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 of stars of the new generation opens with 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 the avant-garde projects of the theater and, based on the results of collaboration with modern choreographers, will give a head start to many.

Ulyana Lopatkina in the choreographic miniature “The Dying Swan”

Documentary film “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 already danced on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Kitri, the main character in Don Quixote, and 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 enjoyed enormous success in the Bolshoi Theater ballet choreographed by Mats Ek “The Apartment” (2013) and in 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 of contemporary 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. In terms of natural data and “technical characteristics,” 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 Theatre, shortly after Zakharova moved to Moscow, John Neumeier staged his program ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the ballerina shone in it in the double role of Hippolyta-Titania opposite 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 Alexandrova was chosen as Juliet by the new wave choreographer 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 genuine drama, which 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"

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

Anna Pavlova

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

Galina Ulanova

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

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

Olga Lepeshinskaya

Olga Lepeshinskaya easily coped with both classic ballet (“Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”) and modern productions (“Red Poppy”, “Flames of Paris”.) During the Great Patriotic War, Lepeshinskaya fearlessly performed at the front, raising the fighting soldier spirit.

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

Maya Plisetskaya

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

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

Lyudmila Semenyaka

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

But he mastered the art of ballet in Russia, and spent most of his life performing in the USA.

Choreographer Alexander Gorsky graduated from the St. Petersburg Ballet School in 1880. His worldview was strongly influenced by the teacher N.I. Volkov, who was also the teacher of Legat and Fokin.

Simultaneously with his diverse performing activities, Gorsky attended conducting courses and classes at the Academy of Arts, carefully studied the productions of L. Ivanov and M. Petipa, and developed the theory of dance by V. I. Stepanov. It was his mastery of a dance recording system that helped him transfer The Sleeping Beauty to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in three weeks in 1898. In Moscow, the young choreographer was amazed by the productions of the new Art Theater, meeting Chaliapin, Golovin, and young easel artists. In 1900, Gorsky transferred Glazunov's Raymonda to the Bolshoi Theater, after which he received an official offer to become the director of the Moscow troupe. For his creative debut, he chose the ballet Don Quixote, which was staged for the first time in Moscow.

However, Gorsky did not resume the choreography, but took up a new edition of the ballet, which has been preserved to this day in Russia and abroad. The choreographer strengthened the dramaturgy of the libretto, transformed the role of the corps de ballet, enriched the production with Spanish folk elements, changed the canonical adagio of the pair dance, and replaced the scenery and costumes. The premiere on December 6, 1900 caused a flurry of critical attacks from retrogrades and enthusiastic applause from young democrats. Next, Gorsky began a new edition, significantly improving his 1st act; resumed “The Little Humpbacked Horse” and staged “Waltz-Fantasy” to music. The latter work was a plotless “white ballet” designed to express the sounds of music in dance. In 1901-1902 Gorsky began a fundamental production based on Hugo’s novel “Notre Dame de Paris.” The mimodrama with dances “Gudula’s Daughter” (“Esmeralda”) was positively received by the young part of the troupe and the progressive audience. A challenge to the acquisitiveness of the powers that be was a choreographic satire based on Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” which was published in 1903. A year later, new editions of La Bayadère and The Magic Mirror appeared on the Moscow stage, and in 1905, a modern interpretation of the ballet Pharaoh’s Daughter, in which the dances were designed in the style of ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs, and the image of slaves made one think about the surrounding reality. Thanks to Gorsky's activities, the position of the Moscow ballet was strengthened by a successfully revised classical repertoire.

A whole generation of artists grew up on the productions of the reformer choreographer, searching for an authentic plastic image: M.M. Mordkin, S.V. Fedorova, V.A. Karalli, M.R. Reisen, V.V. Kriger, A.M. Messerer, I.A. Moiseev and others.

Ballerina Sofia Fedorova She was extremely emotional on stage, had an outstanding temperament and looked great in character dances; she amazed the most picky critics with her debut.

The role of Mercedes, the Khan's Wives, and the gypsy and Ukrainian dance performed by her attracted the attention of the viewer. Her fate tragically repeated the fate of the main character of the ballet “Giselle”, which she embodied on stage. At the same time, V.A. Karalli danced at the Bolshoi Theater, who went down in history not so much with her lyrical images as with the semi-fantastic rumors associated with her name. Growing up in an acting family, Victorina Krieger was remembered for her successful performances of the roles of Little Red Riding Hood, the Tsar Maiden, and Kitri.

Mikhail Mordkin certainly met the hopes of Gorsky, who not only staged characteristic numbers for him, but also assigned leading roles in his ballets (Phoebus, Khan, Nur, Hitaris, Solor, Mato). However, the best role in his repertoire remained the role of Colin from “Vain Precaution”. The young dancer of a heroic role easily coped with characteristic and classical roles and quite quickly eclipsed the premiere of Tikhomirov in the roles of Siegfried, Albert, Désiré. At the same time, Mordkin often improvised and introduced innovative techniques of characteristic plasticity into canonical roles. Being the leading dancer of the Bolshoi Theater, he was the first to risk making individual tours throughout Russia and abroad.
Among the male cast of the St. Petersburg stage of this time, Nikolai Legat (son of the famous dancer Gustav Legat) should be noted. Touring in 1899 with a group of artists at the Paris Opera, Legat clearly demonstrated to foreigners the advantages of the Russian school over the Italian one, and later his teaching skills served the development of the English Royal Ballet. It was he who “discovered” the secret of performing fouette for Russian ballerinas.

Among the St. Petersburg ballerinas, the most famous names were the names of O.O. Preobrazhenskaya and M.F. Kshesinskaya.

Olga Preobrazhenskaya managed to defeat Italian dancers in their homeland, at Milan's La Scala theater. Critics and the public unanimously recognized its superiority. Subsequently, she focused her efforts on developing the theoretical foundations of Russian teaching methods.

Matilda Kshesinskaya(daughter of the mimic actor F. Kshesinsky) quickly achieved a leading position in the St. Petersburg troupe. Having mastered the complex Italian technique, she was able to perform the famous 32 fouettés. In 1904, she was the first Russian to be awarded the title of prima ballerina. Despite the fact that the successful career of a ballerina is often associated with closeness to the royal family, we must pay tribute to her personal skill, which made it possible to complement soft Russian plasticity with European technicality.

Ballet is the hallmark of Russia: it is not without reason that some countries consider our country the birthplace of the art of theatrical dance. Russia has always had many great ballerinas, but the 20th century is considered the heyday of ballet.

A little history

There are two opinions regarding the date of the first ballet performance in Russia:

1. The great Russian archaeologist of the 19th century, Ivan Yegorovich Zabelin, was convinced that the first performance took place back in 1672 at the celebration of Maslenitsa on February 17. The dance was performed in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow at the court of the second Tsar from the Romanov Dynasty - Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet);
2. A native of Courland and the author of a book about Muscovy, traveler Jacob Reitenfels, who lived in the 17th century, attributed this event to 02/08/1675. On that day, Schutz’s ballet about Orpheus was staged (also at the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich).

In the 18th century, at the court of Peter I, the art of dance began to emerge in the modern sense of the term: minuets and country dances became an integral attribute of entertainment in secular society. The Tsar of All Rus' even issued a decree according to which dancing became the main part of court etiquette.

In 1731, the Land Noble Corps opened - the “cradle” of Russian ballet. In this institution, future graduates of the corps, who had a noble origin and, due to their duties, had to meet the requirements of secular society, devoted long and hard hours to the study of the fine art form. In 1734, the founder of Russian ballet art, Jean Baptiste Lande, was appointed dance master of the corps. A year later, in 1735, composer Francesco Araya arrived in the St. Petersburg building, and a year later, choreographer Antonio Rinaldi, famous in those distant times.

In 1738, the first ballroom dance school in Russian history was opened, headed by Jean Baptiste Lande. Today this institution bears the proud name “Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova.” It is noteworthy that Lande chose children of humble origin as students. Education for pupils was absolutely free: Lande’s wards were fully supported.

Already during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, in 1742, the first ballet group was created at the school of Jean Baptiste, and in 1743 his students began to receive their first fees.

During the reign of Catherine II, Russian ballet gained even greater success among the population: the tradition of “serf” balls arose, and in the court theater one could catch the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich, dancing.

It is worth noting that in the 18th century, ballet was inextricably linked with opera, but the dances themselves were shown during intermissions. In 1766, the famous Austrian composer Gasparo Angiolini visited Russia, adding “Russian flavor” to his productions using national melodies.

During the reign of Paul I, starting in 1794, the first Russian (by nationality) choreographer Ivan Walberkh took over ballet performances, and by decree of the emperor, only women could be on stage.

In the 19th century, during the reign of Alexander I, ballet reached a new level in its development thanks to the French choreographer Carl Didelot. The great classics - Pushkin and Griboyedov - praised Didelot's talent, especially noting two of the genius's students (Evdokia Istomina and Ekaterina Teleshova). For 30 years, Didelot occupied a leading position on the St. Petersburg stage until the conflict with Prince Gagarin, who owned the theaters. This greatly affected the quality of the productions, but the situation was corrected by Maria Taglioni, who made her debut in September 1837 in the production of La Sylphide. No one has ever provoked such a violent reaction from the public. The brilliant ballerina managed to give 200 dances in 5 years, after which she left St. Petersburg.

In 1848, Taglioni was replaced by her main competitor Fanny Elsler, and in 1851 Carlotta Grisi made her debut in Giselle, which was a huge success with the public. Gradually, the popularity of the ballet began to decline, largely due to the growing excitement around Italian opera. But this did not mean that the ballet “sank into oblivion”: magnificent productions were performed on stage, many talented dancers and dancers shone, such as Philippe Taglioni, Ekaterina Sankovskaya and Jules Perrot.

Under Alexander II, domestic talents were promoted on stage: during this period of time, performance technique was placed much higher than the performer’s plasticity and facial expressions. Among the famous choreographers of that time, it is worth noting such names as Jules Perrot, Arthur Saint-Leon and Marius Petipa. There were a huge number of famous ballerinas, in particular, Nadezhda Bogdanova, Anna Prikhunova, Christian Ioganson and Nikolai Golts entered history.

Under Alexander III, ballet performances were given twice a week on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. Primas were Varvara Nikitina, Evgenia Sokolova, Maria Petipa and many others. After the appointment of Jose Mendez as chief choreographer, Vasily Geltser, Nikolai Domashev, Lydia Gaten, Evdokia Kalmykova and Elena Barmina gained fame.

In 1898, Mikhail Fokin, a famous Russian-American ballet dancer and choreographer, was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. Mikhail performed the role of a soloist in such productions as The Sleeping Beauty, Corsair and Paquita. But the dancer’s soul demanded change: in search of new forms, Fokin is preparing a letter for the management of the Imperial Theaters, describing in vivid colors possible ways of transforming classical ballet dance. Despite the fact that he never received an answer, and thanks to the support of Alexandre Benois and Marius Petipa, Fokine continued to conduct his stage experiments. His favorite form was one-step ballet with a distinct style. Mikhail’s first experience as a choreographer was “Acis and Galatea,” performed to the music of A. V. Kadlec (04/20/1905). The success of the genius was cemented by the production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” based on W. Shakespeare (1906). The choreographer has great ballet productions under his belt, such as Chopiniana, Egyptian Nights, and Polovtsian Dances. Under Fokine, prima ballerinas Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, as well as the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, gained enormous fame.

At the same time, the ballet artist Alexander Gorsky, who from 1902 to 1924 was the choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater, had enormous authority. Gorsky became the initiator of reforms in academic ballet, working in tandem with a prominent cultural figure - artist Konstantin Korovin. As a result of the incredible efforts of the director, the first performance entitled “Don Quixote”, staged to the music of L. Minkus, was presented to the public in 1900. Among Gorsky’s merits, it is worth noting the editions of “Swan Lake”, “Giselle” and “The Little Humpbacked Horse”.

Beginning in 1924, Fyodor Lopukhov was appointed head of the ballet troupe at the Mariinsky Theater. Among his most famous productions are “Night on Bald Mountain”, “The Ice Maiden”, “Red Poppy”, “Bolt”, “A Vain Precaution” and “A Spring Tale”. It is noteworthy that today all of Lopukhov’s performances are forgotten. Only snatches from his numbers are periodically shown at the Mariinsky Theater, for example, the dance of the Persian women in Khovanshchina or the fandango from Don Quixote.

Famous ballerinas

In the 20th century, many approx. performed on the stage of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters. However, the best of the best can be called ten great Russian ballerinas of the 20th century, who won the hearts of thousands of caring spectators:

• Matilda Kshesinskaya (1872-1971);
• Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951);
• Anna Pavlova (1881-1931);
• Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978);
• Galina Ulanova (1910-1998);
• Natalya Dudinskaya (1912-2003);
• Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015);
• Ekaterina Maksimova (1939-2009);
• Svetlana Zakharova (1979);
• Ulyana Lopatkina (1973).

Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya - a ballerina of Polish descent, an artist of the Mariinsky Theater and the Imperial Theaters (from 1890 to 1917), was born on August 31, 1872 in a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater.

Famous for her close relationships with members of the imperial family: in 1890-94. met with Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, and later with princes Andrei Vladimirovich and Sergei Mikhailovich. Andrei Vladimirovich became her chosen one: due to a successful marriage, Matilda acquired the title of Princess Krasinskaya in 1926, and a little later, in 1935, she received the title of Her Serene Highness Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya.

The future prima graduated from the Imperial Theater School in St. Petersburg in 1890. Her teachers were H. Ioganson, E. Vazem and L. Ivanov. Immediately after graduation, Kshesinskaya was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater. She worked with the most famous choreographers of her time - M. Petipa and L. Ivanov. She also took lessons from Enrico Cecchetti. The first of the Russian ballerinas performed 32 fouettés in a row: previously only Italian primas demonstrated such skill. She had extraordinary physical abilities and an excellent command of technique.

Kshesinskaya’s repertoire includes a huge number of productions, but the following roles brought her particular success:

• Aurora in “The Sleeping Beauty” by M. Petipa 1893;
• Esmeralda in the play of the same name by J. Perrot, as revised by Petipa in 1899;
• Lisa in “Vain Precaution” by Petipa and Ivanov 1896

Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova - Russian and Soviet ballerina, choreographer and teacher, is the creator of the theory of Russian classical ballet, was born on June 14 (26), 1879 in St. Petersburg in the family of a conductor at the Mariinsky Theater. Has many awards, incl. the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1934. She is also a Laureate of the Stalin Prize of the highest degree in 1946.

She made a significant contribution to the development of the ballet industry through the development of a unique classical dance technique. The prima is also the author of a brilliant publication - the book “Fundamentals of Classical Dance”. The ballerina's teachers were E. Sokolova, A. Oblakov, A. Ioganson, P. Gerdt and V. Stepanov.

Vaganova became famous for her brilliant solo variations, which could be seen in Delbe's ballet Coppélia. It’s not for nothing that she’s nicknamed the “queen of variations.” Shortly before the end of her career, Vaganova received leading roles at the Mariinsky Theater. She had a bold character and an unconventional view of art, sometimes making too bold adjustments to academic choreography techniques. Marius Petipa even condemned the prima and her performing skills. But the criticism did not break the artist: her choreographic techniques were borrowed by the leading dancers of the era.

Vaganova’s career as a teacher was no less brilliant. After leaving the stage in 1916, she produced a huge number of talented and capable artists. Among them are such extraordinary personalities as Natalya Kamkova, Olga Jordan, Galina Ulanova, Fairy Balabina, Natalya Dudinskaya, Galina Kirillova, Nonna Yastrebova, Ninel Petrova, Lyudmila Safronova and others.

Anna Pavlovna (Matveeva) Pavlova - Russian ballet dancer, prima of the Mariinsky Theater, one of the brilliant ballerinas of the last century, was born on January 31 (February 12), 1881 in St. Petersburg.

It was thanks to world tours (the ballerina visited more than 40 countries, performing with her troupe after the outbreak of World War I) that the glory of Russian ballet rose to the skies. The miniature “The Dying Swan” performed by her is considered the standard of the Russian school of ballet today. Pavlova studied at the Imperial Theater School. Her teachers were E. Vazem, P. Gerdt and A. Oblakov. After graduation she was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater. The ballerina resorted to Petipa's help in preparing her performances in Le Corsaire and Giselle. Her partners were S. and N. Legat, M. Obukhov, M. Fokin. At one time she regularly performed parts in classical productions of the Imperial Theater: “The Nutcracker”, “Raymonda”, “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”.

In 1906 she became one of the best performers in St. Petersburg along with Kshesinskaya, Preobrazhenskaya and Karsavina. A. Gorsky and M. Fokin had a significant influence on the prima’s work.

She played the main roles in the latter's productions:

• Sylphides in Chopinian (1907);
• Armides in the Armida Pavilion (1907);
• Veronica in "Egyptian Nights" (1908).

On January 22, 1907, she performed for the first time the miniature “Swan,” staged especially for the performer by choreographer M. Fokin. A great event took place at a charity concert at the Mariinsky Theatre. Thanks to this role, Pavlova will forever remain a symbol of classical ballet of the 20th century.

Tamara Pavlovna Krasavina was born on February 25 (March 9), 1885 in St. Petersburg. Sister of the philosopher Lev Krasavin and great-niece of A. Khomyakov, the famous writer of the 19th century. Graduate of the Imperial Theater School, student of P. Gerdt, A. Gorsky and E. Cecchetti. She graduated from the educational institution in June 1902. While still at the school, she first performed the part of Cupid in Don Quixote under the baton of Gorsky, after which she was enrolled in the Mariinsky Theater. Her debut took place in April 1902 - she performed a pas de deux from the ballet “Javotte” by Saint-Saëns, entitled “The Pearl and the Fisherman.”

Since 1910 she has been a prima ballerina: her repertoire included parts from Giselle, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, etc. Her main activity occurred during the period of crisis of the academic ballet school.

Since 1909, she performed throughout Russia and Europe at the invitation of S. Diaghilev, playing leading roles in The Phantom of the Opera, Carnival, The Firebird, The Tricorne, etc. Tamara herself considered her best role to be the image of the Shamakhan queen from The Golden Cockerel, performed by her under the direction of Fokin. The name of Krasavina, like Pavlova, is associated with the triumph of impressionism at the beginning of the last century: Krasavina’s Firebird, along with Pavlova’s Swan, were symbols of the era, embodying the desire to avoid tragedy against the backdrop of an awareness of its inevitability. Krasavina gave birth to new trends in the art of the 20th century, quickly achieved success and won a world name together with her dance partner Vaslav Nijinsky, thanks to her extraordinary abilities and with the “light hand” of Fokine and Diaghilev.

Galina Sergeevna Ulanova, another popular ballet dancer, honored teacher and choreographer of the USSR, was born on December 26, 1909 (January 8, 1910) in St. Petersburg in the family of a ballet director and teacher.

She was a prima dancer at the Mariinsky Theater from 1928 to 1944. and the Bolshoi Theater from 1944 to 1960. Received many prizes and awards, incl. title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1951. Twice Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin and Stalin prizes, prizes of the Russian Federation and the President of the Russian Federation. She is considered the most titled ballet dancer in the entire Russian ballet history. Undoubtedly one of the greatest works of its time.

In 1928, she completed her studies in Vaganova’s class at the Leningrad Choreographic School and was accepted into the Mariinsky troupe.

She danced her first role as Odette in the ballet Swan Lake at the age of 19 (1929). From 1930 to 1940 performed in a duet with K. Sergeev: their joint work was recognized by critics as a reference. Among the most famous roles of the ballerina, it should be noted:

• Giselle in “Giselle” by A. Adam;
• Masha in Tchaikovsky's production of The Nutcracker;
• Maria in “The Bakhchisarai Fountain” by A. Asafiev;
• Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” by S. Prokofiev.

During the siege of Leningrad, she was urgently transported to Alma-Ata in 1942, where she performed the roles of Giselle and Maria as part of the Kazakh Theater. In 1944 she joined the Bolshoi Theater troupe, but the performer herself accepted these changes in her life with great difficulty, declaring that she would never have moved to the capital of her own free will. Despite everything, she was able to hold out as a prima ballerina until 1960, brilliantly performing roles in famous productions: “Swan Lake”, “Cinderella”, “Giselle”, “Red Poppy”, “Bakhchisarai Fountain”, etc.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, she performed in Austria with the magnificent miniature “Swan”, a waltz from “Chopiniana” and “Waltz” by Rubenstein. Ulanova was a huge success in London, performing Giselle and Juliet, repeating the exploits of Anna Pavlova.

From 1960 to 1997 She held the position of teacher at the Bolshoi Theater and made a contribution to the development of the ballet school of the USSR and Russia, which cannot be overestimated. Among her “pupils” are V. Vasiliev, S. Adyrkhaeva, N. Gracheva, E. Maksimova, N. Timofeeva and others.

Natalya Mikhailovna Dudinskaya is a famous ballet dancer, teacher, born on August 8 (August 21), 1912 in Ukraine, Kharkov. Her mother was also a ballerina. Natalya Mikhailovna received the title of People's Artist of the USSR, and was also a laureate of 4 Stalin Prizes of the 2nd degree.

In 1931 she graduated from the choreographic school in Leningrad. Her teacher is Agrippina Vaganova herself. Immediately after graduation she was assigned to the Mariinsky Theater, where she remained for more than 30 years.

Dudinskaya performed the role of Odile in Swan Lake, and the dance itself was forever captured in the 1953 film Masters of Russian Ballet. Performed parts:

• Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty 1932;
• the unforgettable Giselle in Giselle, 1932;
• Odette in Swan Lake 1933;
• Masha in The Nutcracker 1933;
• Kitri in Don Quixote 1934;
• Nikiya in La Bayadère 1941;
• Cinderella in the 1946 production of the same name;
• and many others.

Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya is a Russian-Soviet ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher and actress, born on November 20, 1925 in Moscow in the family of a diplomat and silent film actress. She is a continuator of the traditions of the Messerer-Plisetsky dynasty, a significant prima of the Bolshoi Theater from 1948 to 1990. He has many honorary titles and awards, incl. Hero of Social Labor, People's Artist of the USSR and Lenin Prize.

One of the most outstanding ballerinas of the 20th century. The owner of incredible plasticity, an unimaginable jump, a perfectly flexible figure and an exquisite manner of presenting herself on stage. Prima has created her own unique and inimitable style, combining such rare features as grace, graphics and completeness of every image and gesture. Thanks to the harmonious combination of a rare gift with incredible performance, she was able to demonstrate phenomenal creative longevity.

Among the most famous roles from Maya Mikhailovna’s repertoire on the Bolshoi stage, it is worth noting the following roles:

• Kitri in the ballet Don Quixote;
• Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty;
• Juliet in Romeo and Juliet;
• Mekhmene-Banu in “The Legend of Love”;
• Tsar Maidens in “The Little Humpbacked Horse”;
• and many others.

In 1967, she showed herself as a talented actress, playing Betsy Tverskaya in the film adaptation of Anna Karenina directed by A. Zarkhi. She has more than 50 film roles, 33 roles from the Bolshoi Theater repertoire and 12 roles on other stages, dozens of awards and a worldwide calling. One of Plisetskaya’s key roles is considered to be Odette-Odile from “Swan Lake” to the music of P. Tchaikovsky, performed on April 27, 1947. This ballet is the core of the entire biography of the great artist.

The following were staged especially for the prima:

• miniatures “Prelude” and “The Death of the Rose”, 1967 and 1973;
• “Carmen Suite” 1967 under the direction of choreographer A. Alonso;
• dance performance “The Madwoman of Chaillot” 1992 – choreographer J. Kachulyan, Paris.

Maya Mikhailovna became the soul and main symbol of Russian ballet of the last century.

Ekaterina Sergeevna Maksimova - ballerina, teacher and actress (02/01/1939) from Moscow. Student in the class of E. P. Gerdt at the Moscow Choreographic School. She became the winner of the All-Union Competition in 1957, and made her debut in Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” in the role of Masha. In 1958 she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater: her tutor was Galina Ulanova.

The academic school student demonstrated an easy jump, precise rotation, and had innate grace and elegance. She showed a high technical level and was distinguished by filigree in everything. She performed together with her husband: it was one of the most amazing dance duets of the 20th century. Even after suffering a spinal injury, Maksimova was able to perform on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, despite the skepticism of the attending doctors.

She toured the world quite often: she visited the USA, Norway, Denmark, Canada and Austria. She has performed at the best venues in Milan, New York, Paris, London and Buenos Aires. She was a member of the legendary troupes of M. Bejart, the San Carlo Theater, the English National Ballet, etc. In 1980, she received the specialty of teacher-choreographer at GITIS and began her teaching career. Since 1990 she has been a tutor at the Kremlin Ballet Theater, and since 1998 she has been a choreographer at the Bolshoi Theater.

One of the best Russian ballerinas of the 21st century is Svetlana Yuryevna Zakharova, who was born on June 10, 1979 in the Ukrainian USSR, Lutsk, in the family of a military man and choreographer. For 6 years she studied with V. Sulegina at the Kiev School.

In 1995, she took second prize in the competition of the Academy of Russian Ballet and received an invitation to undergo training. She successfully graduated from the A. Ya. Vaganova Academy in the class of E. Evteeva and was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater under the direction of O. Moiseeva. Her career developed rapidly: she very quickly took the leading position as a soloist, and in 2003 she moved to the Bolshoi Theater under the direction of L. Semenyaki. In 2008, she acquired a new status - prima of the La Scala theater in Milan, and performed on tours around the world.

In 2014, she performed the role of Natasha Rostova at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics. From 2007 to 2011 she was a State Deputy. Duma from United Russia, member of the State Committee. Duma on Culture. Zakharova is also one of the founders of the “Talent and Success” foundation and the director of the children’s dance festival called “Svetlana”.

Ulyana Vyacheslavovna Lopatkina is a Russian ballet dancer, born on October 23, 1973 in Kerch into a family of teachers. In 1991 she became a graduate of the Academy. A. Ya. Vaganova in the class of N. Dudinskaya and was immediately accepted into the Mariinsky Theater. In 1995 she became a prima singer.

In 2000, despite an ankle injury, she was able to complete the play “La Bayadère”. Because of this incident, she had to recover her health for several years. After a successful operation in 2003, she was able to return to the stage. Ulyana’s repertoire includes a large number of productions (both classical and modern), including:

• "Giselle" (Myrtha and Giselle);
• "Anna Karenina" (Kitty and Anna Karenina);
• “Leningrad Symphony” (Girl);
• “Bakhchisarai Fountain” (Zobeida);
• and many others.

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