Interestingly, the real name of Yuri’s father is Shmul. The NKVD officer, filling out the passport, got it wrong. This is how Shmil Aizenshpis turned out. The man went through the Second World War and visited Berlin. However, the soldier was never wounded. Yuri Shmilevich’s mother’s biography is no less interesting. Maria Mikhailovna was born in Belarus.
After the death of her parents, she was given over to distant relatives to raise. Because of the outbreak of the war, I did not have time to obtain a diploma in journalism. Maria Mikhailovna joined the partisan detachment and almost fell into the hands of the Germans several times. In the post-war years she was awarded medals and orders.
Yuri's parents met at the Belorussky railway station in 1944. After the end of the war, Maria Mikhailovna and Shmil Moiseevich ended up in the Main Directorate of Airfield Construction. At that time, the Aizenshpis family lived well. In their house there was a TV and a gramophone with a large collection of records.
Until 1961, the producer's family lived in a wooden barracks, but then moved to an apartment located in the Sokol district of Moscow. Yuri Shmilevich was a sporty child and attended a sports school. The producer was a fan of handball, volleyball and athletics. I had to retire from professional sports due to a leg injury.
Yuri took his first steps as an administrator in his youth. In 1965, the man began collaborating with the rock group Sokol. Despite the obvious craving for show business, Aizenshpis received an economic education at the Moscow Economic and Statistical Institute.
Music and production
Yuri Shmilevich's career as a producer began while still studying at the institute. Collaboration with a rock band did not help achieve the desired heights. Then Aizenshpis went to prison for conducting illegal currency transactions. After leaving prison, the producer found himself in the perestroika world, which became the starting point for developing a career in show business.
Meeting Alexander Lipnitsky allowed Aizenshpis to become the director of the Interchance festival. Gradually, the man studied the basics of behind-the-scenes life, identified methods of influencing musicians, and later moved on to producing.
Best of the day
“Promoting an artist is the functional responsibility of the producer. And here any means are good. Through diplomacy, bribery, threats or blackmail,” said Yuri Shmilevich.
This approach to the matter turned out to be successful. From an ordinary producer, Aizenshpis quickly rose to the rank of show business shark. Yuri began helping performers who wanted to be on the big stage. Not everyone suited Aizenshpis. The producer who lit the stars chose artists who could “hook” the viewer. A prerequisite was the presence of a repertoire. To promote musicians, Yuri Shmilevich used the media and television.
In 1988, the Kino group fell into the hands of Aizenshpis. By this time, the musicians had already reached a certain level on their own, but a professional approach to promotion was required. The collaboration of two talented people - Yuri Shmilevich and Viktor Tsoi - bore fruit.
The fame of the producer and musician soared to unprecedented heights. Two years later, Viktor Tsoi dies. Aizenshpis takes out a loan of 5 million rubles and releases the musician’s posthumous album “Black Album”. The disc's circulation exceeded 1 million copies. The producer earned 24 million from this project.
Yuri Shmilevich's career developed rapidly. After “Kino” there was another group – “Technology”. In fact, Aizenshpis promoted the group from scratch. Young musicians became popular. For an unknown reason, after a year of working together, the paths of the producer and the wards diverge.
Already in 1992, Yuri Aizenshpis was recognized as the best producer in the country. A year after the official recognition, he meets Svetlana Gaiman, known under the pseudonym Linda. They worked for several months, after which Maxim Fadeev began promoting the singer.
For 6 years, Yuri Shmilevich collaborated with the famous singer Vlad Stashevsky in the 90s. Collaboration led to the recording of 5 albums. Aizenshpis increased Vlad’s popularity and recognition significantly. The musician was invited to major concerts and events in Russia and the USA.
Yuri Aizenshpis' track record includes such stars as Katya Lel, Nikita, and the Dynamite group. The main achievement in the work of the producer was Dima Bilan. Under the leadership of Yuri Shmilevich, they learned about the artist in Russia.
Aizenshpis described bright moments of life and work in books. The producer published “Lighting the Stars. Notes and advice from a show business pioneer,” “From a black marketeer to a producer. Business people in the USSR" and "Viktor Tsoi and others. How the stars light up." In memory of the producer, a program was broadcast on the TVC channel called “Wild Money.”
Personal life
Rumors constantly circulated around Aizenshpis. In show business they stated that the producer brought the so-called “blue lobby” into the work. Previously, women were brought to men for promotion; later, lovers of politicians and businessmen began to appear. More than once Yuri Shmilevich and the producer’s wards were called gay, but no official confirmation of the men’s orientation was found.
“Spending time in prison could have influenced Aizenshpis’s orientation,” suggested Alexander Stefanovich, Alla Pugacheva’s ex-husband.
Numerous rumors did not prevent Yuri Shmilevich from living in a civil marriage with Elena Lvovna Kovrigina.
After the death of Aizenshpis, she quickly arranged her personal life by marrying director Leonid Goyningen-Güne. Yuri and Elena had a son, Mikhail. In 2014, a young man was taken into custody by the police due to drug use. During the search, Mikhail was found to have 1.5 grams of cocaine.
Death
Imprisonment had a negative impact on the producer's health. For a long time, Yuri Aizenshpis hid the fact that he had serious problems. Officially, the cause of death is myocardial infarction, but a number of diagnoses led to this, including cirrhosis of the liver, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatitis B and C. The information that Yuri Shmilevich had AIDS, which led to death, is not documented.
Three days before his death, Aizenshpis felt unwell. Doctors decided to hospitalize the producer. After the manipulations, the condition improved, so Yuri Shmilevich persuaded the doctors to release him from the hospital. The producer wanted to see Dima Bilan receive the prestigious MTV-2005 music award.
The producer did not live to see the ceremony for two days. Aizenshpis's life was cut short at the age of 61. The funeral took place at the Domodedovo cemetery. The farewell ceremony was attended by artists, composers and other show business figures. Numerous photos of the grieving Dima Bilan spread across the Internet. The producer's grave is located next to his parents'.
Admiration for Yuri Aizenshpis
Damir 19.04.2007 03:47:24
I would like to express my admiration for this little man! The younger generation needs to follow his example!
Good memory to Aizenshpis
nikolos 09.01.2010 11:08:34
I came here to honor the memory of this wonderful man, I am proud that we have one Motherland, may you rest in peace, blessed memory forever and the Kingdom of Heaven Yuri Shmilevich! Nikolai.
Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis was born a month after the end of the Great Patriotic War in Chelyabinsk. At that time, the producer's mother was evacuated there. Yuri Shmilevich comes from an unusual family. My father’s ancestors lived in Spain, but Shmil Moiseevich’s passport indicated Poland as his country of birth. Already as an adult, the man fled to the USSR, fearing reprisals from the Nazis.
Interestingly, the real name of Yuri’s father is Shmul. The NKVD officer, filling out the passport, got it wrong. This is how Shmil Aizenshpis turned out. The man went through the Second World War and visited Berlin. However, the soldier was never wounded. Yuri Shmilevich’s mother’s biography is no less interesting. Maria Mikhailovna was born in Belarus.
After the death of her parents, she was given over to distant relatives to raise. Because of the outbreak of the war, I did not have time to obtain a diploma in journalism. Maria Mikhailovna joined the partisan detachment and almost fell into the hands of the Germans several times. In the post-war years she was awarded medals and orders.
Yuri's parents met at the Belorussky railway station in 1944. After the end of the war, Maria Mikhailovna and Shmil Moiseevich ended up in the Main Directorate of Airfield Construction. At that time, the Aizenshpis family lived well. In their house there was a TV and a gramophone with a large collection of records.
Until 1961, the producer's family lived in a wooden barracks, but then moved to an apartment located in the Sokol district of Moscow. Yuri Shmilevich was a sporty child and attended a sports school. The producer was a fan of handball, volleyball and athletics. I had to retire from professional sports due to a leg injury.
Yuri took his first steps as an administrator in his youth. In 1965, the man began collaborating with the rock group Sokol. Despite the obvious craving for show business, Aizenshpis received an economic education at the Moscow Economic and Statistical Institute.
Music and production
Yuri Shmilevich's career as a producer began while still studying at the institute. Collaboration with a rock band did not help achieve the desired heights. Then Aizenshpis went to prison for conducting illegal currency transactions. After leaving prison, the producer found himself in the perestroika world, which became the starting point for developing a career in show business.
Meeting Alexander Lipnitsky allowed Aizenshpis to become the director of the Interchance festival. Gradually, the man studied the basics of behind-the-scenes life, identified methods of influencing musicians, and later moved on to producing.
“Promoting an artist is the functional responsibility of the producer. And here any means are good. Through diplomacy, bribery, threats or blackmail,” said Yuri Shmilevich.
This approach to the matter turned out to be successful. From an ordinary producer, Aizenshpis quickly rose to the rank of show business shark. Yuri began helping performers who wanted to be on the big stage. Not everyone suited Aizenshpis. The producer who lit the stars chose artists who could “hook” the viewer. A prerequisite was the presence of a repertoire. To promote musicians, Yuri Shmilevich used the media and television.
In 1988, the Kino group fell into the hands of Aizenshpis. By this time, the musicians had already reached a certain level on their own, but a professional approach to promotion was required. The cooperation of two talented people - Yuri Shmilevich and - bore fruit.
The fame of the producer and musician soared to unprecedented heights. Two years later, Viktor Tsoi dies. Aizenshpis takes out a loan of 5 million rubles and releases the musician’s posthumous album “Black Album”. The disc's circulation exceeded 1 million copies. The producer earned 24 million from this project.
Musicians of the Kino group, Evgeny Dodolev and Yuri Aizenshpis at the presentation of the Black Album Yuri Shmilevich's career developed rapidly. After “Kino” there was another group – “Technology”. In fact, Aizenshpis promoted the group from scratch. Young musicians became popular. For an unknown reason, after a year of working together, the paths of the producer and the wards diverge.
Already in 1992, Yuri Aizenshpis was recognized as the best producer in the country. A year after official recognition, he meets Svetlana Gaiman, known under the pseudonym. They worked for several months, after which he began promoting the singer.
For 6 years, Yuri Shmilevich collaborated with a singer famous in the 90s. Collaboration led to the recording of 5 albums. Aizenshpis increased Vlad’s popularity and recognition significantly. The musician was invited to major concerts and events in Russia and the USA.
Yuri Aizenshpis' track record includes such stars as Nikita, the Dynamite group. The main achievement in the work of the producer was. Under the leadership of Yuri Shmilevich, they learned about the artist in Russia.
Aizenshpis described bright moments of life and work in books. The producer published “Lighting the Stars. Notes and advice from a show business pioneer,” “From a black marketeer to a producer. Business people in the USSR" and "Viktor Tsoi and others. How the stars light up." In memory of the producer, a program was broadcast on the TVC channel called “Wild Money.”
Personal life
Rumors constantly circulated around Aizenshpis. In show business they stated that the producer brought the so-called “blue lobby” into the work. Previously, women were brought to men for promotion; later, lovers of politicians and businessmen began to appear. More than once Yuri Shmilevich and the producer’s wards were called gay, but no official confirmation of the men’s orientation was found.
“Spending time in prison could have influenced Aizenshpis’s orientation,” the ex-husband suggested.
Numerous rumors did not prevent Yuri Shmilevich from living in a civil marriage with Elena Lvovna Kovrigina.
After the death of Aizenshpis, she quickly arranged her personal life by marrying director Leonid Goyningen-Güne. Yuri and Elena had a son, Mikhail. In 2014, a young man was taken into custody by the police due to drug use. During the search, Mikhail was found to have 1.5 grams of cocaine.
Death
Imprisonment had a negative impact on the producer's health. For a long time, Yuri Aizenshpis hid the fact that he had serious problems. Officially, the cause of death is myocardial infarction, but a number of diagnoses led to this, including cirrhosis of the liver, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatitis B and C. The information that Yuri Shmilevich had AIDS, which led to death, is not documented.
Three days before his death, Aizenshpis felt unwell. Doctors decided to hospitalize the producer. After the manipulations, the condition improved, so Yuri Shmilevich persuaded the doctors to release him from the hospital. The producer wanted to see Dima Bilan receive the prestigious MTV-2005 music award.
The producer did not live to see the ceremony for two days. Aizenshpis's life was cut short at the age of 61. The funeral took place at the Domodedovo cemetery. The farewell ceremony was attended by artists, composers and other show business figures. Numerous photos of the grieving Dima Bilan spread across the Internet. The producer's grave is located next to his parents'.
Born on July 15, 1945 in Moscow.
In 1968 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Economics and Statistics with a degree in economics engineering. He began his professional career in 1965, collaborating as an administrator with the rock group SOKOL. Developed an original scheme for the team's activities. After a verbal agreement with the director of the club to hold a concert, the administrator bought tickets for the evening screening of the film and distributed them at a higher price. For the first time, I involved people who ensured order during the group’s performance. On January 7, 1970 he was arrested. As a result of the search, 15,585 rubles and 7,675 dollars were confiscated. Convicted under Article 88 (gold and currency transactions). He was released from prison in 1977 and subsequently received an official apology.
For a short time he worked at the Gallery Gallery under the city committee of the Komsomol, organizing concerts of young performers. At the beginning of 1989, he produced the KINO group. He was one of the first to break the state monopoly on record publishing. Taking a loan of 5,000,000 rubles (1990), he released the last work of the KINO group - “Black Album”. From 1991 to 1992 he collaborated with the TECHNOLOGY group. Helps musicians release their debut album “Everything You Want”, organizes the production of various printed products (posters, postcards, etc.).
In 1992 he became a laureate of the national Russian music award “Ovation” in the category “best producer”. Between 1992 and 1993 worked as a producer with the groups “MORAL CODE” and “YOUNG GUNS”. Since the summer of 1994, he has been collaborating with singer Vlad STASHEVSKY (4 albums were recorded in 1997, the debut - “Love Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” - was released on the Aisenshpis Records label). He participated in the organization of the international festival “Sunny Adjara” (1994), as well as in the establishment of the “Star” music award. In 1995, based on the results of work for 1993-1994, he was again awarded the Ovation Prize. In 1997, he continued to work with Vlad Stashevsky, while simultaneously collaborating with the aspiring singer Inga Drozdova. From 1999 to 2000 he was involved in the SASHA project. From 1998 to 2001 - raised performer NIKITA to the heights of popularity.
He passed away on September 20, 2005 in Moscow. He was buried at the Domodedovo cemetery near Moscow.
On July 15, one of the most controversial characters in Russian show business, Yuri Aizenshpis, would have turned 65 [discussion]
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In the last weekly, we started a story about the most controversial producer of domestic show business - Yuri Aizenshpis. From the biography of Yuri Shmilevich it is clear that in many ways he, without fear of anything, even prison, went ahead to earn money, which he then invested in show business. And, as those who worked with him assure, today’s face of our stage - with all the pros and cons - is in many ways the same as Aizenshpis saw him in his time. Today we continue our story about him. About tough character“Yuri Shmilevich tried to control our every step, he had many “ears and informants” in the company,” one of his charges, singer Nikita, told KP. - He tried to get involved in literally everything, even advised which girl I should be friends with. The one I had seemed unsuitable to him, so he matched me with another. But once I made it clear to him that I would not tolerate such excessive control, he was offended. He wanted to be friends, to be closer, but I, a reserved person, was passionate about music. He usually gave everyone advice on which parties to go to and which not to. I didn’t go to parties at all, but sat in the studio and wrote songs for myself. He and I often had clashes. He just screamed at me. But I also showed my teeth. One day he insisted that I sing a song that I didn't like. It came to a conflict. Finally I was convinced to make concessions to him. And I... recorded a song with a Georgian accent. Yuri Shmilevich sat down to listen to the recording and shouted: “It’s not Nikita singing, it’s some Georgian?!” For several more minutes the walls of the studio were shaken by his screams. In his book, Yuri Shmilevich wrote that I was jealous of him for Bilan. No, I wasn't jealous. Although I didn’t understand why he was making the second Nikita out of the new Bilan. Everything that was worked out on me, he rolled out as a carbon copy in the promotion of Bilan. Apparently, he wanted to quickly return the money and make money. Shmilevich really counted on me, but I bucked - I wanted to write electronic music, but he insisted that I remain in a pop image. As a result, Shpis decided to let me go. By this point, he began to even more actively promote Bilan, who did not argue with him. Although Dima required large financial investments. I wrote my own songs, and I didn’t get paid for it. - They say that Aizenshpis took revenge on you, cut off oxygen?- I heard such conversations... But I had no other way - I didn’t see any development with Aizenshpis... - I wrote songs for Aizenshpis’s wards. It must be admitted that Aizenshpis was incredibly demanding of his subordinates. He himself caught fire with the idea and demanded the same “spark” from everyone around him, says “dynamite” Ilya Zudin. - One day I brought a disc with a new recording, but the disc wouldn’t turn on. Aizenshpis decided that I simply didn’t do the work and was trying to blame everything on the equipment. He yelled at me without choosing words. I heard such insults that I could not stand it - I slammed the door and promised to break off all contacts with this person. However, after a while he called: “Well, I got excited. Let’s come and make peace!” It turned out that the disk miraculously worked, and Yuri was convinced that I had not deceived him... He was tyrannical. Before my eyes, he threw various objects at people. Most often it hit the head. People left with bruises. But they endured - becoming an enemy of Aizenshpis, you know, is more expensive for yourself! He could make trouble for those who wanted to cross his path. But he was quick-witted... On tour in Jurmala, Aizenshpis broke the camera of a photographer who was taking “spy pictures”. The fragments hit the face of the photojournalist, who wrote a statement to the police. We “made our feet” from this “Jurmala”, fearing that Aizenshpis would be imprisoned. He could be cruel. But at critical moments he acted according to concepts. When my father died, he opened his bag, took out, without looking, an armful of dollars and handed it to me: “Bury your father with dignity.” Then I never thought about this money and did not reproach it...
"Blue Lobby" The name of Yu. A. is associated with the emergence of the “blue lobby” in showbiz. Allegedly, at first the cool guys brought their mistresses to the producer to promote them, and then they started bringing... lovers. - For some reason, in recent years, Yura began to promote some slender boys for some reasons of his own. He chose cute boys with sexy characteristics, as he imagined,” Artemy Troitsky told KP. - I did not support him in this direction and told him about it, he was upset. Partly because of this, we almost stopped communicating with him. They often argued, even because of Bilan... I heard rumors about “Shpis”’s unconventional orientation. But I can’t blame him for anything specific. He had a wife and son. Why they got divorced, I don’t know. When for some reason he dyed his noble gray hair blue-black, it seemed wild to me... “My fellow dancers were afraid of Aizenshpis,” producer Vitaly Manshin told KP. - I noticed that Aizenshpis reacted calmly to girls, but with the boy dancers he quickly found a common language. I still couldn’t find him a backup dancer for Dima Bilan. I sent two girls. He rejected them. I offered him the guys from the Mirage ballet. Aizenshpis liked them. He went on tour with them and Bilan, and upon returning the guys rushed to me with wide-eyed eyes: “No, we won’t work with Aizenshpis!” Then I agreed with three guys from the ballet “Dance Master” (one of them was an ex-member of “Reflex” Denis). The guys somehow hesitated and asked me about Aizenshpis: “Won’t he pester us?” But the guys with normal orientation work with him! However, after a few days of working with Yuri, Denis came running back to me: “No, I can’t do that.” Apparently, something was happening there... He lured away the dance group from me, apparently managing to win over one dancer-leader. -Are you hinting at Aizenshpis’s own unconventional orientation?- I didn’t tell you this! You know, I still want to live. I don’t want them to come and shoot me in the head. - So he died?!- His friends remain. Therefore, I will not speak badly about him... - Spending time in prison could have influenced Aizenshpis’s orientation. If all other producers in those years promoted exclusively mistresses, wives, girls (if a boy singer appeared, then most often he turned out to be the son of some producer), then Aizenshpis was drawn to promote guys. Many people talked about his “blue lobby”. Nowadays this will surprise few people. I know that he did wrong concerts and received good money from cool people for inviting stars to them,” Alexander Stefanovich, ex-husband and promoter of Alla Pugacheva, told KP.
Alexander Tolmatsky: “Krutoy took away leadership from Aizenshpis”- I call Aizenshpis the best producer. He worked all his life. He started with me in the 70s,” Yuri Shmilevich’s former friend Alexander Tolmatsky, producer of Decl, Oleg Gazmanov, and the “Combination” group, told KP. - Since the late 70s, Yura Aizenshpis and I were among the first to engage in underground concerts, trade (then speculation) in musical instruments and records. Yura, in addition to this, also took up currency trading, for which he sat down. We also ran discos. He and I are one of those who stood at the origins of Russian show business. Everything else is a new generation that appeared in the 90s. Until 2000, Aizenshpis and I were leaders in the music market. In my company “Mediastars” he worked as the director of Aizenshpis, and among my founding partners was the then director of the Muz TV channel, who quietly sold the channel to Igor Krutoy, after which my company lost its leadership position, and Igor Krutoy gained influence in the music market. Compared to him, Pugacheva was more likely an organizer rather than a producer. And Kobzon is not a producer, but an artist. - They say Aizenshpis communicated with crime bosses?- You know, all the “authorities” in different fields communicate with each other, it’s just the way it is. Aizenshpis was respected by everyone. He never did anything in secret. He was a very decent man. - Is it true that Aizenshpis brought the “blue lobby” into show business?- There is such an opinion (chuckling). He was often surrounded by boys. I will not comment on this point. But he knew a lot about promoting singers! At the end of his life, Aizenshpis was very worried about Dima Bilan, who became friends with Yana Rudkovskaya. Yura came to visit me and talked about his experiences, he was afraid that Dima would be taken away from him. Those experiences affected Yura’s deteriorating health. Many of his wards were not very grateful. But when they left him, everything went dark. CHAPTERS FROM THE BOOK The Temptation of Dima Bilan * * * The singer wrote about his relationship with Aizenshpis in a book that will be published in the fall. A fragment from it was provided to KP by Dima Bilan’s PR manager. “During the filming of the video “I want to become an oligarch,” we met two respected people - one is very famous in the business environment, the other in the world of show business. Yuri Shmilevich and I received a very tempting offer - namely, to “buy” my contract and about my transfer from StarPro to another production company. The situation was made more acute by the fact that another producer offered a very large sum of money, which doubled all of Yuri Shmilevich’s expenses for my promotion. For me, absolutely fabulous horizons opened up - the prospect of working with the best Western composers and musicians, and therefore becoming both a more popular and wealthier person.
What do you say? - Yuri Shmilevich asked me, after listening to the details of the transaction from the other party. - And you? - I asked him a counter question. “This is a very generous offer,” Yuri Shmilevich praised. -You need to think it over. Carefully and with a cool head. I took time to think... ...Businessmen ordered me a very expensive car in St. Petersburg, which I could not even dream of at that time. They drove it and placed it right under the window of my rented apartment - at that time I lived on Sokol in a rather modest two-room apartment. In the morning I looked down, saw the beauty sparkling with bumpers and realized that all this could become mine as soon as I signed the necessary papers... - Yuri Shmilevich! - I called one fine day. - Are you sure that you must accept this offer? “Let’s meet and talk,” Aizenshpis immediately responded... ...We met in one of the cafes, each took a cup of coffee and sat silently for a while. “You understand one thing, Dim,” Yuri Shmilevich began to explain. - I cannot offer you the same conditions as these people. And for us to reach the same level that you can have with them now, it will take us several years... - But we can, right? - I looked up at my mentor. Yuri Shmilevich was silent. He... was ready to agree with any decision I made. - I don’t want to leave you! - I said. - I feel very comfortable, positive, and easy to work with you. We have been together for a long time, and a lot has happened, but I don’t know these people at all. I am sure that they will fulfill absolutely all their promises to the end. But I’m not sure that I can work with them... I looked at Yuri Shmilevich, and it seemed to me that joy flashed in his eyes. The prickly gaze softened, the face brightened and even somehow became younger... “Okay,” he answered briefly. - Thank you for your friendship. * * * For the first couple of years, Yuri Shmilevich and I – or rather he personally – tested each other’s strength. Aizenshpis constantly provoked me, threw some offensive things at me and at the same time carefully watched how I would react. There were a great many negative situations in dealing with him, since Yuri Shmilevich definitely needed to be pushed to that very boiling point, beyond which a person loses patience and begins to actively protest. This was a kind of “test”. Each of his artists or employees at least once reached the final brink when he decided to quit and declared: “That’s it, I don’t work here anymore!” Some left forever, some eventually returned, but it was in such extreme conditions that the Aizenshpis talent forge existed. Moreover, as it seems to me now, Yuri Shmilevich’s “education program” definitely included this item - testing by scandal. Perhaps this also had some sacred meaning, because endless concerts and multi-day tours really eat up so much energy, emotions and nerves that not everyone can survive such stress. They trained us, that is.
PERSONAL IMPRESSION He either blacklisted journalists or recognized them as his own I was personally acquainted with Yuri Shmilevich. We felt sympathy for each other and communicated tenderly. Then they often told me about the cool and even cruel character of the producer. He could be very rude to journalists, and would do dirty tricks to those who criticized his charges. I couldn’t help but believe in these stories, but Yuri Shmilevich turned to me “not with thorns, but with leaves”... We met in Sochi at a hotel. I was on a business trip, he was on vacation. In shorts, some unimaginable colorful shirt and a smile from ear to ear, like the Nutcracker, Aizenshpis immediately attracted attention. Moreover, the first impression - shock from his creepy appearance - instantly grew into interest in this man. He knew how to bewitch. He couldn’t sit still; everything around him began to spin and sparkle. He immediately ordered the table to be set for me. He immediately rustled the pages of magazines that had come from somewhere. Aizenshpis quickly explained that he met a fashion designer here and decided to collaborate with him. I have already agreed with a local magazine that will publish a photo of Dima Bilan in the costumes of that designer. “Are you going to write about Dima? Agree, it’s a good hotel, my friend runs it. You say, you want to go to Maxim Galkin’s concert, we’ll do it, the director of the Festival is my friend,” Yuri Shmilevich listened to me in one ear, and pressed his cell phone to the other, communicating with some producer and praising the performance of his singer in Sochi, on which he actually didn’t go to. He killed a dozen birds with one stone while running, trying to introduce everyone, make friends and spin them into one common cause. “The main thing is that it is beneficial and interesting for everyone,” Aizenshpis told me. - Are you saying that our PR manager doesn’t give information? I'll smear them all over the wall! Yes, help yourself! I eat according to the fashionable Volkov diet. The salad is specially prepared for me here. I have diabetes. I lost my health in the zone. But I want to live. I deny myself the pleasure of eating delicious food... Look at the photo of Bilan, isn’t he very sexy?!” I nodded. I didn't argue with him at all. In each of our subsequent conversations, he did not forget to ask me when I would write about Dima Bilan. I jokingly made an excuse: this is a very important matter, and I need to be well prepared. And along the way, I asked him for small news from the world of show business. Then I learned that Shpis subjected any publication about Bilan to a thorough analysis, after which it either blacklisted the author or added it to its own. Neither the first nor the second happened to me. And all because I never wrote ANYTHING about Bilan. Perhaps this circumstance allowed Aizenshpis and I to communicate without problems until the end of his life... I called him on his mobile two days before his death. I barely recognized his voice. He wheezed that he was very ill in the hospital. But he immediately said that nothing would break through, not for the first time. “I’ll recover a little and go back into battle, Dima needs to do a tour,” he hissed into the trumpet. “Call the PR manager, they’ll tell you something, tell me, I told you to.” And two days later a message came that he was gone. The official diagnosis is heart. There were rumors - AIDS. There is a version that this is the result of stem cell treatment. He was a pioneer in everything. Aizenshpis explained his success like this: “We can say that show business is an already formed industry, the same industry as car production or iron smelting. Here, too, there is its own technology and its own laws... The show is a spectacle. The word “concert” is not suitable, it is associated with the classical genre, be it a symphony orchestra, Zykina or Magomayev... Show business two or three years ago brought a lot of money. Now the whole society is sick and the area where I work is sick. The amount of money spent on big shows today is not justified by the cost of tickets. Advertisers and sponsors are needed. I believe that the advantage in business belongs to those in whose genes the blood of a business person flows. Real business is for the talented. This is art. What helps me is my ability to work, my taste, which has not yet failed me, and my knowledge of the matter.”
The director of Yulia Nachalova, whom everyone considered her lover, turned out to be a “girlfriend”
According to established tradition, most pop stars go on stage accompanied by dancers who perform various steps behind them. How these boys and girls get to the stars, what kind of relationship they have with them and how much they get for their work - viewers usually don’t think about it. Meanwhile, this is a whole separate branch of show business that feeds a large number of people. We managed to find out some of the secrets of this community from producer Vitaly MANSHIN, who heads one of the main centers for training dancers - the Duncan School of Contemporary Dance.
Our school was founded ten years ago by a former dancer of the Beryozka ensemble. Olga Zamyatina and was initially aimed at amateurs,” Manshin began his story. “Then Zamyatina retired for personal reasons, and the school was on the verge of closure. And I had a rehearsal there group "Reflex" and other artists with whom I collaborated at that time. And I decided to buy the school from Zamyatina and transfer it to a professional channel, following the example of the Todes studio. Alla Dukhova. Our first “star” client was Kolya Baskov. The funny thing is that he lived in the same house with Dukhova, and he had a direct path to her. But my friend dragged Baskov to our Duncan. Kolya took the matter seriously and personally selected each dancer. I instructed the assembled team to prepare for work Artem Bykov, who previously worked in ballet Jasmine. He was completely broken, he was practically unfit for work, semi-invalid. But he assured me that he could work. And out of pity I took it.
Rough Basque
At first, Bykov successfully coped with the responsibilities of a leader, continues Vitaly. - But six months later a rebellion began within the team. According to the terms of the contract, all dancers had to pay me a small percentage of their earnings. For this, they were given the opportunity to rehearse at our base, as well as a number of additional services - a solarium, a sports club, etc. But, after working with Baskov, they quickly forgot that it was I who got them there, and decided: “Why pay interest?!” They started throwing mud at me, complaining to Kolya that I was robbing them, that I wasn’t giving them a rehearsal room. It got to the point of absurdity. I sometimes went on tour with them to monitor how the work was going. And one day at dinner I got into a conversation with a 20-year-old violinist from Baskov’s accompanying band. He was very worried about his career and began to ask me for help. I explained that I am far from classical music. And he advised me to contact a familiar accompanist from the orchestra. Someone immediately reported this to Baskov. Kolya called me in the middle of the night from Kyiv and began to be indignant: “Manshin, are you oh...l?! Why are you taking people away from me?!” Immediately Baskov’s then father-in-law called me back Boris Shpigel and said sternly: “Can’t you sit straight?!” If you practice your ballet, keep practicing!”
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An outlet for Aizenshpis
Unfortunately, I, Dukhovaya, and our other colleagues have had to deal with such ingratitude more than once,” Manshin smiled sadly. - Recently the ballet director "Street Jazz" Sergey Mandrik complained to me that his pets did not at all appreciate the kindness that was done to them. This may be due to the fact that 95 percent of the dancers are from the provinces. They are more willing to walk over corpses than Muscovites. They need to somehow settle down in the capital. And morality comes last for them. And artists and their producers often follow their lead. Take for example the story with the dance group Dima Bilan. At one time I called the deceased myself Yura Aizenshpis and suggested: “Let’s do a free number for your Bilan to try!” He liked the number. And we immediately agreed on further work. I had contracts with Baskov and his dancers. “Let’s sign something!” - I said to Aizenshpis. “This is of no use! - he waved it off. “My word is ironclad.” For a long time we could not find dancers for him. First they put the guys from ballet "Mirage" who are now dancing Friske. They flew with Bilan on tour. Apparently, Aizenshpis was approaching them. And upon returning they said: “No, we will not work with him.” Then they installed two girls. But Aizenshpis didn’t like them. Girls didn't inspire him at all.
Then I suggested that three guys from the ballet go to him "Dance Master". One of them was an ex-member of Reflex Denis Davidovsky. At one time, Aizenshpis groomed him, approached him at presentations and said: “Come to me!” Denis foolishly decided to leave Reflex. But, having got to Aizenshpis, he came running back three days later. He fell to his knees and said: “Forgive me! It was a mistake." Apparently, something unusual was happening there too. It is not surprising that Denis and his partners in “Dance Master” were not particularly eager to work with Aizenshpis. “Won’t he pester us?” - they asked. “This is how you position yourself! - I answered. - The Dynamite group is working with him, and nothing. They have two Ilyas - quite normal guys. And only the third is an outlet for Aizenshpis.”
- And many people believe that dancers - almost all gay - only dream of men...
This flourishes in groups that are close in style to classical ballet,” Manshin chuckled. - For some reason, those who study classics are more drawn in this direction. And dancers working in modern styles are, as a rule, normal guys. In any case, we haven’t come across a single “blue” one the entire time. That’s why everyone was afraid to get involved with Aizenshpis.
Aldonin is not a cuckold
- How much do dancers get paid?
Members of groups of artists such as Baskov and Bilan receive an average of 200 euros per concert,” Manshin clicked his tongue. - In teams it’s simpler - from three thousand rubles in Moscow to five thousand on the road. There may be 20 concerts a month. Or there may be none. For comparison, go-go dancers in fashionable clubs, without straining, consistently earn 3-5 thousand dollars a month. But not everyone can shake their ass in front of drunken faces. And with most artists you don’t earn much. With rare exceptions, they strive to save money on ballet. For example, we have been friends with Vitya Nachalov- dad Yuli Nachalova. She is a good singer, but her ballet has always been kind of weak - for teenage girls - two swats, three swats. I suggested that Vita do something more serious for her. I assembled a team of six people - four girls and two boys. One of the guys was a guy from Brazil, a kick-ass dancer who is now working with Topalov. Nachalova had just returned from maternity leave and returned to work. By this time we already had a program ready. But then Yulia’s “friend”, her director, began to muddy the waters Andrey Trofimov.
What does "girlfriend" mean? It seems that they say that Nachalova’s director is almost her lover, with whom she is cheating on her husband, football player Evgeniy Aldonin.
It can not be so! This Andrey is of a slightly different orientation,” Vitaly laughed. - He used to work with Aizenshpis’s pet Vlad Stashevsky. I don’t know - either our ballet didn’t suit him due to some gender characteristics, or he wanted to stage his own dancers in order to get a bribe from them. But as a result of the subversive work he carried out, Nachalova refused to work with us under the pretext of our alleged unprofessionalism. In fact, the claims were completely unfounded. All the artists we worked with were always present at ballet rehearsals and did run-throughs. And it was almost impossible to drag Nachalova to rehearse. And no matter how professional she was, there were some mistakes on stage. “I understand, Andrei is playing around with Yulia,” Vitya Nachalov justified himself. “But she sang with him so much that I can’t do anything with her.” Then they changed the ballet several more times. I saw the last of them. You can't call it choreography. It's some kind of aerobics. Apparently, Nachalova likes it that way.
Greedy Dance
Our cooperation with Ladoy Dance, - Manshin shook his head. - When you start communicating with her, she can attract you like a woman. But then it suddenly turns 180 degrees. She starts yelling and making some unfounded accusations. Then she doesn’t like to pay money. We agreed to work with her through barter. But she only performed one performance. Moreover, she almost tore it off. It was some kind of conference in the Kremlin. He performed there Sergey Drobotenko. And Lada had to sing two songs after him. For this we deducted three rubles from her. But she was late for the appointed time. To fill the pause that arose, poor Drobotenko was forced to speak for more than an hour instead of ten minutes. He was already all red and kept looking at us with hope: “Well, when?” And in any case, we needed to get her on stage in order to get money for her. In the end, Dance sang one song instead of two. Then she made a scandal and said that I was completely crazy. As a result, she owed fifteen hundred dollars.
