The roots of Russian ballet, like any art form, lie in dance folklore. Most likely, these were cult dances (all kinds of round dances) and play dances (“Pere-dance”, “Kuma, where was I”, etc.). Russian ballet not only preserved all aesthetic canons, but also became a trendsetter in the world of ballet.
Origins
In Kievan Rus at the turn of the 8th-9th centuries, the first dancers began to appear, professionals in their field - buffoons... After a while, when Moscow became the capital, buffoons were no longer necessarily men.
In the 15th-16th centuries, cheerful spectacles of mummers with faces hidden by masks, the so-called “mashkars,” amazed and surprised visiting foreigners.
In the 17th century, the history of Russian ballet was marked by the opening of the Kremlin Theater. According to the established tradition, each production in this theater always ended with intersessions (special performances of ballet dancers). These so-called entrée were performed by men dressed in pompous clothing. The actors demonstrated several elements of ballroom dance.
Royal fun
The first full-scale ballet performance in Russia is considered to be a performance staged on February 8, 1673. This happened significant event at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and it was called “The Ballet of Orpheus and Eurydice.” The history of Russian ballet describes it as a change of ceremonial poses, slow dances, bows and transitions. Between them, the actors spoke memorized words or sang. It all looked a little like the real thing. theatrical performance. It was just royal fun, enticing with its obscurity.
Meanwhile, I. Gregory, the organizer of the theater, invites Nicola Lima to organize training courses in theatrical skills for the royal theater. At first, 10 children of noble townspeople, then 20, successfully completed their training and showed the ballet “Orpheus” in the French style to the Tsar.
The task has been set
Only after a quarter of a century did Peter I, setting out to reform cultural life Russia, brings music and dance into the life of Russian society. He decides to instill art in the elite layers of St. Petersburg residents. To achieve this, Peter I closes the Moscow theater of Alexei Mikhailovich and issues a revolutionary decree. This decree on assemblies obliged all government agencies teach ballroom dancing without fail. These reforms made the position of dance master unattainably high. It is to these stewards of the assemblies that ballet owes the appearance of innovations in ballet dance movements that came from abroad in the form of elements from national Slavic dances.
Author V. Krasovskaya (“History of Russian Ballet” - Leningrad Art, 1978) believes that thanks to the energy and peremptory nature of Peter I, performances by ballet troupes, musicians and opera artists invited from abroad began to take place in the palace halls.
At the beginning of 1738, a school of ballet art was organized in the country, which became, in fact, the first. The history of Russian ballet briefly talks about this period. Graduates of the school worked in ballet groups of foreign theaters as so-called figurants (corps de ballet actors). And only much later were they allowed to join the main parties.
First vocational training
Cradle modern ballet Historians believe that the Land was where the famous Jean Baptiste Lange worked, who and his students staged three court ballet performances. As the history of Russian ballet shows, they became practically the first ballet performances that complied with all the laws and norms of the Royal Academy of Dance in the capital of France.
Cadets of the gentry corps took part in an academic, lyrical, semi-characteristic and at the same time comic ballet performance by the Fessano troupe from Italy.
Elizabeth I, in order not to lose trained ballet dancers, opens Her Majesty's Own dance school, the first set of which were 12 children of commoners.
And by the end of 1742, the empress signed a decree ordering the establishment of a ballet troupe of Russian dancers. It was here that the first Russian stars appeared - professional ballet dancers: Aksinya Baskakova and Afanasy Toporkov.
Breaking the Deadlock
The death of Baptiste Lande brings confusion to the choreographic business in the country. The performances directed by Fessano become monotonous and boring burlesques. The audience is not attracted to such productions.
The history of Russian ballet briefly describes that period. At this time, in Europe there is a question about the reform of choreography. Rousseau and Saint-Mars demand that ballet dancers get rid of their pompous clothes and masks and wigs. Diderot strongly recommends changing the storylines of ballet performances. Meanwhile, John Weaver, without waiting for general changes, stages a dance performance with a well-thought-out plot, and Georges Nover writes the legendary “Letters on Dance.”
Russian ballet is not far behind. The appearance of Hilferding is proof of this. This German specialist established plot choreographic performances in St. Petersburg. In Paris, story ballet productions appeared only 15 years later. Hilferding was assisted by Leopold Paradiso. Already by the 50s of the 18th century they were creating independent ballet plays.
Beginning of dramatic productions
The first drama in Russian ballet belongs to A.P. Sumarokov. He promoted laudatory dance performances, composed literary basis for the ballet performances “Refuge of Virtue” and “New Laurels”.
Gasparo Angiolini, a choreographer invited by the Tsar, intensifying the brightness of Slavic folk song notes, staged the ballet performance “Fun about Christmastide.” Catherine II highly praised the performance. In 1779, the Legislative Commission in in full force approved the ballet, the music for which was written based on Slavic folklore.
After such enormous success, Angilini moved on to entertaining theater productions that satirized topical issues. These were panegyrics that caused a stir: “Triumphing Russia” (the defeat of the Turkish army at Kagul and Larga was praised), “New Argonauts” (a glorious ode to the fleet of the Russian Empire) and “Victory Reasoning” (the question of concern to everyone about the need for vaccination against the rampant smallpox was raised).
A little earlier, the first heroic ballet performance of “Semira” was staged. From that moment on, choreographers began to pay great attention to the expressiveness of ballet dance. For dancers can simultaneously be engaged in amusing opera performances of non-state theaters, and in pseudo-Russian opera shows, the libretto for which was composed by the Empress herself.
By the new year of 1778 in St. Petersburg (as the history of Russian ballet shows, books vividly describe this unique event) two theaters await the audience: the commercial “Free Theater” and the court one.
The first serf groups
In the second half of the 18th century, mastering the art of dancing became fashionable. And already at the beginning of 1773, under the tutelage of Leopold Paradise, the first educational center was opened in the capital on the basis of the Orphanage, which later became the first public theater. The first intake included 60 children. Yu. Bakhrushin talks about the first choreographic performances staged by the famous Cosimo Meddox in his books.
The history of Russian ballet, studied and described by him in great detail, fully reveals this period dance art. Medox, with a group of young dancers trained in Russia, staged comic operas, choreographic performances dedicated to real events(for example, “The Taking of Ochakov”), and divertissements.
Against this background, the serf theater began to develop rapidly. In the last decade of the 18th century, large groups of serf actors were already well known. Zorich, Golovkina, Apraksin, Sheremetyev, Potemkin and other landowners had such groups.
The same period was marked by the development and installation of technology female dance and decoration of the stage for the performance. A new tradition is emerging of specifying the scene of action on stage, painting scenery in a realistic style, and using the play of penumbra and light.
Celebration of Russian ballet
The history of Russian ballet of the 19th and 20th centuries is rich and diverse. By the beginning of the 19th century, the art of ballet reaches the maturity that is appreciated by the audience. Russian ballerinas bring airiness, nobility and expressiveness to their choreography. This is very aptly noted by A. S. Pushkin, describing the beauty dance moves his contemporary, the star of the ballet stage, Istomina: “soul-filled flight” (the phrase has become synonymous with ballet). Her facial expressions and the precision of her dance movements evoked admiration. Most of the spectators went to
Anastasia Likhutina, Ekaterina Teleshova, and Maria Danilova were no less beautiful.
Ballet performances are gaining popularity. Ballet dance, as art, becomes privileged, and state subsidies are allocated for it.
By the 60s of the last century, the cultural elite was embraced by the newfangled movement of “realism”. A crisis is coming to the Russian theater. Regarding choreographic performances, he expressed himself in primitivism storyline, which adjusted to a certain dance. Ballerinas who have achieved perfection are offered to dance in realistic performances.
The history of the creation of Russian ballet is entering a new stage. The revival began with Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who was the first to write music for a choreographic production. In the history of ballet, for the first time, music became as important as dance. And even found herself on a par with opera music and symphonic compositions. If before Tchaikovsky music was written for dance elements, now the ballet actor, with plasticity, movement and grace, sought to convey the musical mood and emotion, thereby helping the viewer to unravel the plot transcribed by the composer to notes. The world still admires the famous Swan Lake.
Choreographer A. Gorsky introduced elements of modern directing into his productions and began to pay great attention to the artistic framing of the stage, believing that the viewer should be completely immersed in what is happening on stage. He prohibited the use of elements of pantomime. M. Fokin radically turned the situation around. He revived romantic ballet and made body language in dance understandable and speaking. According to Fokin, each stage production should be unique. That is, the musical accompaniment, style and dance pattern must be unique to a specific performance. In the first years of the 20th century, his productions “Egyptian Nights”, “The Dying Swan”, “Dream in summer night", "Acis and Galatea" etc.
In 1908, P. invites Fokin to become the main director of the Parisian “Russian Seasons”. Thanks to this invitation, Fokin becomes world famous. And Russian ballet dancers began to perform triumphantly in the French capital every year. The history of Russian ballet glorifies the dancers of the Russian troupe, whose names the whole world knows: Adolf Bolm, Tamara Karsavina, Vaslav Nijinsky, etc. And this during the decline of European ballet!
Diaghilev took a risk and won. He gathered a troupe of young and talented ballet actors and gave them freedom of action. He allowed us to act outside the known framework set by the famous, but already quite elderly Petipa.
Freedom of action gave the dancers the opportunity to discover and express themselves. In addition to these revolutionary innovations, Diaghilev attracted decoration his most famous contemporaries artists (J. Cocteau, A. Derain, P. Picasso) and composers (C. Debissy, M. Ravel, I. Stravinsky). Now every ballet production has become a masterpiece.
After October revolution many dancers and choreographers left rebellious Russia. But the core remained. Russian ballet is gradually becoming closer to the people. The pages of history during the period of formation have seen a lot...
After the mid-20th century, dancers and choreographers of a new generation returned to the stage the forgotten dance miniature, symphony and one-act ballet. The number of studios and theaters began to steadily increase.
"Triumphator", ballerina, ballet critic
The famous Russian dancer Vera Mikhailovna Krasovskaya was born in the Russian Empire on September 11, 1915. After high school, she entered and successfully graduated from the Leningrad Choreographic School in 1933. She studied with the famous Vaganova Agrippina. From that time until 1941, Krasovskaya served at the Theater. Kirov. She is busy with ballets of the academic repertoire.
In 1951, Vera Mikhailovna completed her postgraduate studies at the Theater Institute in Leningrad. A. Ostrovsky, after basic training at the Faculty of Theater Studies.
The school of professionalism received by Krasovskaya first in the class of Agrippina Vaganova, then in the ballet productions of the Mariinsky Theater, together with an encyclopedic knowledge base, aristocracy, cultural traditions and amazing command of languages (French and English), allowed her to become a brilliant and definitely the largest ballet art critic.
In 1998 happy news spread throughout the theater world. The Triumph Award was received by Vera Mikhailovna Krasovskaya. The history of Russian ballet, which she told about in books (some of them have been translated into foreign languages) and articles (more than 300) as an art historian and critic, made Vera Mikhailovna a laureate of the free Russian Triumph Prize. This award recognizes excellence in art and literature.
In 1999, Vera Mikhailovna Krasovskaya passed away.
Epilogue
The history of Russian ballet gratefully preserves the names of the masters of dance art who made a colossal contribution to the formation of Russian choreography. These are the well-known C. Didelot, M. Petipa, A. Saint-Leon, S. Diaghilev, M. Fomin and many others. And the talent of Russian artists attracted and today attracts a huge number of spectators in different countries peace.
To this day, Russian ballet troupes are considered the best in the world.
History of balletBallet is a fairly young art. It is a little over four hundred years old, although dance has been decorating human life since ancient times. Ballet was born in Northern Italy during the Renaissance. Italian princes loved lavish palace festivities, in which dance took center stage. important place. Rural dances were not suitable for court ladies and gentlemen. Their attire, like the halls where they danced, did not allow for unorganized movement. Special teachers - dance masters - tried to restore order in court dances. They rehearsed individual figures and dance movements with the nobles in advance and led groups of dancers. Gradually the dance became more and more theatrical.
The term "ballet" appeared in late XVI century (from the Italian balletto - to dance). But then it did not mean a performance, but only a dance episode conveying a certain mood. Such “ballets” usually consisted of slightly interconnected “outputs” of characters - most often heroes of Greek myths. After such “exits” began general dance - « big ballet».
The first ballet performance was the Queen's Comedy Ballet, staged in 1581 in France. Italian choreographer Baltazarini di Belgioioso. It was in France that the further development of ballet took place. At first these were masquerade ballets, and then pompous melodramatic ballets for knights and fantastic stories, where dance episodes were replaced by vocal arias and poetry recitation. Don’t be surprised, at that time ballet was not just a dance performance.
During the reign Louis XIV The performances of the court ballet reached special splendor. Louis himself loved to participate in ballets, and received his famous nickname “The Sun King” after performing the role of the Sun in “Ballet of the Night.”
In 1661 he created the Royal Academy of Music and Dance, which included 13 leading dance masters. Their responsibility was to preserve dance traditions. The director of the academy, royal dance teacher Pierre Beauchamp, identified five main positions classical dance.
Soon the Paris Opera was opened, and the same Beauchamp was appointed choreographer. A ballet troupe was formed under his leadership. At first, it consisted of only men. Women appeared on the stage of the Paris Opera only in 1681.
The theater staged operas and ballets by composer Lully and comedies and ballets by playwright Moliere. At first, courtiers took part in them, and the performances were almost no different from palace performances. The already mentioned slow minuets, gavottes and pavanes were danced. Masks, heavy dresses and shoes high heels prevented women from performing complex movements. Therefore, men's dances were then distinguished by greater grace and elegance.
By the middle of the 18th century, ballet gained great popularity in Europe. All the aristocratic courts of Europe sought to imitate the luxury of the French royal court. Opera houses opened in cities. Numerous dancers and dance teachers easily found work.
Soon influenced by women's fashion ballet costume became much lighter and freer, the lines of the body could be seen underneath. The dancers abandoned high-heeled shoes, replacing them with light heelless shoes. Became less cumbersome men's suit: tight trousers down to the knees and stockings made it possible to see the dancer’s figure.
Each innovation made dancing more meaningful and dance technique higher. Gradually, ballet separated from opera and became an independent art.
Although French ballet school She was famous for her grace and plasticity; she was characterized by a certain coldness and formality of execution. Therefore, choreographers and artists looked for other means of expression.
At the end of the 18th century, a new direction in art was born - romanticism, which had a strong influence on ballet. In a romantic ballet, the dancer stood on pointe shoes. Maria Taglioni was the first to do this, completely changing previous ideas about ballet. In the ballet La Sylphide, she appeared as a fragile creature from the other world. The success was stunning.
At this time, many wonderful ballets appeared, but, unfortunately, romantic ballet became last period heyday of dance art in the West. From the second half of the 19th century, ballet, having lost its former significance, turned into an appendage to opera. Only in the 30s of the 20th century, under the influence of Russian ballet, the revival of this art form in Europe began.
In Russia, the first ballet performance - “The Ballet of Orpheus and Eurydice” - was staged on February 8, 1673 at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Ceremonial and slow dances consisted of a change of graceful poses, bows and moves, alternating with singing and speech. No significant role in development stage dance he didn't play. It was just another royal “fun” that attracted people with its unusualness and novelty.
Only a quarter of a century later, thanks to the reforms of Peter I, music and dance entered the everyday life of Russian society. Compulsory dance training was introduced into noble educational institutions. Musicians imported from abroad began to perform at the court, opera artists and ballet troupes.
In 1738, the first ballet school in Russia opened, and three years later, 12 boys and 12 girls from the palace servants became the first professional dancers in Russia. At first they performed in the ballets of foreign masters as figures (as the corps de ballet dancers were called), and later in the main roles. Timofey Bublikov, a wonderful dancer of that time, shone not only in St. Petersburg, but also in Vienna.
IN early XIX century Russian ballet art has reached creative maturity. Russian dancers brought expressiveness and spirituality to the dance. Feeling this very accurately, A.S. Pushkin called the dance of his contemporary Avdotya Istomina “soul-filled flight.”
Ballet at this time occupied a privileged position among other types theatrical arts. The authorities paid great attention to it and provided government subsidies. Moscow and St. Petersburg ballet troupes performed in well-equipped theaters, and graduates of theater schools annually joined the staff of dancers, musicians and decorators.
Arthur Saint Leon
In the history of our ballet theater the names of foreign masters who played significant role in the development of Russian ballet. First of all, these are Charles Didelot, Arthur Saint-Leon and Marius Petipa. They helped create the Russian ballet school. But talented Russian artists also gave the opportunity to reveal the talents of their teachers. This invariably attracted the largest choreographers of Europe to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Nowhere in the world could they meet such a large, talented and well-trained troupe as in Russia.
IN mid-19th century century, realism came to Russian literature and art. Choreographers feverishly, but to no avail, tried to create realistic performances. They did not take into account that ballet is a conventional art and realism in ballet differs significantly from realism in painting and literature. The crisis of ballet art began.
New stage in the history of Russian ballet began when the great Russian composer P. Tchaikovsky first composed music for ballet. It was " Swan Lake" Before this, ballet music was not taken seriously. She was considered inferior species musical creativity, just an accompaniment to dancing.
Thanks to Tchaikovsky, ballet music became a serious art along with opera and symphonic music. Previously music was completely dependent on the dance, now the dance had to obey the music. New means of expression and a new approach to creating a performance were required.
Further development Russian ballet is associated with the name of the Moscow choreographer A. Gorsky, who, having abandoned the outdated techniques of pantomime, used modern directing techniques in the ballet performance. Giving great importance picturesque design of the performance, he attracted to work best artists.
But the true reformer of ballet art is Mikhail Fokin, who rebelled against the traditional construction of a ballet performance. He argued that the theme of the play, its music, and the era in which the action takes place require different dance movements and a different dance pattern each time. When staging the ballet “Egyptian Nights,” Fokine was inspired by the poetry of V. Bryusov and ancient Egyptian drawings, and the images of the ballet “Petrushka” were inspired by the poetry of A. Blok. In the ballet Daphnis and Chloe, he abandoned dancing on pointe shoes and revived the ancient frescoes with free, flexible movements. His Chopiniana revived the atmosphere of romantic ballet. Fokin wrote that “he dreams of creating a ballet-drama out of ballet-fun, and out of dance into an understandable, speaking language.” And he succeeded
Anna Pavlova
In 1908, annual performances of Russian ballet dancers began in Paris, organized by theater figure S. P. Diaghilev. The names of dancers from Russia - Vaslav Nijinsky, Tamara Karsavina, Adolf Bolm - became known throughout the world. But first in this row is the name of the incomparable Anna Pavlova.
Pavlova - lyrical, fragile, with elongated body lines, huge eyes - evoked engravings depicting romantic ballerinas. Her heroines conveyed a purely Russian dream of a harmonious, spiritualized life or longing and sadness about something unfulfilled. “The Dying Swan”, created by the great ballerina Pavlova, is a poetic symbol of Russian ballet at the beginning of the 20th century.
It was then, under the influence of the skill of Russian artists, that Western ballet shook itself up and found a second wind.
After the October Revolution of 1917, many ballet theater figures left Russia, but despite this, the school of Russian ballet survived. The pathos of movement towards a new life, revolutionary themes, and most importantly the scope for creative experimentation inspired the ballet masters. Their task was to bring closer choreographic art to the people, to make it more vital and accessible.
This is how the genre of dramatic ballet arose. These were performances, usually based on the plots of famous literary works, which were built according to the laws of dramatic performance. The content was presented through pantomime and figurative dance. In the middle of the 20th century, dramatic ballet was in crisis. Choreographers made attempts to preserve this genre of ballet, enhancing the entertainment value of performances with the help of stage effects, but, alas, in vain.
The word "ballet" sounds magical. Closing your eyes, you immediately imagine burning lights, chilling music, the rustle of tutus and the light click of pointe shoes on the parquet. This spectacle is inimitably beautiful, it can be safely called a great achievement of man in the pursuit of beauty.
The audience freezes, staring at the stage. The ballet divas amaze with their ease and flexibility, apparently performing complex steps with ease.
The history of this art form is quite deep. The prerequisites for the emergence of ballet appeared in the 16th century. And already from the 19th century, people saw real masterpieces of this art. But what would ballet be without the famous ballerinas who glorified it? Our story will be about these most famous dancers.
Marie Ramberg (1888-1982). The future star was born in Poland, in Jewish family. Her real name is Sivia Rambam, but it was later changed for political reasons. girl with early age I fell in love with dancing, giving myself over to my passion. Marie takes lessons from dancers from the Parisian opera, and soon Diaghilev himself notices her talent. In 1912-1913, the girl danced with the Russian Ballet, taking part in the main productions. Since 1914, Marie moved to England, where she continued to study dance. In 1918, Marie got married. She herself wrote that it was more for fun. However, the marriage turned out to be happy and lasted 41 years. Ramberg was only 22 years old when she opened her own ballet school in London, the first in the city. The success was so stunning that Maria first organized her own company (1926), and then the first permanent ballet troupe in Great Britain (1930). Her performances become a real sensation, because Ramberg attracts the most talented composers, artists, and dancers to work. The ballerina took an active part in the creation of the national ballet in England. And the name Marie Ramberg forever entered the history of art.
Anna Pavlova (1881-1931). Anna was born in St. Petersburg, her father was a railway contractor, and her mother worked as a simple laundress. However, the girl was able to enroll in drama school. After graduating, she entered the Mariinsky Theater in 1899. There she received roles in classical productions - “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker”. Pavlova had excellent natural abilities, and she constantly honed her skills. In 1906, she was already the leading ballerina of the theater, but real glory came to Anna in 1907, when she shines in the miniature “The Dying Swan”. Pavlova was supposed to perform at charity concert, but her partner fell ill. Literally overnight, choreographer Mikhail Fokin staged a new miniature for the ballerina to the music of San-Saens. Since 1910, Pavlova began to tour. Ballerina acquires world fame after participating in the Russian Seasons in Paris. In 1913, she performed for the last time at the Mariinsky Theater. Pavlova gathers her own troupe and moves to London. Together with her charges, Anna tours the world with classical ballets Glazunov and Tchaikovsky. The dancer became a legend during her lifetime, having died on tour in The Hague.
Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872-1971). Despite his Polish name, was born a ballerina near St. Petersburg and has always been considered a Russian dancer. About Us early childhood declared her desire to dance, no one in her family even thought of stopping her from this desire. Matilda brilliantly graduated from the Imperial Theater School, joining the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. There she became famous for her brilliant performances of the parts of “The Nutcracker”, “Mlada”, and other performances. Kshesinskaya was distinguished by her signature Russian plastic music, into which wedged notes Italian school. It was Matilda who became the favorite of the choreographer Fokine, who used her in his works “Butterflies”, “Eros”, “Eunice”. The role of Esmeralda in the ballet of the same name in 1899 sparked new star on the stage. Since 1904, Kshesinskaya has been touring Europe. she is called the first ballerina of Russia and is honored as the “Generalissimo of Russian ballet.” They say that Kshesinskaya was the favorite of Emperor Nicholas II himself. Historians claim that in addition to talent, the ballerina had iron character, a firm position. It is she who is credited with the dismissal of the director of the Imperial Theaters, Prince Volkonsky. The revolution had a hard impact on the ballerina; in 1920 she left the exhausted country. Kshesinskaya moved to Venice, but continued to do what she loved. At 64, she was still performing in London's Covent Garden. And buried legendary ballerina in Paris.
Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951). Agrippina's father was a theater conductor at the Mariinsky Theater. However, he was only able to enroll the youngest of his three daughters in ballet school. Soon Yakov Vaganov died, the family had only hope for a future dancer. At school, Agrippina showed herself to be mischievous, constantly receiving bad grades for her behavior. After completing her studies, Vaganova began her career as a ballerina. She was given many third-rate roles in the theater, but they did not satisfy her. The ballerina was spared solo parts, and her appearance was not particularly attractive. Critics wrote that they simply did not see her in the roles of fragile beauties. The makeup didn't help either. The ballerina herself suffered greatly about this. But through hard work, Vaganova achieved supporting roles, and newspapers began to occasionally write about her. Agrippina then took a sharp turn in her fortunes. She got married and gave birth. Returning to ballet, she seemed to rise in the eyes of her superiors. Although Vaganova continued to perform second roles, she achieved mastery in these variations. The ballerina managed to rediscover images that seemed to have been erased by generations of previous dancers. Only in 1911 did Vaganova receive her first solo part. At the age of 36, the ballerina was sent into retirement. She never became famous, but she achieved a lot given her data. In 1921, a choreography school was opened in Leningrad, where Vaganova was invited as one of the teachers. The profession of a choreographer became her main one until the end of her life. In 1934, Vaganova published the book “Fundamentals of Classical Dance.” The ballerina devoted the second half of her life to the choreographic school. Nowadays it is the Dance Academy, named in her honor. Agrippina Vaganova did not become a great ballerina, but her name will forever go down in the history of this art.
Yvette Chauvire (born 1917). This ballerina is a truly sophisticated Parisian. At the age of 10 she began to seriously study dancing at the Grand Opera. Yvette's talent and performance were noted by directors. In 1941, she already became prima of the Opera Garnier. Her debut performances brought her truly worldwide fame. After this, Chauvire began to receive invitations to perform in various theaters, including the Italian La Scala. The ballerina became famous for her role as the Shadow in Henri Sauguet's allegory; she performed many roles choreographed by Serge Lifar. Among the classical performances, the role in “Giselle” stands out, which is considered the main one for Chauvire. Yvette demonstrated true drama on stage, without losing all her girlish tenderness. The ballerina literally lived the life of each of her heroines, expressing all emotions on stage. At the same time, Shovireh was very attentive to every little detail, rehearsing and rehearsing again. In the 1960s, the ballerina headed the school where she once studied. A last exit Yvette took the stage in 1972. At the same time, a prize named after her was established. The ballerina repeatedly went on tour to the USSR, where she was loved by the audience. her partner was repeatedly Rudolf Nureyev himself after his flight from our country. The ballerina's services to the country were rewarded with the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Galina Ulanova (1910-1998). This ballerina was also born in St. Petersburg. At the age of 9 she became a student at the choreographic school, which she graduated in 1928. Immediately after the graduation performance, Ulanova joined the troupe of the Opera and Ballet Theater in Leningrad. The young ballerina’s very first performances attracted the attention of connoisseurs of this art. Already at the age of 19, Ulanova danced the leading role in Swan Lake. Until 1944, the ballerina danced at the Kirov Theater. Here she became famous for her roles in “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker”, “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”. But her role in Romeo and Juliet became the most famous. From 1944 to 1960, Ulanova was the leading ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater. It is believed that the peak of her creativity was the scene of madness in Giselle. Ulanova visited London in 1956 on a tour of the Bolshoi. They said that such success had not happened since the days of Anna Pavlova. Stage activities Ulanova officially ended in 1962. But for the rest of her life, Galina worked as a choreographer at the Bolshoi Theater. She received many awards for her work - she became the People's Artist of the USSR, received the Lenin and Stalin Prize, became a twice hero of Socialist Labor and a laureate of numerous awards. The great ballerina died in Moscow and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. her apartment became a museum, and a monument was erected in Ulanova’s native St. Petersburg.
Alicia Alonso (born 1920). This ballerina was born in Havana, Cuba. She began studying the art of dance at the age of 10. At that time there was only one on the island private school ballet, directed by Russian specialist Nikolai Yavorsky. Alicia then continued her studies in the USA. Debut on big stage premiered on Broadway in 1938 musical comedies. Alonso then works at the Ballet Theater in New York. There she gets acquainted with the choreography of the world's leading directors. Alicia and her partner Igor Yushkevich decided to develop ballet in Cuba. In 1947 she danced there in Swan Lake and Apollo Musagete. However, at that time in Cuba there were no traditions of ballet or stage. And the people did not understand such art. Therefore, the task of creating the National Ballet in the country was very difficult. In 1948, the first performance of "Ballet of Alicia Alonso" took place. It was ruled by enthusiasts who staged their own numbers. Two years later, the ballerina opened her own ballet school. After the 1959 revolution, the authorities turned their attention to ballet. Alicia's company evolved into the coveted National Ballet of Cuba. The ballerina performed a lot in theaters and even squares, went on tour, and was shown on television. One of Alonso’s most striking images is the role of Carmen in the ballet of the same name in 1967. The ballerina was so jealous of this role that she even forbade staging this ballet with other performers. Alonso has traveled all over the world, receiving many awards. And in 1999, she received the Pablo Picasso Medal from UNESCO for her outstanding contribution to the art of dance.
Maya Plisetskaya (born 1925). It is difficult to dispute the fact that she is the most famous Russian ballerina. And her career turned out to be record long. Maya absorbed her love for ballet as a child, because her uncle and aunt were also famous dancers. At the age of 9, the talented girl entered the Moscow Choreographic School, and in 1943, the young graduate entered the Bolshoi Theater. There the famous Agrippina Vaganova became her teacher. In just a couple of years, Plisetskaya went from corps de ballet to soloist. A landmark for her was the production of “Cinderella” and the role of the Autumn Fairy in 1945. Then there were the classic productions of “Raymonda”, “The Sleeping Beauty”, “Don Quixote”, “Giselle”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”. Plisetskaya shone in “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray”, where she was able to demonstrate her rare gift - literally hanging in a jump for some moments. The ballerina took part in three productions of Khachaturian's Spartacus, performing the roles of Aegina and Phrygia. In 1959, Plisetskaya became People's Artist of the USSR. In the 60s, it was believed that Maya was the first dancer of the Bolshoi Theater. The ballerina had enough roles, but creative dissatisfaction accumulated. The solution was “Carmen Suite”, one of the main milestones in the dancer’s biography. In 1971, Plisetskaya also established herself as a dramatic actress, playing in Anna Karenina. A ballet was written based on this novel, which premiered in 1972. Here Maya tries herself in a new role - a choreographer, which becomes her new profession. Since 1983, Plisetskaya has worked at the Rome Opera, and since 1987 in Spain. There she leads troupes and stages her ballets. Plisetskaya's last performance took place in 1990. The great ballerina was showered with many awards not only in her homeland, but also in Spain, France, and Lithuania. In 1994 she organized international competition, giving him his name. Now “Maya” gives young talents the opportunity to break through.
Ulyana Lopatkina (born 1973). The world-famous ballerina was born in Kerch. As a child, she did a lot of not only dancing, but also gymnastics. At the age of 10, on the advice of her mother, Ulyana entered the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Leningrad. There Natalia Dudinskaya became her teacher. At the age of 17, Lopatkina won the All-Russian Vaganova Competition. In 1991, the ballerina graduated from the academy and was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater. Ulyana quickly achieved solo parts for herself. She danced in Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, The Bakhchisarai Fountain, and Swan Lake. The talent was so obvious that in 1995 Lopatkina became the prima of her theater. Each of her new role delights both viewers and critics. At the same time, the ballerina herself is interested not only in classical roles, but also in the modern repertoire. Thus, one of Ulyana’s favorite roles is the part of Banu in “The Legend of Love” directed by Yuri Grigorovich. The ballerina works best in the roles of mysterious heroines. Its distinctive feature is its refined movements, its inherent drama and high jump. The audience believes the dancer, because she is absolutely sincere on stage. Lopatkina is a laureate of numerous domestic and international awards. She is a People's Artist of Russia.
Anastasia Volochkova (born 1976). The ballerina remembers that her future profession she identified it already at the age of 5, which she told her mother about. Volochkova also graduated from the Vaganova Academy. Natalia Dudinskaya also became her teacher. Already in her last year of study, Volochkova made her debut at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters. From 1994 to 1998, the ballerina's repertoire included leading roles in "Giselle", "Firebird", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", "Don Quixote", "La Bayadère" and other performances. Volochkova traveled halfway around the world with the Mariinsky troupe. At the same time, the ballerina is not afraid to perform solo, building a career parallel to the theater. In 1998, the ballerina received an invitation to the Bolshoi Theater. There she brilliantly performs the role of the Swan Princess in new production Vladimir Vasiliev "Swan Lake". In the main theater of the country, Anastasia receives the main roles in “La Bayadère”, “Don Quixote”, “Raymonda”, “Giselle”. Especially for her, choreographer Dean creates a new role as the fairy Carabosse in “Sleeping Beauty.” At the same time, Volochkova is not afraid to perform modern repertoire. It is worth noting her role as the Tsar-Maiden in The Little Humpbacked Horse. Since 1998, Volochkova has been actively touring the world. She receives the Golden Lion prize as the most talented ballerina in Europe. Since 2000, Volochkova has left the Bolshoi Theater. She begins performing in London, where she conquered the British. Volochkova returned to the Bolshoi for a short time. Despite the success and popularity, the theater administration refused to renew the contract for the usual year. Since 2005, Volochkova has been performing in her own dance projects. her name is constantly heard, she is the heroine of gossip columns. The talented ballerina recently began to sing, and her popularity grew even more after Volochkova published her nude photos.
The consequence of the French bourgeois revolution was the dismissal of unreliable foreigners from the government service. As a result, Russian ballet was able to rely on its own personnel, the first of whom in 1786 was Ivan Walberkh, who headed the St. Petersburg ballet school.
Sentimentalism in the ballets of I. Walberch
Fascinated by Karamzin's sentimentalism, Walberg made his debut in 1795 with the ballet Happy Repentance. Based mythological plot he staged “moral ballets” that were supposed to awaken moral feelings. This choreographer paid attention to a realistic plot and costume. His work was suspended when Paul I ordered male dancers to be sent to serve in the army. However, in 1799 he staged the innovative ballet “New Werther” based on the life of modern society.
Didelot's dance performances - the formation of a national repertoire
The productions in the Empire style by the French choreographer Didelot, who worked in Russia in 1801-1811, were to the taste of the Russian courtiers. His Anacreontic ballets “Apollo and Daphne”, “Zephyr and Flora”, “The Shepherd and Hamadryad”, “Cupid and Psyche” amazed with their grace (the dancers performed in sandals) and the famous group flights, which were ensured by simple stage mechanics.
As a result of the work of these choreographers, by 1805 the national ballet repertoire. Followed soon Patriotic War 1812 became the reason for the appearance of patriotic divertissements, in which E.I. shone in Russian dances. Kolosova. At the beginning of the 19th century, ballets based on plots appeared. The largest work was the ballet “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” which was staged by Didelot’s student Adam Glushkovsky.
The formation of the Russian school of classical dance
Thanks to the work of Didelot, who understood the need to reform stage dance and considered it the main part of dramatic action, the formation of Russian school of classical dance.
It was Didelot who put Danilova on pointe shoes in 1808. Finger technique brought ballerinas to the main roles.
Among the pantomime dancers of that time, they stood out Istomina, to whom A.S. dedicated poems. Pushkin.
The Moscow ballet school focused on producing soloists, while the St. Petersburg school trained the corps de ballet.
The ballet costume began to use a women's colored bodice, a men's bambette and tunic. The men began to use ground and air support. Ballerinas danced in satin ballet shoes with quilted toes. Characteristic dances were performed in suede or leather boots with heels. In 1825, the Bolshoi Petrovsky Theater opened in Moscow.
Romantic ballet of the 19th century in Russia
The Italian choreographer Taglioni wanted to make his daughter Maria a famous ballerina, despite her weak abilities. To do this, he modified the productions, complicating them technically and actually creating a romantic direction. M. Taglioni's star lit up in the ballet La Sylphide to the music of Schneizhofer. In 1837, this ballet was seen in theatrical St. Petersburg. In parallel with Taglioni, E. Sankovskaya danced the part of La Sylphide in Moscow. They were constantly compared by spectators, which contributed to the progress of art. The previously shown “Fenella” and “La Bayadère in Love” could not compare with this work. The pinnacle of romantic ballet was Adan's Giselle, which conquered St. Petersburg in 1842. Its creator, J. Perrault, soon began to lead the St. Petersburg ballet troupe and staged "Esmeralda", in which he developed an "effective" dance that moves the plot.
This ballet to the music of Pugni based on the plot of V. Hugo was opened new era ballet art. The social realistic orientation was further strengthened in Perrault’s next work, the ballet “Catherine, the Robber’s Daughter.” Subsequently, tsarist censorship prevented Perrault from staging similar ballets. “The War of Women, or the Amazons of the 19th Century” caused criticism from the authorities following “Katarina”. The choreographer had to switch to entertainment themes (“The Naiad and the Fisherman”, “The Wayward Wife”, “Marco the Bomb”, “The Cantante”). However, at the end of his career, Perrault took up serious work - he staged Faust and Corsair.
Performers of realistic ballets
Fani Elsler's passion for Spanish folk dances and her ability to create an image on stage led the ballerina to world fame. Her tour in 1848 was a huge success in Russia. The Moscow audience applauded her for Lisa from “A Vain Precaution” and Olga in “The Russian Orphan.” Under the guidance of N. Peshkov (Lobanov’s student), Elsler studied Russian dance, which gave a new impetus development of folk stage dance. The outstanding Russian dancer E. Andriyanova, who at one time studied technique in the class of her father M. Taglioni, worked in the same vein. After Elsler's tour, she also began to dance modified folk dances(“Saltarello”, “Lezginka”, etc.). Her roles in “Paquita” and “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” were perceived ambiguously by her contemporaries, but left a significant mark on history. With long tours around the provinces and abroad, Andriyanova promoted the new choreographic art.
On January 17, 1799, the ballerina of the Russian Imperial Theater Evdokia Istomina was born. The life of a dancer resembled the plot of a novel. Who was this beauty whom Pushkin praised, over whom her admirers fought to the death?
Low class girl
Evdokia Istomina was born into the family of a drunken police officer, Ilya Istomin, and his wife Anisya. At the age of six, Dunya was left an orphan. Artist's profession at the beginning XIX century was not considered prestigious, and children, as a rule, from the lower classes were brought to the school. One of my acquaintances, who remained unknown, took care of the orphan, and Istomina was taken on full board at drama school, where the dance maestro himself, the famous Charles-Louis Didelot, taught.
Istomina, like all the other students, began to go on stage early: at the age of nine she already participated in the corps de ballet of the play “Zephyr and Flora.”
At the age of seventeen, immediately after graduating from school, Istomina, Didelot’s favorite student, was accepted into the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater Troupe. After a successful debut in the ballet Acis and Galatea, the young beautiful ballerina immediately took a leading position in the troupe. It is noteworthy that the dancer also appeared on stage in dramatic productions. In the 19th century, it was believed that an artist should be able to do everything.
A virtuoso dancer, Istomina was the first Russian ballerina to stand on pointe shoes, and the third in world ballet (only Maria Taglioni and Genevieve Gosselin were ahead of her).
Fatal beauty of the demimonde
The beautiful ballerina immediately attracted the attention of the discerning metropolitan public. Pimen Arapov, a famous Russian theatergoer of that time, recalled: “Istomina was of medium height, brunette, beautiful in appearance, very slender, had black fiery eyes covered with long eyelashes, which gave a special character to her physiognomy, she had great strength in her legs, aplomb on stage and at the same time grace, lightness, speed in movements..."
As on stage, in the scandalous chronicles of that time, young Dunya Istomina was in the lead roles. Aristocratic admirers sought her favor. The fatal beauty became the cause of a duel when four noblemen from high society. This tragic story, which happened in the fall of 1817, remained in memory as a “duel of four.”
The morals of that time made it possible to take beautiful and poor ballerinas as kept women. Evdokia Istomina was the mistress of Vasily Sheremetev for two years, until one day a quarrel broke out between them, and the dancer ran away from her patron. The flighty beauty felt free from obligations for a while and accepted the invitation of her friend Alexander Griboyedov (author of “Woe from Wit”) to stay with the chamber cadet Zavadovsky, a rich man and helipad known throughout St. Petersburg. Istomina soon made peace with Sheremetev, but rumors about Zavadovsky’s special hospitality spread throughout the capital. The wounded Sheremetev challenged the offender to a duel, and he close friend Alexander Yakubovich (the future Decembrist), who agreed to become his second, considered Griboedov to be the culprit of the scandal and called him to shoot.
The duelists met on November 24, 1817 on Volkovo Field. Both couples had to fight: first the instigators of the fight, then their seconds. But Zavadovsky’s shot was successful: he mortally wounded Sheremetev in the stomach. And it was decided to postpone the second duel. This postponed duel took place a year later, in the fall of 1818, in Tiflis, where, by the will of fate, both duelists ended up. Yakubovich shot Griboyedov in the palm of his left hand (a few years later, in February 1829, the body of Griboyedov, killed during the defeat of the Russian embassy in Tehran, would be identified from this wound). Griboedov fired into the air.
Istomina’s legs, sung by Pushkin
The tragic incident did not affect Istomina’s career in any way. The talented ballerina shone in the leading roles in almost all the productions of her teacher Charles Didelot. On January 15, 1823, the premiere of the ballet “Prisoner of the Caucasus, or the Shadow of the Bride” based on the poem by A.S. Pushkin. Istomina performed the role of Cherkeshenka. The poet was living in exile in Chisinau at that time. Having learned about the performance, he wrote to his brother in St. Petersburg: “Write to me... about Cherkeshenka Istomina, for whom I once trailed, like a prisoner of the Caucasus.” Pushkin and Istomina were the same age and moved in the same high-society circle. The poet was an admirer of the ballerina’s talent; he dedicated immortal lines to her dance in the ballet Acis and Galatea:
“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 he hits the leg with a quick foot.”
Pushkin planned to write a novel about the life of the ballerina Istomina. The title of the future book had already been thought up - “Two Dancers”. The basis of the plot was supposed to be an incident with a duel between the beauty’s admirers. The poet died without having time to realize his plan.
Sad sunset of a ballet star
Evdokia Istomina served in the Imperial Ballet for twenty years. In the last years of her career, she performed less and less: not a trace remained of her former youthful lightness, and the overweight ballerina no longer looked good on stage. During these years, Avdotya Panaeva remembered her like this: “I saw Istomina already as a heavy, overweight, elderly woman. Wanting to appear youthful, she was always whitened and rouged. Her hair was jet black: they said that she dyed it...” As she grew older, dancing became tiring for her, and she suffered from pain in her legs. The elderly artist's salary was halved. She wrote to the theater directorate: “In my 20th year since graduating from school, I have been reproached for the fact that my repertoire has decreased...
How is it my fault that they don’t give these ballets anymore? And what happened in my last year of service?” Istomina asked to be sent to the waters at public expense to improve her health. Nicholas I, who was reigning at that time, personally wrote a resolution in response to her request: “Istomin should now be completely dismissed from service.” The reasons for the hostility of the royal court towards famous ballerina there was the famous “duel of four”, and Istomina’s friendly relations with the Decembrists.
The last time Evdokia Istomina appeared on stage was on January 30, 1836, at the age of 37. There was no full role for her farewell appearance - the formerly famous dancer performed only a Russian dance.
Soon after leaving the theater, Istomina married Vasily Godunov, a young and handsome, but mediocre, according to the recollections of contemporaries, actor. Grief former ballerina was inconsolable when the young husband soon died of typhus. Evdokia Ilyinichna’s next husband was the dramatic actor Pavel Ekunin, by the way, an excellent dancer who was a Russian dance partner at the ballerina’s benefit performance.
Evdokia Ilinichna Istomina died on July 8, 1848, when a cholera epidemic broke out in St. Petersburg. The ballerina's husband, Pavel Ekunin, survived her only by a few months, also dying of cholera. The funeral of the former celebrity was quiet. On the gravestone with a small monument made of white marble there is a modest inscription: “Evdokia Ilyinichna Ekunina, retired artist.”
