unlike Alexandrova, who went into the true drama that is only possible on the ballet stage, Tereshkina “focused” on improving technique and erected a triumphant plotlessness into a cult. Her favorite plot, which she always plays on stage, grows out of a sense of form.

Documentary film “The Royal Box. Victoria Tereshkina"

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, received a Soviet passport on November 1, 1972, 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 and 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 a leading guest ballerina 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. Last years Olga Spesivtseva spent her life in a boarding house on the farm of the Tolstoy Foundation, Inc., created youngest daughter writer Leo Tolstoy by Alexandra Lvovna Tolstoy near the city of New York.

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. The last time Vera Trefilova danced was in 1926 with Diaghilev. Vera Trefilova died on July 11, 1943 in Paris.

They are airy, slender, light. Their dance is unique. Who are these outstanding ballerinas of our century?

Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951)

One of the most important years in the history of Russian ballet is 1738. Thanks to the proposal of the French dance master Jean-Baptiste Lande and the approval of Peter I, the first school of ballet dance in Russia was opened in St. Petersburg, which exists to this day and is called the Academy of Russian Ballet. AND I. Vaganova. It was Agrippina Vaganova in Soviet time systematized the traditions of classical imperial ballet. In 1957, her name was given to the Leningrad Choreographic School.

Maya Plisetskaya (1925)

An outstanding dancer of the second half of the 20th century, who went down in the history of ballet with her phenomenal creative longevity, Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya was born on November 20, 1925 in Moscow.

In June 1934, Maya entered the Moscow Choreographic School, where she consistently studied with teachers E. I. Dolinskaya, E. P. Gerdt, M. M. Leontyeva, but she considers Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova, whom she met already at the Bolshoi Theater, to be her best teacher , where she was accepted on April 1, 1943.

Maya Plisetskaya is a symbol of Russian ballet. She performed one of her main roles as Odette-Odile from Swan Lake on April 27, 1947. It was this Tchaikovsky ballet that became the core of her biography.

Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872-1971)

Born into the family of dancer F.I. Kshesinsky, a Pole by nationality. In 1890 she graduated from the ballet department of the St. Petersburg Theater School. In 1890-1917 she danced at the Mariinsky Theater. She became famous in the roles of Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty, 1893), Esmeralda (1899), Teresa (Rest of the Cavalry), etc. Her dance was distinguished by its bright artistry and cheerfulness. In the early 1900s she was a participant in M. M. Fokine’s ballets: “Eunika”, “Chopiniana”, “Eros”, and in 1911-1912 she performed in the Diaghilev Russian Ballet troupe.

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931)

Born in St. Petersburg. After graduating from the St. Petersburg Theater School, in 1899 she was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. She danced parts in the classical ballets “The Nutcracker”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, “Raymonda”, “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”. Natural abilities and constant improvement of performing skills helped Pavlova to become the leading dancer of the troupe in 1906.
Collaboration with innovative choreographers A. Gorsky and, especially, M. Fokin had a huge impact on identifying new opportunities in Pavlova’s performing style. Pavlova performed the main roles in Fokine's ballets Chopiniana, Armida's Pavilion, Egyptian Nights, etc. In 1907, at a charity evening at the Mariinsky Theater, Pavlova first performed the choreographic miniature The Swan (later The Dying Swan) choreographed for her by Fokine "), which later became a poetic symbol of Russian ballet of the 20th century.

Svetlana Zakharova (1979)

Svetlana Zakharova was born in Lutsk, Ukraine, on June 10, 1979. At the age of six, her mother took her to a choreographic club, where Svetlana studied folk dances. At the age of ten she entered the Kiev Choreographic School.

After studying for four months, Zakharova left the school, as her family moved to East Germany in accordance with the new assignment of her military father. Returning to Ukraine six months later, Zakharova again passed the exams at the Kiev Choreographic School and was immediately accepted into the second grade. At the Kiev School she studied mainly with Valeria Sulegina.

Svetlana performs in many cities around the world. In April 2008, she was recognized as the star of the famous Milan theater La Scala.

Galina Ulanova (1909-1998)

Galina Sergeevna Ulanova was born in St. Petersburg on January 8, 1910 (according to the old style, December 26, 1909), in a family of ballet masters.

In 1928, Ulanova graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic School. Pretty soon she joined the troupe of the Leningrad State academic theater opera and ballet (now Mariinsky).

Ulanova had to leave her beloved Mariinsky Theater during the siege of Leningrad. During the Great Patriotic War Ulanova danced in theaters in Perm, Almaty, Sverdlovsk, performing in hospitals in front of the wounded. In 1944 Galina Sergeevna moves to the Bolshoi Theater, where she has performed periodically since 1934.

Galina's real achievement was the image of Juliet in Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet. Her the best dances are also the role of Masha from “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, Maria from “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” and Gisele Adana.

Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978)

Born in St. Petersburg in the family of the Mariinsky Theater dancer Platon Karsavin, the great-niece of Alexei Khomyakov, a prominent philosopher and writer of the 1st half of the 19th century century, sister of the philosopher Lev Karsavin.

She studied with A. Gorsky at the Peturburg Theater School, from which she graduated in 1902. While still a student, she performed the solo part of Cupid at the premiere of the ballet Don Quixote staged by Gorsky.

She began her ballet career during a period of academic crisis and the search for a way out of it. Fans of academic ballet found many flaws in Karsavina’s performance. The ballerina improved her performing skills with the best Russian and Italian teachers
Karsavina’s remarkable gift was manifested in her work on M. Fokin’s productions. Karsavina was the founder of fundamentally new trends in the art of ballet at the beginning of the 20th century, later called “intellectual art.”

The talented Karsavina quickly achieved the status of a prima ballerina. She performed leading roles in the ballets Carnival, Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and many others.

Ulyana Lopatkina (1973)

Ulyana Vyacheslavna Lopatkina was born in Kerch (Ukraine) on October 23, 1973. As a child, she studied in dance clubs and in the gymnastics section. On the initiative of her mother, she entered the Academy of Russian Ballet. AND I. Vaganova in Leningrad.

In 1990, as a student, Lopatkina participated in the Second All-Russian competition them. AND I. Vaganova for students of choreographic schools and received first prize..

In 1995, Ulyana became a prima ballerina. Her track record includes the best roles in classical and modern productions.

Ekaterina Maksimova (1931-2009)

Born in Moscow on February 1, 1939. Since childhood, little Katya dreamed of dancing and at the age of ten she entered the Moscow Choreographic School. In the seventh grade, she danced her first role - Masha in The Nutcracker. After college, she joined the Bolshoi Theater and immediately, practically bypassing the corps de ballet, began dancing solo parts.

Of particular importance in Maximova’s work was her participation in television ballets, which revealed a new quality of her talent - comedic talent.

Since 1990, Maksimova has been a teacher and tutor at the Kremlin Ballet Theater. Since 1998 - choreographer-tutor of the Bolshoi Theater.

Natalya Dudinskaya (1912-2003)

Born on August 8, 1912 in Kharkov.
In 1923-1931 she studied at the Leningrad Choreographic School (student of A.Ya. Vaganova).
In 1931-1962 - leading dancer of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. CM. Kirov. She performed the main roles in the ballets “Swan Lake” and “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky, “Cinderella” by Prokofiev, “Raymonda” by Glazunov, “Giselle” by Adam and others.

We admire the skill of these brilliant ballerinas. They made a huge contribution to the development of Russian ballet!

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The Museum of Ceramics in Kuskovo showed its website of its collections of porcelain figurines and at the same time told the story of the most famous ballerinas.

Marie-Anne de Camargo

The prima of the Royal Academy of Music in Paris, Marie-Anne de Camargo (1710−1770), provoked a revolution in ballet and fashion in the 18th century. Before her, dancers walked across the stage in skirts that reached to their toes, and all the difficult jumps were performed by men. To diversify her jumping repertoire, Camargo was the first to shorten her ballet skirt, exposing her ankles. This freedom, unheard of at the time, on the verge of scandal, was taken up by Parisian women, and the length of women's skirts slowly crept up. Later, Camargo abandoned heels, giving another impetus to the development of Parisian fashion.

Maria Taglioni

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Another “revolutionary” from the Paris Grand Opera, third-generation ballerina Maria Taglioni (1804−1884) is the first dancer to wear tutu and stood on pointe shoes. This happened in the ballet La Sylphide, written especially for Maria by her father Filippo Taglioni.

Maria toured throughout Europe, in 1837 she came to Russia for three years, and soon all of St. Petersburg lay at her feet. They say that several ecstatic Russian admirers expressed their love for her in a very strange way: for 200 rubles (for this amount they could get eight cambric shirtfronts, 200 pounds of tea or 600 geese) they bought her pointe shoes to boil, season with sauce and eat. .

After the star's death, dancers began the custom of leaving their first pointe shoes at Taglioni's grave in Paris. Quite often they mistake the cemetery and instead of Père Lachaise, where Maria is buried, the pointe shoes are taken to Montmartre to the grave of her mother Sophia.

Fanny Elsler

Taglioni’s main rival at that time was another prima of the Grand Opera, Fanny Elsler (1810−1884). Everyone compared them, but, perhaps, he did it most effectively French writer and balletomane Théophile Gautier, who called Taglioni a Christian dancer and Elsler a pagan one.

If the first was carried in the arms of St. Petersburg, then the second was idolized by Moscow. Elsler reached Russia at the age of 38 at the personal invitation of Nicholas I and, despite her age, danced for three seasons. When she played Esmeralda during her farewell benefit performance, the audience threw three hundred bouquets onto the stage, from which they made a bed for the heroine in the second act. In response, in the scene where Esmeralda puts together the name of her beloved Phoebus from letters, Elsler put together the word “Moscow”. Due to a flurry of applause and sobs in the hall, the performance almost ended there. And after the performance, the fans harnessed themselves to the carriage instead of horses and drove the prima to her house. For some government officials, participation in this action, which was accompanied by various tomfooleries, ended in dismissal from service. Touched by the Moscow reception, Elsler announced that she was ending her career in Moscow. She promised that she would go on stage only one more time to say goodbye to her native Vienna, and she kept her word.

Sofia Fedorova

This creation by sculptor Natalia Danko, which exists in several versions of painting, was a constant hit at international porcelain exhibitions in the 1920s and was produced intermittently until the early 1950s.

Sofia Fedorova (1879−1963), who inspired the appearance of this work, went down in the history of ballet as Fedorova the Second, because when she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe, her namesake was already in the corps de ballet. The technique of this gypsy by blood was not without flaws, but thanks to her stormy temperament and the art of transformation, her characteristic dance brought the audience into ecstasy.

Dancing Giselle in April 1913, Fedorova frightened the audience with an overly naturalistic depiction of her heroine's madness and death. The ballerina was so deeply immersed in the role that she began to be haunted by severe neurasthenic attacks, which later developed into an illness. Soon she had to spend more and more time in psychiatric clinics and less and less time on stage. When Fedorova became better, such iconic figures as Anna Pavlova and Sergei Diaghilev wanted to work with her. However, the disease took its toll.

Anna Pavlova

The Kuskovo ceramics collection contains two famous porcelain sculptures dedicated to the great Anna Pavlova (1881−1931). Sculptor Seraphim Sudbinin captured the ballerina in the image of Giselle in the fortune telling scene from the ballet of the same name. While working on sketches during a tour of Pavlova's troupe in England in 1913, he witnessed the beginning of Pavlomania, which soon swept the whole world. Sudbinin wrote to St. Petersburg that “London alone will sell out 500 copies in one day. Pavlova’s popularity here is enormous, and after a number of articles in London magazines that her figure will be made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, people here are just waiting for this work to appear in the world.”

In Soviet times, the Sudbinin model was performed with different options paintings, but the most correct one is Kuskovsky, which exactly copies the costume made according to the sketch famous artist Leon Bakst.

Another figurine became a tribute to the memory of the great ballerina, who died during a tour in The Hague in 1931. Sculptor Natalia Danko made it based on a photograph from 1915. She chose the image of “The Dying Swan,” which brought Pavlova worldwide fame and became a symbol of Russian ballet. They say that last words the ballerinas were: “Get my swan costume ready.”

Tamara Karsavina

The name of Tamara Karsavina (1885−1978) these days is familiar only to ballet connoisseurs, but at the beginning of the 20th century she was not inferior in fame to Pavlova. In fact, these two primas, dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, choreographer Mikhail Fokine and entrepreneur Sergei Diaghilev, turned the phrase “Russian ballet” into a brand that the whole world recognized.

She posed for Valentin Serov, Leon Bakst, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Sergei Sudeikin, Zinaida Serebryakova, Anna Akhmatova dedicated poems to her, and in 1914, a poetry collection “Bouquet for Karsavina”, compiled from poems by fashionable poets of that time, was published in her honor. The image of the ballerina has also penetrated into English literature: Agatha Christie’s characters admire Karsavina in the detective story “The Mysterious Mr. Keene”; the author of “Peter Pan”, James Barry, who personally knew the dancer, introduced her in the play “The Truth About Russian Dancers” under the name Carrisima.

The masterpiece figure of Karsavina performing an arabesque was made by order of the Imperial Porcelain Factory by the same Sudbinin. In one version, the ballerina touches the pedestal only with the toe of her supporting leg, in another, original in design, she is supported by two cherubs. This particular option is in the Kuskovo collection.

Galina Ulanova

An asteroid, a large diamond and a variety of Dutch tulips are named after one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, Galina Ulanova (1909−1998); during her lifetime, monuments were erected to her in Stockholm and Leningrad.

The monument to Ulanova in the capital of Sweden was opened in March 1984 in front of the world's only Museum of Dance. This sculpture is a bronze copy of the figurine of a ballerina in the role of Odette from Swan Lake, embodied in porcelain at the Lomonosov factory in 1951. The author of the miniature is sculptor Elena Janson-Manizer, known for her love of ballet. For my creative career she dedicated more than a hundred works to him.

Janson-Manizer asked Ulanova to pose after she first saw the young soloist of the Leningrad Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater in the role of Maria in a production of The Fountain of Bakhchisarai. So in 1936, a porcelain “Dancer” appeared, and in the central parks of Moscow and Leningrad - bronze “Ballerinas”, which have survived to this day.

In the 1950s, Janson-Manizer prepared a whole series of porcelain figures of ballet masters of that time. A worthy place in it was occupied by the images of Ulanova - Tao Hoa from the ballet “Red Flower”, Juliet from “Romeo and Juliet”, the dying swan and Odette from “Swan Lake”.

Maya Plisetskaya

After Galina Ulanova retired from acting in 1960, Maya Plisetskaya (1925−2015) became the prima of the Bolshoi Theater. Despite the age difference of 14 years, the two great ballerinas had a lot in common. Both were taught by the formerly famous dancer Elizaveta Gerdt; together they performed the main female roles in the ballets “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” and “The Stone Flower”; their porcelain miniatures ended up side by side in the ballet series by Elena Janson-Manizer. These figures of dancers standing on their toes seemed to continue the line begun by the statuette of Sudbinin’s Karsavina.

The ballet that made Plisetskaya famous was Swan Lake, but the sculptor settled on her image of the heroine of Raymonda. This was the first the main role Maya at the Bolshoi, she danced it in 1945, after the war. Then, in her memoirs, Plisetskaya wrote: “In the Ogonyok magazine, on one page with a report on the victories of Dynamo Moscow football players in England, after the portraits of the great Bobrov, Beskov, Khomich, Semichastny, there are my six ballet poses from Raymonda. And the seventh - so ridiculous, with an embarrassed half-smile - a photograph in life... And a small note about the appearance of a new ballerina in the Bolshoi Theater troupe. I’m childishly happy.”

The ballerina will remember for the rest of her life another performance in “Raymonda”. The date was etched in her memory - March 4, 1953, the day before Stalin's death. The day before, a bulletin on the leader’s health was broadcast on the radio, from which it was clear that his days were numbered. People around hoped for a miracle, and Plisetskaya danced that evening, wishing this death with every fiber of her soul - her father was shot in 1938 as a spy and traitor, and her mother was sentenced to eight years and sent to a free settlement with an infant child in her arms, her youngest ballerina's brother.