Famous ballerinas of the world. Ballet dancers, dancers, choreographers

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Contemporary 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 behind it 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 in terms of performing skills.

This short list stars of the new generation are opened by Ulyana Lopatkina, who came to Mariinskii Opera House in 1991 and is now almost ending his 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 is the next generation of dancers, for whom the Soviet legacy is just one of many directions. These are Ekaterina Kondaurova, Ekaterina Krysanova, Olesya Novikova, Natalya Osipova, Oksana Kardash, but about them another time.

Ulyana Lopatkina

Today's media call Natalia Dudinskaya's student Ulyana Lopatkina (born 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 coldish-refined Soviet version of 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-Saens. From these two of her works, 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 comprehend the craft and unravel the mystery of reincarnation. The refined and sensual Lebed is Ulyana, and for a long time, even when a new generation of dancers outshines the brilliant galaxy of ballerinas of the 1990s – 2000s, Odette-Lopatkina will bewitch. She was also unattainable, technically accurate and expressive in "Raymond" by Alexander Glazunov, "The Legend of Love" by Arif Melikov. She would not have been called a "style icon" without the contribution to ballets by 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 peak of her career (1999–2010). Her best roles, namely roles, not parts, since Lopatkina knows how to dramatically fill plotless compositions, solo works in "Diamonds", "Piano Concerto No. 2", "Theme with Variations" to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, "Waltz" by Maurice Ravel became. The ballerina took part in all the theater's avant-garde projects and as a result of cooperation with modern choreographers will give odds to many.

Ulyana Lopatkina in the choreographic miniature "Dying Swan"

Documentary"Ulyana Lopatkina, or Dances on Weekdays and Holidays"

Diana Vishneva

The second by virtue of birth, only three years younger than Lopatkina, a student legendary Lyudmila Kovalevoy Diana Vishneva (born in 1976) in reality never "came" second, but only the first. It so happened that Lopatkina, Vishneva and Zakharova, separated from each other for three years, walked side by side at the Mariinsky Theater, full of healthy rivalry and at the same time admiration for each other's huge, but completely different capabilities. Where Lopatkina reigned with a languid graceful Swan, and Zakharova formed a new - urban - image of romantic Giselle, Vishneva performed the function of the goddess of the wind. Before graduating from the Academy of Russian Ballet, she had already danced on the stage of the Mariinsky Kitri - the main character in Don Quixote, a few months later she showed her achievements in Moscow on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. And at the age of 20 she became the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, although many have to wait for an increase to this status to 30 or more years. 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 the canonical version of Leonid Lavrovsky, she also became the most graceful Manon Lescaut in the ballet of the same name by Kenneth McMillan. Since the early 2000s, in parallel with St. Petersburg, where she participated in many productions of such choreographers as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsyth, Alexei Ratmansky, Angelin Preljocaj, she began performing abroad as a guest etoile ("ballet star"). Now Vishneva often works in her own projects, ordering ballets for herself from famous choreographers (John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, Caroline Carlson, Moses Pendleton, Dwight Roden, Jean-Christophe Maillot). The ballerina regularly dances in the premieres of Moscow theaters. Vishneva was a huge success in the Bolshoi ballet choreographed by Mats Eck "Apartment" (2013) and John Neumeier's production of Tatiana based on Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Musical Theater in 2014. In 2013 she became one of the organizers of the November festival modern dance Context, which since 2016 has been held not only in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg.

Documentary film “Always on the move. Diana Vishneva "

Svetlana Zakharova

The youngest in 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 way surpassed them, acting like the great Leningrad ballerinas Marina Semyonova and Galina Ulanova, "To serve" in Moscow The Bolshoi Theatre in 2003. Behind her shoulders was a study with a wonderful teacher of ARB Elena Evteeva, experience with Olga Moiseeva, the star of the Kirov Ballet of the 70s, and a gigantic track record. In any of the performances of the Petersburg period, Zakharova stood out clearly. Her strong point, on the one hand, was the interpretation of the heroines in the old ballets by Marius Petipa, restored by Sergei Vikharev, and the soloists in the avant-garde productions of the leading choreographers, on the other. According to natural data and " technical specifications»Zakharova not only surpassed her colleagues at the Mariinsky Theater and after at the Bolshoi, she was included in 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 Bayadere "and" Sleeping Beauty "in all possible stage versions from Hamburg to Paris and Milan. At the Bolshoi Theater, shortly after Zakharova's move to Moscow, John Neumeier staged his program ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the ballerina flashed in it in the double role of Ippolita-Titania, paired with Nikolai Tsiskaridze's Oberon. She also took part in the production of Neumeier's Ladies of the Camellias at the Bolshoi. Zakharova successfully collaborates with Yuri Possokhov - she danced the premiere of his Cinderella in 2006 at the Bolshoi Theater and in 2015 she performed the role of Princess Mary in A Hero of Our Time.

The documentary “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, the dancers of the previous generation were dancing their days - Nina Ananiashvili, Nadezhda Gracheva, Galina Stepanenko. In ballets with their participation, Alexandrova - bright, temperamental, even exotic - was on the sidelines, but it was she who got all the experimental premieres of the theater. Critics saw a very young ballerina in Alexei Ratmansky's ballet Dreams of Japan, and soon she interpreted Catherine II in Boris Eifman's ballet Russian Hamlet, etc. And debuts in the main roles of such ballets as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty "," Raymonda "," The Legend of Love ", she patiently waited for years.

2003 became fateful when Alexandrova was chosen as Juliet by the choreographer new wave Radu Poklitaru. It was an important performance that opened the way for new choreography (no pointe shoes, no classical positions) at the Bolshoi Theater, and Alexandrova was holding 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 theatrical backstage on her - "Curtain" in Yekaterinburg, and in the summer of 2016 chose to play 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.

The documentary “Monologues about yourself. Maria Alexandrova "

Victoria Tereshkina

Like Alexandrova at the Bolshoi, Victoria Tereshkina (born in 1983) was in the shadow of the aforementioned troika of ballerinas. But she did not expect someone to retire, she began to vigorously capture parallel spaces: she experimented with novice choreographers, did not get lost in the difficult ballets of William Forsyth ("Approximate Sonata", for example). Often she did what others did not undertake, or did, but could not cope, but Tereshkina succeeded and does absolutely everything. Her main hobby was impeccable mastery of technique, endurance and the presence of a reliable teacher, Lyubov Kunakova, helped her. It is curious that, unlike Aleksandrova, who has gone into genuine drama, which is only possible on the ballet stage, Tereshkina “put” on the improvement of technique and elevated a triumphant plotlessness into a cult. Her favorite plot, which she always plays on stage, grows out of a sense of form.

The documentary film “The Tsar's Lodge. Victoria Tereshkina "

Behind the airy and light dance of the ballerina there is a colossal daily work from classes and rehearsals. It is not for nothing that before the ballerina was called only the dancer who managed to reach the pinnacle of choreographic skill and was honored to perform the leading parts in classical performances. “Beauty does not tolerate amateurism. To serve her means to devote oneself to her entirely, without a trace, "said the great Anna Pavlova. And the biographies of truly great dancers confirm her opinion. The Russian ballet school is still considered an exemplary school, therefore, among the many eminent dancers, we chose only its pupils.

Avdotya Istomina

The legendary Petersburg ballerina was glorified by Pushkin in Eugene Onegin, and was also going to devote a story to her. Avdotya Istomina revealed her talent at an early age and, while still a student of the St. Petersburg Ballet School, performed at the Imperial Theater. At the age of 17, the dancer won the first place in the troupe after the debut of Acis and Galatea. Istomina's repertoire was varied, since the artist also had an outstanding dramatic talent. She also played in vaudeville, brilliantly coped with conversational roles. In addition to her stage talent, the ballerina also became famous for her ability to charm men - she was always surrounded by crowds of fans. It was she who became the reason for the famous quarter duel between Zavadovsky and Sheremetyev and their seconds Griboyedov and Yakubovich.

Tamara Karsavina

The daughter of a ballet dancer, Tamara Karsavina followed in her father's footsteps: after graduating from the Imperial drama school, joined the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater and quickly gained prima status. Karsavina successfully danced parts in classical performances - "Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty", "La Bayadere" - and also inspired choreographers to create performances "for themselves." Mikhail Fokin and Leonid Myasin staged for her, and Sergei Diaghilev, having invited her to his troupe, gave the best parts. By the way, Tamara Karsavina was close friend and an advisor to the creator of Russian Seasons. In 1918, the ballerina left Russia forever and settled in England, where she taught classical dance, acting skills and worked on productions.

Anna Pavlova

Little is known about the childhood of the ballerina - Pavlova hid her own origin all her life. However, her career was so eventful and her talent so bright that the details of her early biography can be ignored without a twinge of conscience. A graduate of the Imperial Theater School, Anna Pavlova was the leading dancer of the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, where she performed parts in classical ballets... The ballerina gained worldwide fame after participating in Diaghilev's Russian Seasons, although after working with him for one season, she founded her own troupe. Nevertheless, the poster with Pavlova's silhouette remained the symbol of the famous series of touring performances. The most famous image of the ballerina is a miniature swan, staged for her by Mikhail Fokin. Since 1914, Anna Pavlova has lived in England and has successfully toured Europe, America and even India. The great dancer died of pneumonia. It is said that her last words were: "Get me my swan costume!"

The dance style of this ballerina cannot be confused with anyone else. A clear, carefully honed gesture, measured movement around the stage, the utmost laconism of costumes and movements - these are the features that immediately distinguish M. Plisetskaya.

After graduating from the Moscow Choreographic School, where Plisetskaya studied with teachers E.P. Gerdt and M.M. Leontyeva, from 1943 she worked at the Bolshoi Theater. From the very beginning of her career, Plisetskaya's special artistic individuality was manifested. Her work is distinguished by a rare combination of clean lineage with imperious expression and rebellious dance dynamics. And her excellent external data - a big step, a high, light jump, rapid rotation, unusually flexible, expressive hands and the finest musicality - once again confirm that Plisetskaya not only became a ballerina, but was born by her.

Anna Pavlovna Pavlova(February 12, 1881 - January 23, 1931), Russian ballerina.

Pavlova's art is a unique phenomenon in the history of world ballet. She first turned academic dance into mass appearance art, close and understandable even to the most unprepared public.

Legends cover her whole life from birth to death. According to the documents, her father was a soldier of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. However, even during the life of the ballerina, newspapers wrote about her aristocratic origin.

Galina Sergeevna Ulanova(January 8, 1910 - March 21, 1998), Russian ballerina.

Ulanova's work constituted an entire era in the history of world ballet. She not only admired the filigree art of dance, but with every movement conveyed the state of mind of her heroine, her mood and character.

The future ballerina was born into a family where dance was a profession. Her father was a famous dancer and choreographer, and her mother was a ballerina and teacher. Therefore, Ulanova's admission to the Leningrad Choreographic School was completely natural. At first, she studied with her mother, and then the famous ballerina A. Ya. Vaganova became her teacher.

In 1928 Ulanova brilliantly graduated from college and was accepted into the troupe Leningrad Theater opera and ballet. Soon she became the leading performer of the parts of the classical repertoire - in P. Tchaikovsky's ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, A. Adam's Giselle and others. In 1944 she became a soloist at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

Marius Ivanovich Petipa(March 11, 1818 - July 14, 1910), Russian artist, choreographer.

The name of Marius Petipa is known to everyone who is at least a little familiar with the history of ballet. Everywhere where ballet theaters and schools exist today, where films and television programs devoted to ballet are shown, books about this amazing art are published, this person is known and honored. Although he was born in France, he worked all his life in Russia and is one of the founders of modern ballet.

Petipa once admitted that from the very birth his whole life was connected with the stage. Indeed, his father and mother were renowned ballet dancers and lived in the large port city of Marseille. But Marius's childhood was not spent in the south of France, but in Brussels, where the family moved immediately after his birth in connection with the new appointment of his father.

Marius' musical abilities were noticed very early, and he was sent immediately to the Great College and the Conservatory to study violin. But his first teacher was his father, who taught a ballet class at the theater. In Brussels, Petipa first appeared on stage as a dancer.

He was only twelve years old at the time. And already at sixteen he became a dancer and choreographer in Nantes. True, he worked there for only a year and then, together with his father, went on his first overseas tour to New York. But, despite the purely commercial success that accompanied them, they quickly left America, realizing that there was no one there to appreciate their art.

Returning to France, Petipa realized that he needed to get a deeper education, and became a student of the famous choreographer Vestris. Classes quickly gave results: in just two months he became a dancer, and later a choreographer at the ballet theater in Bordeaux.

Sergey Pavlovich Diaghilev(March 31, 1872 - August 19, 1929), Russian theatrical figure, impresario, publisher.

Diaghilev did not know his mother; she died in childbirth. He was raised by his stepmother, who treated him the same as her own children. Therefore, for Diaghilev, the death of his half-brother in Soviet times was a real tragedy. Perhaps that is why he stopped striving for his homeland.

Diaghilev's father was a hereditary nobleman, a cavalry guard. But due to debts, he was forced to leave the army and settle in Perm, which at that time was considered the Russian outback. His house almost immediately becomes the center cultural life cities. Parents often played music and sang at evenings held in their home. Their son also took music lessons. Sergei received such a versatile education that when he ended up in St. Petersburg after graduating from a gymnasium, he was in no way inferior in his knowledge to his Petersburg peers and even sometimes surpassed their level of reading and knowledge of history and Russian culture.

Diaghilev's appearance turned out to be deceiving: the big provincial, who seemed to be a lump, was well-read, fluent in several languages. He easily entered the university environment and became a student of the law faculty of St. Petersburg University.

At the same time, he immersed himself in the theater and musical life capital Cities. The young man takes private piano lessons from the Italian A. Cotogni, attends a class at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, tries to compose music, studies history art styles... On vacation, Diaghilev also made his first trip to Europe. He seems to be looking for his vocation, referring to various areas of art. Among his friends are L. Bakst, E. Lansere, K. Somov - the future nucleus of the World of Art association.

Vaclav Fomich Nijinsky(March 12, 1890 - April 8, 1950), Russian dancer and choreographer.

In the 1880s, a troupe of Polish dancers performed successfully in Russia. Husband and wife, Tomasz and Eleonora Nijinsky, served in it. They became the parents of the future great dancer. Theater and dance entered the life of Vaclav from the first months of his life. As he later wrote, "the desire to dance was as natural for me as breathing."

In 1898 he entered the St. Petersburg Ballet School, graduated in 1907 and was admitted to the Mariinsky Theater. The outstanding talent of a dancer and actor immediately brought Nijinsky to the position of prime minister. He performed many parts of the academic repertoire and was a partner of such brilliant ballerinas as O. I. Preobrazhenskaya, A. P. Pavlova,.

Already at the age of 18, Nijinsky danced the main roles in almost all new ballets staged at the Mariinsky Theater. In 1907 he danced the White Slave in the "Pavilion of the Armida", in 1908 - the Slave in "Egyptian Nights" and the Youth in "Chopiniana" staged by MM Fokine, and a year later he played the role of Hurricane in the ballet "Talisman" by Drigo staged by N.G. Legat.

And, nevertheless, in 1911 Nijinsky was fired from the Mariinsky Theater for the fact that, performing in the ballet "Giselle", he voluntarily put on a new costume, made according to the sketch of A. N. Benois. Entering the stage half-naked, the actor irritated the members of the reigning family sitting in the boxes. Even the fact that by this time he was one of the most famous dancers of Russian ballet could not protect him from dismissal.

Ekaterina Sergeevna Maksimova(February 1, 1939 - April 28, 2009), Russian Soviet and Russian ballerina, ballet master, choreographer, teacher, People's Artist THE USSR.

This unique ballerina did not leave the stage for thirty-five years. However, Maksimova is still associated with ballet today, since she is a teacher-coach of the Kremlin Ballet Theater.

Ekaterina Maksimova received a special education at the Moscow Choreographic School, where her teacher was the famous E.P. Gerdt. While still a student, Maksimova received the first prize at the All-Union Competition of Ballet Dancers in Moscow in 1957.

She began her ministry to art in 1958. After graduating from college, the young ballerina came to the Bolshoi Theater and worked there until 1988. Small in stature, ideally built and surprisingly plastic, she seemed by nature itself was intended for classic roles. But it soon became obvious that her possibilities were truly endless: she performed both classical and modern parts with the same brilliance.

The secret of Maksimova's success lies in the fact that she continued to study all her life. The famous ballerina G. Ulanova shared her rich experience with her. It was from her that the young ballet actress took over the art of dramatic dance. It is no coincidence that, unlike many ballet actors, she played a number of roles in ballet television performances. Maximova's unusually expressive face with large eyes reflected the most subtle nuances in the performance of comedic, lyrical and dramatic roles. In addition, she brilliantly succeeded not only in female, but also in male roles, as, for example, in the ballet performance "Chapliniana".

Sergey Mikhailovich Lifar(April 2 (15), 1905 - December 15, 1986), Russian and French dancer, choreographer, teacher, collector and artist.

Sergei Lifar was born in Kiev into the family of a major official, his mother came from the family of the famous grain merchant Marchenko. He received his primary education in hometown, having entered to study in 1914 at the Kiev Imperial Lyceum, where he passed the training necessary for a future officer.

At the same time, from 1913 to 1919, Lifar attended piano lessons at the Taras Shevchenko Conservatory. Having decided to devote his life to ballet, in 1921 he entered the State School of Arts (dance class) at the Kiev Opera and received the basics of choreographic education in the studio of B. Nijinska.

In 1923, on the recommendation of the teacher, together with four of his other students, Lifar was invited to see S.P. Diaghilev. Sergey managed to pass the competition and get into the famous team. From that time on, the difficult process of transforming a novice amateur into a professional dancer began. Lifar was given lessons by the famous teacher E. Cecchetti.

At the same time, he studied a lot with professionals: after all, the best dancers of Russia traditionally came to Diaghilev's troupe. Moreover, not possessing own ideas Diaghilev carefully collected the best that was in domestic choreography, supported the search for George Balanchine, Mikhail Fokine. Scenography and theatrical scenery were engaged famous artists Russia. Therefore, gradually the "Russian Ballet" has become one of the best collectives in the world.

Several years after the death of Maris Liepa, it was decided to immortalize five of his drawings in the form of medallions. They are made under the direction of the Italian master D. Montebello in Russia and are sold at the Liepa memorial evenings in Moscow and Paris. True, the first edition was only one hundred - one hundred and fifty medallions.

After graduating from the Riga Choreographic School under V. Blinov, Maris Liepa came to Moscow to study at the Moscow Choreographic School under N. Tarasov. After his graduation in 1955, he never returned to his historical homeland and worked almost his entire life in Moscow. Here he received recognition from fans and his fame as an outstanding ballet dancer.

Immediately after graduating from college, Maris Liepa joined the troupe of the Stanislavsky Theater, where he danced the part of Lionel in the ballet Jeanne D'Arc, Phoebus, and Konrad. Already in these parties main features his talent is the combination of excellent technique with the vivid expressiveness of each movement. The work of the young artist attracted the attention of leading ballet specialists, and since 1960 Liepa has become a member of the Bolshoi Theater collective.

Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya(Maria-Matilda Adamovna-Feliksovna-Valerievna Kzhesinska) (19 (31) August 1872 - 6 December 1971), Russian ballerina.

Matilda Kshesinskaya was miniature, only 1 meter 53 centimeters tall, and the future ballerina could boast of forms, in contrast to her thin friends. But, despite her height and a little extra weight for the ballet, the name of Kshesinskaya for many decades did not leave the pages of the gossip column, where she was presented among the heroines of scandals and “femme fatale”. This ballerina was the mistress of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II (when he was still heir to the throne), as well as the wife of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. They talked about her as a fantastic beauty, but meanwhile she was only extraordinarily different. beautiful figure... At one time, Kshesinskaya was a famous ballerina. And although in terms of talent she was much inferior to, say, such a contemporary of hers as Anna Pavlova, she nevertheless took her place in Russian ballet art.

Kshesinskaya was born in a hereditary artistic environment, which for several generations was associated with ballet. Matilda's father was a famous dancer, was a leading artist in the imperial theaters.

Father and became his first teacher youngest daughter... Following her older sister and brother, Matilda was admitted to the choreographic school, after which she began her long service in the imperial theaters.

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

Anna Pavlova

Outstanding Ballerina Anna Pavlova was born into a family far from art. The desire to dance appeared in her at the age of 8 after the girl saw the ballet "Sleeping Beauty". At the age of 10, Anna Pavlova was admitted to the Imperial Theater School, and after graduation - into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater.

Curiously, the aspiring ballerina was not put in the corps de ballet, but immediately began to give her responsible roles in the productions. Anna Pavlova danced under the guidance of several choreographers, but the most successful and fruitful tandem, which had a fundamental influence on her style of performance, turned out to be with Mikhail Fokin.

Anna Pavlova supported the choreographer's bold ideas and readily agreed to experiments. The Dying Swan miniature, which later became the hallmark of Russian ballet, was almost impromptu. In this production, Fokine gave the ballerina more freedom, allowed her to independently feel the mood of The Swan, and improvise. In one of the first reviews, the critic admired what he saw: "If it is possible for a ballerina on stage to imitate the movements of the noblest of birds, then this has been achieved:"

Galina Ulanova

The fate of Galina Ulanova was predetermined from the very beginning. The girl's mother worked as a ballet teacher, so Galina, even if she really wanted to, could not pass the ballet barre. Years of grueling training led to the fact that Galina Ulanova became the most titled artist of the Soviet Union.

After graduating from a choreographic college in 1928, Ulanova was admitted to the ballet troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. From the very first performances, the young ballerina attracted the attention of audiences 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 men in the hall could not hold back their tears.

Galina Ulanova reached. She was imitated, the teachers of the leading ballet schools in the world demanded that the students do the pas "like Ulanova." The famous ballerina is the only one in the world to whom monuments were erected during her lifetime.

Galina Ulanova danced on stage until she was 50. 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

For passionate temperament, sparkling technique and precision of movements Olga Lepeshinskaya nicknamed "The Dragonfly Jumping". The ballerina was born into a family of engineers. WITH early childhood the girl literally raved about dancing, so her parents had no choice but to send her to a ballet school at the Bolshoi Theater.

Olga Lepeshinskaya easily coped with both the classics of ballet (Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty) and with modern productions (Red Poppy, The Flame of Paris.) Patriotic War Lepeshinskaya fearlessly performed at the front, raising the morale of the soldiers.

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Olga Lepeshinskaya -
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Despite the fact that the ballerina was Stalin's favorite and had many awards, she was very demanding of herself. Already in old age, Olga Lepeshinskaya said that her choreography could not be called outstanding, but "natural technique and fiery temperament" made her inimitable.

Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya Is another outstanding ballerina, whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Russian ballet. When the future artist was 12 years old, she was adopted by aunt Sulamith Messerer. Plisetskaya's father was shot, and her mother and her little brother were sent to Kazakhstan to a camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland.

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

Inborn artistry, expressive plastic, Plisetskaya's phenomenal jumps made her a prima ballerina. Maya Plisetskaya performed the leading roles in all classical productions. She especially succeeded tragic images... Also, the ballerina was not afraid of experiments in modern choreography.

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

Beautiful ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater when she was only 12 years old. Talented talent could not go unnoticed, so after a while Lyudmila Semenyaka was invited to the Bolshoi Theater. Galina Ulanova, who became her mentor, had a significant influence on the ballerina's work.

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

In the late 1990s, Lyudmila Semenyaka announced her retirement as a ballerina, but continued her activities as a teacher. Since 2002, Lyudmila Ivanovna has been a teacher-tutor at the Bolshoi Theater.

But he just mastered the skill of ballet in Russia, and most of his life he performed in the United States.

Russian ballerinas are a national treasure of the country, their names are real brands. Lopatkina, celebrating her birthday today, Vishnev, Zakharova, Osipov are real cultural beacons. InStyle has chosen the main dancers modern Russia... They, like Kshesinskaya at one time, are real pop stars, they are more than ballerinas.

Ulyana Lopatkina

Last summer, Lopatkina, the one who is called the icon of the style of Russian ballet, announced the end of her dancing career. The reason is the consequences of trauma. “I thank everyone who met me on creative way! Everyone who became a mentor, friend, helper for me, who inspired, demanded, consoled and cared for, believed, thanked and supported! All who worked side by side and with me! All my spectators, everyone who understood me and gave me applause from the audience in return! " - such a record appeared on the ballerina's website. Two months later, Lopatkina became a student at St. Petersburg State University and decided to study Environment Design. And this spring, the Imperial Porcelain Factory has released star figurines. Lopatkina, like Vishnev, are symbols of St. Petersburg, it's time to erect monuments.

Diana Vishneva

Perhaps the most famous ballerina in Russia is her. Vishneva. “They didn’t want to take me to the choreographic school. Almost no one believed that I could first become the best student, then win competitions, and then get into the Mariinsky Theater. I cannot say that from childhood it was clear that Diana Vishneva would become what she is now, "says Vishneva, adding:" I rather consider myself an artist. " Prima Mariinsky, world star, mistress of her own international festival CONTEXT, she declares that she is not a ballerina, but an artist. And this is true. Vishneva is already more than ballet.

Svetlana Zakharova

Contemporary Russian dancers, ballerinas are real citizens of the world. Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi and La Scala, Zakharova is also a true cosmopolitan. She lived in Germany, worked at the Mariinsky Theater, then moved to Moscow, closely connected with Italy. This is not counting the constant movement from one point of the globe to another. The ballerina's November schedule is Beijing, Seoul, Sofia and Moscow. And Zakharova was in the State Duma, she is also a wife and mother, and loves her well-deserved popularity. It's a pity that Instagram is rare: the last post for today is dated August.

Ekaterina Kondaurova

Another prima of the Mariinsky Theater performed an unexpected everyday pirouette. She was born in Moscow, moved to St. Petersburg and does not want to live in her hometown.

“When I began to live alone, discovered Petersburg for myself, there were more friends, my visits to Moscow even became a burden for me. And now I generally try to avoid it. I don't like Moscow at all. I feel uncomfortable there, stuffy and everything is not right, ”admits Kondaurova.

In her interviews, the ballerina appears to be very rational, but in dance ... “She is more spontaneous on stage than most of her colleagues. And everything that often looks like improvisation is actually well rehearsed, ”Alexei Ratmansky says about her.

Maria Alexandrova

The great ballerinas of Russia have always been distinguished by their personalities. Here is Maria Alexandrova - in May last year, this prima of the Bolshoi quit the theater. Itself. A lengthy post published by Alexandrova on social media did not explain anything, but the decision was firm. “I stayed at the Bolshoi on a contract, and indeed everywhere I stayed on a contract. Now I exist as a freelance artist, I dance and work where I am needed. And with the theater, I remained in a relationship outside the system, ”she said recently in an interview. Life goes on - Maria launches projects, dances, enjoys life.

Natalia Osipova

The list of "famous Russian ballerinas" would be incomplete without this dancer. In her generation, Osipova is the number one star. And on the whole, she stays - deservedly! - in the top list of world ballet names. Independent, seeking, Natalia changes venues, theaters, countries and everywhere shows herself in all her glory and talent. Bolshoi, Mikhailovsky, American Ballet Theater, London Royal Ballet. From London she flies to Perm, from there to St. Petersburg and further - everywhere. But Britain for Osipova is the second home, just like Sergei Polunin is one of the main partners in the scene.