Ballerina Nina Timofeeva: biography, achievements and personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

There were legends about her dance. She was applauded by millions. Information publications from different countries wrote laudatory reviews, sang odes to artistry, temperament and personality of the ballerina. The roles she played on stage conquered the hearts of millions of viewers with their extraordinary integrity, courage and depth. All this is about the legendary Russian Soviet ballerina Nina Timofeeva.

Personality on stage

In her performance, ballet parts have become not just bright, passionate and temperamental. They were filled with sincere and deep emotions and spiritual unrest. She became a star after Leonid Lavrovsky's ballet "Night City". But, according to admirers of Timofeeva's talent, her dramatic roles became the most expressive - the Mistress of the Copper Mountain in "The Stone Flower", Aegina in "Spartacus" and especially Mekhmene Banu in "The Legend of Love" …

Nina Timofeeva was the brightest personality of Russian and Soviet ballet of the last century. One of the most talented and beloved students of the great G. Ulanova, she knew how to make the audience not only admire the dance technique, but also live the life of the main character.

NinaTimofeev. Biography

Little is known about the life of a ballerina in her early years. Nina Vladimirovna was a private person, very rarely gave interviews, was not an inveterate visitor to social events.

The future ballet dancer was born in June 1935 in a musical and artistic family. Her mother, who worked as a piano teacher at a choreographic school, managed to instill in the girl a love of music and stage. Ballet literally fascinated Nina's childish soul. Timofeeva's first role was as a page in The Magic Flute, and this exit was remembered by the great ballerina for the rest of her life. It happened in the city of Perm in the distant military year of 1942.

And already in 1944, at the age of only nine years, Nina Timofeeva entered the ballet school in Leningrad. Her mentor was an outstanding teacher, representing the pride and glory of Russian ballet, N. Kamkova. A year before graduating from college, in 1952, Timofeeva made her successful debut on the stage of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater in the role of Masha in The Nutcracker. She was only sixteen years old.

The debut did not go unnoticed, and Nina Timofeeva after graduation received an invitation to the corps de ballet of the Leningrad Opera House.

In 1956, the troupe successfully performed at an international competition in Poland, and the ballerina was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR. It is on the stage of this temple of Melpomene that real success comes to Nina Timofeeva, here she reveals her enormous creative potential and receives worldwide recognition.

Famous ballerina roles

Over 30Nina Timofeeva gave years to the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The actress played about sixty main roles, and it can be said that all her parts entered the world history of ballet art.

and entrusted her with the main roles in his productions. The troupe has toured extensively around the world.

The ballerina, who neglected the scope of her role and was always ready to surrender herself to a complete stage transformation, was chosen for the main roles for her performances by all modern choreographers of that period. Nina Timofeeva has become the face of Russian ballet on the stages of famous theaters around the world. Later she will write, and this is true: "Every role is a part of my life!" Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Mirta in Giselle, Mariam in Gayane left an indelible mark on the souls of admirers of the ballerina's talent. Nina Timofeeva starred in almost 30 TV films about ballet. And everywhere her performance delighted the audience.

Pedagogical activity

Throughout her creative activity, the ballerina continues to learn. In 1980 she graduated from the pedagogical department of GITIS. 1988 put an end to the ballerina's stage career. It was in this year that Y. Grigorovich, who directed the Bolshoi Ballet, sent to the "deservedrest" ballet stars - E. Maksimov and M. Plisetskaya. This cup did not pass and Nina Timofeeva. The ballerina was offered a job as a teacher at the Bolshoi Theater. A talented person is talented in everything. And since 1989 Nina Timofeeva has been working as a tutor-teacher.

Women's happiness

It can be stated that the ballerina Timofeeva Nina realized herself to the maximum in her profession and creativity. The woman's personal life was not so successful. Perhaps the reason for this was her excessive demands on herself and her partner, or maybe it was not a priority in the ballerina's life coordinates.

She got married several times. She was in a love relationship with O. Efremov. After their breakup, an affair arose with G. Rerberg. In this relationship, a daughter, Nadezhda, was born. But even with Rerberg, the great ballerina could not be happy. They soon parted ways.

Kirill Molchanov and Nina Timofeeva

However, she still had to experience true female happiness. Nina Timofeeva, a ballerina whose personal life once again cracked, became the beloved and wife of Kirill Molchanov. At that time he worked as the director of the Bolshoi Theatre. This marriage has become truly happy for them.

It was for his beloved that Molchanov wrote Macbeth. But this ballet was the most tragic moment in the life of a ballerina.

A few minutes before the premiere, Kirill Vladimirovich died sitting in a box. During the break between the acts, Nina Timofeeva was told the sad news. Clenching her will into a fist and showing the real character of a fighter, the ballerina went out toscene in the second act.

For services to the Motherland

Timofeeva Nina Vladimirovna was repeatedly encouraged by the government for creative achievements and fruitful pedagogical activity. In 1963 she was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR. She was twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor - in 1971 and 1976. Since 1969 Nina Timofeeva - People's Artist of the USSR.

Rivalry with Maya Plisetskaya

The heyday of talent and the peak of the creative demand for the two great ballerinas of the Soviet Union fell at the same time. Maya Plisetskaya and Nina Timofeeva shone most brightly in the 60-80s of the last century, and in ballet circles there was often talk of their rivalry and competition. But these rumors had no real basis. Both ballerinas often performed in the same roles, but at the same time they had a unique technique and their own audience. It was impossible to compare Nina Timofeeva - technical, emotional, temperamental - and Maya Plisetskaya, who has her own magic and sensuality. Both had completely different personalities, were bright and unique personalities and had their own admirers of stage talent.

The Promised Land

After the end of her ballet career, in the early nineties, Nina Timofeeva received many tempting offers, including from abroad. She chose Israel, realizing that in this country, in which there were noclassical ballet traditions, everything will have to start from scratch.

In 1990, leaving her job and well-established life in her homeland, Timofeeva Nina, a ballerina loved by millions of compatriots, left the country. She took only her daughter with her, by that time a graduate of a choreographic school, taking her first, but successful steps in the profession. At the invitation of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Nina and Nadezhda Timofeeva lead master classes, and later collaborate on an ongoing basis.

For more than ten years of work in this field, the Timofeevs have been able to train many talented ballet dancers, who today adequately represent their teachers and the country on the most prestigious stage in the world.

After reaching retirement age, the ballerina and teacher stop working at the Academy. However, it was not in her powerful character to go on a well-deserved rest. Nina Timofeeva could not just take it and rest on her laurels. The ballerina felt that she could do much more to make her cherished dream come true, and a ballet troupe was created in the Holy Land that would glorify this country on the best classical ballet scenes in the world.

Nina Vladimirovna decides on a daunting task and opens a ballet school, which she calls her name "Nina".

The news about the opening of a classical ballet school under the guidance of the legendary star of Russian ballet instantly spread not only around the city, but throughout the country. The most talented and young artists were selected for training. Despite this, the founders of the institution still had a hard time. advertising funds,costumes and props were often in short supply, but this did not become an obstacle to success.

In her third year at school, Timofeeva Sr. handed over the reins to her daughter.

The magnificent Russian ballerina, a talented teacher who was at the forefront of classical ballet in Israel, passed away on November 3, 2014. He rests in Jerusalem at the cemetery of the Givat Shaul district, where many of our famous compatriots found their last shelter.