Russian ballet is widely known, and in many countries Russia is generally considered the birthplace of this art. But the emergence of this phenomenon, the Russian school is still obliged to foreigners: visiting French and Italians. In 1738, at the request of the visiting Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Lande, a school was founded (the modern Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg), which became the second in the world after the French one and brought up the first generation of talented Russian dancers.
Agrippina Vaganova
Russian and French choreographer Marius Petipa, sensitive to talents, could not see in Agrippina Vaganova the gift of a ballerina. He once wrote in his diaries that the theater “is giving the ballet Raymonda for the twenty-ninth time, and Ms. Vaganova is terrible,” so he will not go to the ballet. On the day of his eightieth birthday, Petipa left approximately the same entry: “In the evening, my ballet “Pearl”. Ms. Vaganova is terrible… I don't go to the theatre. Meanwhile, Grushenka Vaganova is well today.known to all lovers of this fascinating art.
Agrippina Vaganova, one of the most famous ballerinas, became the first professor of choreography in Russia. The results of her work was the "education" of a galaxy of talented dancers, including Tatyana Vyacheslova, Natalya Dudinskaya, M. Semenova, G. Ulanova, Fairy Balabina, Alla Shelest and many other wonderful ballerinas. The book "Fundamentals of Classical Dance" by Vaganova almost immediately after publication was translated into almost all languages of Europe and, as expected, became a desktop guide for teachers.
One of the most famous dancers in the Soviet era brought into a coherent system the traditions of the imperial ballet - Russian classics. In 1957, her name was given to the choreographic school in Leningrad. The great merit of Agrippina Vaganova also lies in the fact that when, after 1917, all Russian ballet “moved” to the USA, only the school of this talented ballerina remained in her homeland, from the class of which all the largest dancers of the USSR graduated.
Maya Plisetskaya
One of the most beautiful ballerinas in the world entered the history of Russian ballet with her phenomenal creative longevity. She left the stage only at the age of 65. Perhaps this is because Maya Plisetskaya could not imagine life without her composer husband. The talented dancer spent most of her life with Rodion Shchedrin. Inextricably linked with creativity and love, they have been together for 57 years.
Matilda Kshesinskaya
One of the best ballerinasMira was not only an outstanding dancer, but also an influential person of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the Civil War, for example, Nicholas II, argued that he could not do something with the artillery department, because the ballerina directly affects all affairs and personally participates in the distribution of state orders between organizations. There were rumors about a love relationship between Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nikolai Nikolaevich, perhaps she was even pregnant by the crown prince even before his ascension to the imperial throne.
On the stage of the Imperial Ballet, the best ballerina in the world danced for 27 years. But then her sister Yulia was called the best (officially). Matilda Kshesinskaya performed parts in ballets by Lev Ivanov and M. Petipa. Already six years after the start of her creative career, she was awarded a high status - "prima ballerina of the imperial theaters", but, according to some reports, connections at court contributed to such a rapid advancement. Despite the recognition, Matilda Kshesinskaya improved her technique and became the first Russian dancer to perform 32 fouettes in a row.
Anna Pavlova
The last words of the phenomenal Russian ballerina were: “Prepare my swan costume!” She died on January 21, 1931 in the Netherlands after a lingering pneumonia. And in the 20s of the last century, a real “pavlomania” swept the world: roses, reminiscent of the appearance and shade of a ballerina’s tutu, were sold immediately in flower shops, Pavlova perfumes and shawls that Anna Pavlova brought into fashion were snatched from stores.
One of the best ballerinas in the world made a splash in Paris. For almost a century, French dancers and choreographers came to Russia to give a stunning performance, and now the Russian ballerina Pavlova appeared on the stage of the Chatelet Theater in The Dying Swan every evening. But in Russia, at the same time, a government official, Viktor Dandre, was on trial. It was said that he spent all the money for the construction of the Okhtinsky Bridge on his mistress, the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova. Much depended on her words. But Anna Pavlova did not go to St. Petersburg, but to America.
Tamara Krasavina
The star of the "Russian Seasons" Diaghilev, who emigrated to Great Britain after the revolution in Russia, graduated from the Imperial School and was admitted to the Mariinsky Theater in 1902. The young dancer was patronized by the favorite of many Romanovs, Matilda Kshesinskaya, but Anna Pavlova disliked her. Krasavina's performances were appreciated by the French public. The Diaghilev ballet made her popular in Europe.
The charming Russian ballerina was looked after by Karl Mannerheim (the same Swedish nobleman from Finland, an officer in the Russian service, according to whose project the French defense line was created), the life doctor of the Russian court Sergey Botkin (though he himself at that time was already married to the daughter of the founder of the gallery, Pavel Tretyakov), choreographer Mikhail Fokin (proposed to his ward three times). But she refused. Krasavina became the wife of a poor nobleman Mukhin, who attracted the girl with her knowledge of music.art, passion for Russian ballet and kindness.
After the performances, I often took the ballerina to the hotel in a personal car by Marcel Proust, who copied his heroes from the regulars of the Russian Seasons. She posed for Valentin Serov, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Sergei Sudeikin, Leon Bakst. Anna Akhmatova and Mikhail Kuzmin dedicated poems to Krasavina. In 1914, the publication “A Bouquet for Krasavina” was even published, which included works by artists and poets created in her honor.
Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova deservedly entered the list of the best ballerinas of our century. In 1995, she received an offer to continue her dance education at the A. Ya. Vaganova Academy, and immediately from the last year, and the following year she performed at the Mariinsky Theater. Prior to that, the girl studied for six years in the class of Valeria Selugina at the Kiev Choreographic School. Zakharova's first serious performance was the well-known production of The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, but the real success was brought to the ballerina by her lead role in the play Giselle. In 2008, Svetlana became the first Russian ballerina to receive a high honor - the famous La Scala theater in Milan offered her a contract.
Galina Ulanova
The list of Russian ballerinas, the most talented and outstanding, includes many students of Agrippina Vaganova, among them the famous Galina Ulanova. She managed to become the most titled ballerina in the history of Russian (imperial and Soviet) ballet and the greatest dancer of the 20th century. DebutGalina Ulanova took place in 1928, when she performed the part of Florina in The Sleeping Beauty on stage. She got her first leading role at the age of nineteen - Odette-Odile in Swan Lake.
"The Dying Swan" Galina Ulanova then danced all her life, and soon after her debut she became one of Stalin's favorites. One of the most beautiful ballerinas in history had other high-ranking admirers. For example, after signing an agreement with Germany, Ribbentrop was shown Russian ballet, and the next day Ulanova was sent a basket of flowers from the Minister of the Third Reich.
Ulyana Lopatkina
Ulyana Lopatkina is deservedly called the second Maya Plisetskaya, but the once famous modern ballerina failed at the entrance exams in the capital and passed the exams at the Leningrad Ballet School with triples. The jury was wary of the girl's physique. With a weight of 52 kg, she was unusually tall for a ballerina (175 cm). This could make it difficult to choose a partner, and large hands and sloppy feet would look ugly from the stage. But the charm of Uliana Lopatkina made a positive impression on the examiners.
The dancer ended her career quite recently - in 2017. The reason was old injuries that made themselves felt with sharp pain. Due to injuries, the ballerina could not walk, and the complex operation performed by American doctors did not solve the problem. But Ulyana Lopatkina hopes that she will be able to continue her creative biography in a different direction. ATIn 2017, for example, she entered St. Petersburg State University with a degree in Landscape Design.
Polina Semionova
In 2018, the Russian ballet soloist Polina Semionova, who performs at the Berlin State Opera, was named the best dancer. The Russian woman left to dance at the American Ballet Theater at the age of 17. Vladimir Malakhov literally kidnapped a girl from the Moscow Academy, making her the first soloist in Berlin. The title of one of the best ballerinas in the world is now received for the second time. She received her first award in 2007. The Berliners called the young Muscovite: “our ballet chick” and “baby ballerina”. Malakhov's calculation came true - the chick turned into a beautiful swan, which is not surprising at all.
Mariko Kida
Charming Japanese woman managed to enter the list of the best ballerinas in the world along with Russian dancers. Mariko Kida began her dance education as a child, at the age of four, and after several successful performances in national competitions, she completed her studies at the San Francisco Ballet School. The ballerina has convincingly performed in the works of Sabrina Matthew, George Balanchick, Domenique Dumas, Christopher Wheeldon and others. In 2005, Mariko Kida became the Discovery of the Year, playing the role of Juliet in Jean-Christopher Maillot's Romeo and Juliet. Since 2012, the ballerina has been performing in leading roles in the Royal Swedish Ballet.
