Male ballet stars. Pas for the whole world: ballet dancers from Russia, famous throughout the world

The art of dance has been a universal form of self-expression since ancient times. Body language is understood by anyone in the world, which is why dancing is so popular. From ballet to modern dance, from hip-hop to salsa, from oriental dance to flamenco - in recent decades, dance as a high art has experienced a real flourishing.

But when it comes to individual dancers, it can be very difficult to choose just one as the best. If you are interested in dancing and the people who devoted their whole lives to it, then we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of the most famous and popular dancers of the 20th century.

10 Most Famous Dancers of the 20th Century

1. RUDOLF NURIEV

The artist was born in Russia and already at the age of twenty became a soloist of the Mariinsky Theater. In 1961, Nuriev asked for political asylum, allegedly in connection with his oppression by the authorities, and received it in France. Then the artist tours with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.

Eyewitnesses say that Nureyev was amazingly charismatic, and his emotional performance in a duet with Fonteyn in Romeo and Juliet remains to this day one of the most powerful performances among duets in the history of ballet.

Unfortunately, Nureyev became one of the first victims of HIV and died of AIDS in 1993. Twenty years later, we are still enjoying the great legacy he left behind.

2. MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV

Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time, considered by many critics to be the best. Before joining the Mariinsky Theater troupe in 1967, Baryshnikov studied ballet at the Leningrad Vaganova School. Since the beginning of his career at the Mariinsky Theater, Mikhail has taken leading roles in dozens of productions.

Baryshnikov played a key role in the emergence of ballet as part of popular culture in the late 1970s and early 80s, and he was the face of the art form for more than two decades.

Today Mikhail Baryshnikov is perhaps the most influential and famous dancer of our time.

3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - this great dancing couple is today in third place in the ranking of the most famous dancers of the 20th century. The couple was very harmonious, he gave her class, and she made him even more charismatic. Their performances were accessible to the widest masses, and the public responded to them with sincere love.

The heyday of Astaire and Rogers' careers came during the Great Depression, and the timing was extremely fortunate: many Americans at that time were struggling to make ends meet, and the couple's fiery dancing allowed them to at least briefly escape reality and have fun.

4. JOAQUIN CORTEZ

Joaquin Cortez is the youngest among the dancers presented on our list. Although he has not yet finished his career and may not have danced his most famous dance, Cortez is one of the few dancers in history to earn the title of sex symbol and is wildly popular among both women and men. Madonna and Jennifer Lopez claim to adore him, while Naomi Campbell and Mira Sorvino join the ranks of women whose hearts he broke.

It's safe to say that Joaquin Cortez is one of the greatest flamenco dancers in the world. Among his male admirers are Tarantino, Armani, Al Pacino, Banderas and Sting. Fans call him the god of flamenco, and if you watch even one recording of his performance, you will understand why. At the age of forty-four, Cortez is still alone; he once declared: “Dancing is my wife, my only woman.”

5. MICHAEL JACKSON

Michael Jackson was the man who made dancing an important element of modern pop music. Most modern pop stars, such as Justin Bieber, Usher, Justin Timberlake, have admitted that at various times they were greatly influenced by the style of Michael Jackson.

His contribution to dance is enormous. Jackson was an innovator who created new dance moves on his own. His natural grace, flexibility and sense of rhythm contributed to the emergence of the signature "Jackson style". His colleagues called him a “sponge” for his ability to search and find new ideas and techniques wherever he was.

Jackson looked for inspiration in the works of James Brown, Marcelle Marceau, Gene Kelly and, no matter how strange it may sound, in the performances of classical ballet dancers. Michael Jackson's originality and unique style brought him fame, and today he stands alongside other giants of popular music such as Elvis and the Beatles.

6. SYLVIE GUILLEM

At forty-eight years old, Sylvie Guillem continues to be one of the most popular ballerinas in the world. Guillem has changed the face of ballet, her performances go beyond its classical boundaries.

Instead of building a classical career as a ballerina, Guillem made a bold choice, equally participating in productions of the Paris Opera and in the projects of William Forsythe. Along with Maria Callas in the opera world, Sylvie Guillem again shaped the popular image of a ballerina.

7. GENE KELLY

Gene Kelly was one of the most famous stars of Hollywood musicals. Kelly's numbers harmoniously combined ballet elements and modern dance movements - it was his own unique style. Kelly brought new dance trends to theatrical productions.

Kelly's legacy is his music video, recognized and loved around the world. More than one generation of American dancers has found something of their own in his movements and style.

8. JOSEPHINE BAKER

Although Josephine Baker's name is primarily associated with the heyday of jazz music - the Golden Age of Jazz, her influence on emerging and contemporary stars remains great.

Josephine Baker is one of the first stars of African descent. She arrived in Paris in 1925 and literally captivated the public with her combination of exotic charm and talent. Josephine performed at the Folies Bergere, and this was a good start to her career. In France, the artist did not feel as widespread racial prejudice as it was in the United States at that time.

At the end of her life, Josephine returned to the stage. She died in 1975 from a cerebral hemorrhage.

9. MARTHA GRAHAM

Martha Graham is considered the mother of modern dance. She created more than one hundred and fifty unique choreographic numbers and had a huge influence on all areas of modern dance.

Her technique differs from the classical one, and movements such as compression, release and spiral are her own invention. Graham went even further and created a “language of movement” based on the expressive capabilities of the human body.

10. VACLAV NIJINSKY

Vaslav Nijinsky was one of the most talented ballet dancers in history. Unfortunately, there are no recordings of his performance left, so it is currently impossible to appreciate his incredible talent.

Nijinsky was known for his amazing ability to defy gravity, which was embodied in his magnificent leaps. Vaclav was the partner of the legendary Anna Pavlova.

Nijinsky left the stage in 1919 at the age of twenty-nine. He was sick with schizophrenia and frequent nervous breakdowns did not allow him to continue working. The artist spent the last years of his life in psychiatric hospitals and shelters.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, ballet was very popular. Despite the fact that after the revolution many dancers of the imperial theater left the country and began performing on the stages of foreign theaters, there were many artists left in Russia who were able to revive the art of ballet in the country and found the Soviet ballet. And in this they were helped by the first People's Commissar for Education Anatoly Lunacharsky, who made a lot of efforts to preserve and develop this type of art in a dilapidated state. In the 30s of the 20th century, the first stars of Soviet ballet began to appear. Many of them received the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR:

• Ekaterina Geltser;
• Agrippina Vaganova;
• Galina Ulanovna;
• Olga Lepeshinskaya;
• Vasily Tikhomirov;
• Mikhail Gabovich;
• Alexey Ermolaev;
• Rostislav Zakharov;
• Asaf Messerer;
• Konstantin Sergeev and others.

40s - 50s

During these years, the Imperial Theater of St. Petersburg was renamed the Ballet. Kirov (now the Mariinsky Theatre), and the artistic director of this theater was the honored ballerina Agrippina Vaganova, a student of Petipa and Cecchetti. She was forced to transform storylines, subordinating them to Soviet ideological principles. For example, the ending of the ballet “Swan Lake” was changed from tragic to sublime. And the Imperial Ballet School became known as the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute. Future stars of Soviet ballet studied here. After the death of the outstanding ballerina in 1957, this educational institution was renamed the Agrippina Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. That's what it's called to this day. The most popular ballet theaters in the country are the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Theater named after. Kirov (Mariinsky Theatre) in Leningrad. The theaters' repertoire included works by both foreign, Russian and Soviet composers. The ballets “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet” and others were especially popular. The ballet did not stop performing during the Patriotic War. However, it reached its peak in the middle of the century. Starved of cultural events during the war years, Soviet people flooded the theater halls, and each new performance was sold out. Ballet dancers were very popular. During these years, new stars of Soviet ballet appeared: Tatyana Zimina, Maya Plisetskaya, Yuri Grigorovich, Maris Liepa, Raisa Struchkova, Boris Bregvadze, Vera Dubrovina, Inna Zubkovskaya, Askold Makarov, Tamara Seifert, Nadezhda Nadezhdina, Vera Orlova, Violetta Bovt and others.

60s - 70s

In subsequent years, Soviet ballet became the hallmark of the USSR. The troupes of the Bolshoi and Kirov Theaters successfully toured all over the world, even traveling behind the Iron Curtain. Some Soviet ballet stars, finding themselves “over the hill” and weighing all the pros and cons, decided to stay there and asked for political asylum. They were considered traitors in their homeland, and the media wrote about famous “defectors.” Alexander Godunov, Natalya Markova, Valery Panov, Rudolf Nureyev - they all had great success and were in demand on the ballet stages of the most prestigious theaters in the world. However, the Soviet ballet dancer the Great Rudolf Nureyev gained the greatest popularity in the world. He became a legend in the history of world culture. Since 1961, he has not returned from the Parisian tour and became the premier at Covent Garden, and from the 1980s he became the head of the Grand Opera in Paris.

Conclusion

Today, Russian ballet does not lose its popularity, and young artists raised by Soviet choreographers are in demand all over the world. Russian ballet artists in the 21st century are free in their actions. They can freely enter into contracts and perform on the stages of foreign theaters and, with their brilliant performances, prove to everyone that Russian ballet is the best in the whole world.

The art of dance is a unique form of expression that uses a universal body language that everyone can understand. From ballet to modern dance, from hip-hop to salsa and from oriental dance to flamenco, dance has recently become an indulgence that is something of a renaissance.

But when it comes to individual dancers, who has the best moves? The best posture, strength and sharpness? Below are ten of the greatest dancers of the twentieth century - selected for their fame, popularity and influence on the world art of dance.

10. Vaslav Nijinsky

Vaslav Nijinsky was one of the most talented ballet dancers in history, perhaps even the greatest. Unfortunately, there is no clear footage of his incredible talent in motion, which is the main reason why he only ranks tenth on this list.

Nijinsky was well known for his amazing ability to defy gravity with his magnificent leaps, as well as his ability to fully inhabit the role he was playing. He is also known for dancing in pointe shoes, a skill not often seen in dancers. Nijinsky danced in the lead roles paired with the legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova. Then Tamara Karsavina, founder of London's Royal Academy of Dancing, became his partner. They were described with Karsavina as “the most exemplary artists of that time.”

Nijinsky left the stage in 1919, at the relatively young age of twenty-nine. His retirement is believed to have been due to a nervous breakdown, and he was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. Nijinsky spent the last years of his life in psychiatric hospitals and asylums. The last time he danced in public was in the final days of World War II, impressing a group of Russian soldiers with his complex dance moves. Nijinsky died in London on April 8, 1950.

9. Martha Graham


Martha Graham is considered the mother of modern dance. She created the only fully codified technique of modern dance, produced over one hundred and fifty works during her life as a choreographer, and had a huge influence on all areas of modern dance.

Her technique's departure from classical ballet, and her use of specific body movements such as contraction, release and spirals, have had a profound influence on the dance world. Graham even went so far as to create a “language” of movement based on the expressive capabilities of the human body.

She danced and choreographed for over seventy years. During this time, she became the first dancer to perform at the White House; the first dancer to travel overseas as a cultural ambassador and the first dancer to receive the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As the mother of modern dance, she will be immortalized in the memory of people for her incredibly emotional performances, her unique choreography, and especially for her homegrown dance technique.

8. Josephine Baker


Although Josephine Baker's name is primarily associated with the Jazz Age, her fiery dances continue to influence the dance world almost one hundred and ten years after her birth, as they always did.

Many decades before Madonna, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, there was Josephine Baker, one of the world's first celebrities of African descent. Josephine went to Paris in 1925 to dance in La Revue Nègre. She made a lasting impression on French audiences with her perfect combination of exotic charm and talent.

The following year she performed at the Folies Bergère, and this was the true beginning of her career. She appeared in a banana skirt and wowed the crowd with her dancing style. She later added singing to her performances, and remained popular in France for many years. Josephine Baker responded to the adoration of the French people by becoming a French citizen herself in 1937.

In France, she did not feel the same level of racial prejudice that was present in the United States at the time. Toward the end of her life, Josephine Baker hoped to create a "world village" on her estate in France, but these plans were dashed by financial difficulties. To raise funds, she returned to the stage. Her return was short, but it was a triumph on Broadway in the 1970s, and in 1975 she opened a retrospective show in Paris. She died that year from a cerebral hemorrhage, a week after the show opened.

7. Gene Kelly


Gene Kelly was one of the biggest stars and greatest innovators during the golden age of musicals in Hollywood. Kelly considered his own style to be something of a hybrid of different approaches to dance, taking his movements from modern dance, ballet, and tap.

Kelly brought dance to the theater, using every inch of his set, every possible surface, and every wide camera angle to break out of the two-dimensional confines of film. And in doing so, he changed the way filmmakers looked at their cameras. Thanks to Kelly, the camera became a living instrument, and even the dancer it was filming.

Kelly's legacy permeates the music video industry. Photographer Mike Salisbury photographed Michael Jackson for the cover of "Off The Wall" wearing "white socks and lightweight leather Gene Kelly loafers" - which have become the movie star's trademark. It was this image that after some time became the singer’s own recognizable brand.

Paula Abdul, originally known for her dancing and choreography, referenced Kelly's famous dance with Jerry the Mouse in her kitschy video for "Opposites Attract," which ends with a tap dance. Usher was another top-selling artist who paid tribute to Kelly's legacy. There will never be another dancer like Kelly, and his influence continues to resonate through generations of American dancers.

6. Sylvie Guillem


At forty-eight years old, Sylvie Guillem continues to defy the laws of ballet and gravity. Guillem changed the face of ballet with her uncanny talents, which she always used with intelligence, integrity and sensitivity. Her natural curiosity and courage led her to the most daring paths, beyond the usual boundaries of classical ballet.

Instead of spending her entire career on "safe" performances, she made bold decisions, equally capable of singing the role of "Raymonda" at the Paris Opera, or being part of an innovative dance performance based on the work of Forsythe. In The Middle Something Elevated.” Almost no other dancer has such range, so it is not at all surprising that she has become the standard for most dancers around the world. Like Maria Callas in the opera world, Guillem was able to change the popular image of the ballerina.

5. Michael Jackson


Michael Jackson was the man who made music videos a trend and he is, without a doubt, the man who made dancing an important element of modern pop music. Jackson's moves have already become standard vocabulary in pop and hip-hop dances. Most modern pop icons such as Justin Bieber, Usher, Justin Timberlake admit that Michael Jackson's style has had a strong influence on them.

His contribution to the art of dance was original and unusual. Jackson was an innovator who was primarily self-taught, designing new dance moves without the common effects of formal training that limit one's imagination. His natural grace, flexibility and amazing rhythm contributed to the creation of the “Jackson style.” His employees called him a "sponge." This nickname was given to him for his ability to absorb ideas and techniques wherever he found them.

Jackson's biggest inspirations were James Brown, Marcel Marceau, Gene Kelly, and perhaps this will surprise many people, various classical ballet dancers. What many of his fans don't know is that he initially tried to "pirouette like Baryshnikov" and "tap dance like Fred Astaire" but failed miserably. However, his dedication to his own unique style brought him the fame he sought, and today his name stands alongside other giants of popular music such as Elvis and the Beatles, and he is considered one of the greatest pop icons of all time.

4. Joaquin Cortés


Joaquin Cortez is the youngest dancer on this list, but despite the fact that he is still in the process of shaping his legacy, he is one of the few dancers in history who managed to become phenomenal sex symbols, beloved by both women and men. and men. Elle Macpherson described it as "walking sex"; Madonna and Jennifer Lopez have publicly expressed their adoration for him, while Naomi Campbell and Mira Sorvino are among the women whose hearts he has (rumored) broken.

It's safe to say that Cortés is not only one of the greatest flamenco dancers of all time, but also the one who cemented flamenco's place in popular culture. His male admirers include Tarantino, Armani, Bertolucci, Al Pacino, Antonio Banderas, and Sting. Many of his fans call him the Flamenco God or simply the Sex God and if you get a chance to watch one of his shows, you will understand why. However, at the age of forty-four, Cortez remains a bachelor, declaring that "dance is my wife, my only woman."

3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers


Astaire and Rogers, of course, were a unique pair of dancers. They say that “he gave her charm, and she gave him sex appeal.” They made dancing much more appealing to the masses in a rather prudish time. This was partly due to the fact that Rogers used her acting skills to dance, and made it seem like dancing with Astaire was the happiest moment of her life.

The era also contributed to the rise of their popularity; during the Great Depression, many Americans were trying to make ends meet - and these two dancers gave people a chance to forget about the depressing reality for a while and have fun.

2. Mikhail Baryshnikov


Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time, considered by many critics to be the greatest. Born in Latvia, Baryshnikov studied ballet at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad) before he began performing at the Mariinsky Theater in 1967. Since then, he has performed leading roles in dozens of ballets. He played a key role in bringing ballet into popular culture back in the late 1970s and early 80s, and he was the face of the art form for over two decades. Baryshnikov is perhaps the most influential dancer of our time.

1. Rudolf Nureyev


Baryshnikov won the hearts of critics and fellow dancers, and Rudolf Nureyev was able to charm millions of ordinary people around the world. The Russian-born dancer became a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater at the age of 20. In 1961, when his personal life brought him under Soviet scrutiny, he sought political asylum in Paris and then toured with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.

In the 1970s, he broke into the film industry. Most critics argue that he was not as technically good as Baryshnikov, but Nureyev still managed to captivate the crowds with his amazing charisma and emotional performances. The ballet of the couple Nureyev and Fonteyn (Romeo and Juliet) remains to this day one of the most powerful and emotional duet performances in the history of ballet.

Unfortunately, Nureyev was one of the first victims of HIV infection, and died of AIDS in 1993. Twenty years later, we can still see the incredible legacy he left behind.

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Donnie Burns


Donnie Burns is a Scottish professional ballroom dancer who specializes in Latin dance. He and his former dance partner Gaynor Fairweather were World Professional Latin Dance Champions a record sixteen times. He is currently the President of the World Dance Council, and also appeared on the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars.

He is considered the greatest ballroom dancer of all time, and his championship dances with his partner are now considered classics. But things didn't always go so well for Burns. During an interview with the Daily Sun, he admitted: “I never thought a little boy from Hamilton would get to experience any of what I have experienced in my life. I was teased relentlessly at school and often got into fights because I wanted to prove that I was not a “dancing queen.”

It is safe to say that today he would not object to such an epithet, since Donnie Burns is currently considered the “King of Dance”.

On March 17, the great Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev would have turned 78 years old. Ballet classic Roland Petit called Nuriev dangerous, the press called him a frantic Tatar, and rock stars and royalty confessed their love to him. ELLE - about the “ballet Russians” who have achieved success in the West.

Sarah Bernhardt considered Nijinsky the greatest actor in the world, the press - no less than the eighth wonder of the world. A native of Kyiv, a dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, Nijinsky made his debut in Paris, where he amazed audiences and critics with his phenomenal technique, plasticity and taste. And the most amazing thing is that his career as a dancer lasted only ten years. In 1917, he appeared on stage for the last time, and until his death in 1950, he struggled with schizophrenia, moving between psychiatric clinics. Nijinsky’s influence on world ballet is difficult to overestimate, and his diaries are still deciphered and interpreted differently by specialists.

One of the main stars of Russian ballet in the world, Nureyev was a real pop star, bright and scandalous. A difficult, quarrelsome character, arrogance, stormy personal life and a penchant for outrageousness did not obscure the main thing - the incredible talent of Nuriev, who managed to combine together the traditions of ballet and current, as they say now, trends. A native of Ufa, the long-awaited son, who did not live up to the hopes of his military father, who contemptuously called Rudolf “ballerina,” made his most famous jump not on stage, but in the control zone of the Paris airport. In 1961, the Soviet dancer Nureyev suddenly took off with 30 francs in his pocket, asking for political asylum. Thus began Nuriev’s ascent to the world ballet Olympus. Fame, money, luxury, parties at Studio 54, gold, brocade, rumors of affairs with Freddie Mercury, Yves Saint Laurent, Elton John - and the best roles in the London Royal Ballet, directorship in the ballet group of the Paris Grand Opera. A completely ill Nuriev spent the last hundred days of his life in his beloved Paris. He is buried there.

Another famous representative of ballet, who can safely be called a pop star, is in many ways similar to Nuriev: childhood in a Soviet province (if we consider Riga as a province - still not Moscow or Leningrad), complete misunderstanding on the part of his father and a real artistic rise outside THE USSR. Remaining in the West in 1974, Baryshnikov quickly gained a foothold at the top: first he headed the legendary New York City Ballet, then for nine years, from 1980 to 1989, he directed the no less famous American Ballet Theater. He also actively and quite successfully, although unevenly, acted in films, became a socialite, and met with Hollywood beauties Jessica Lange and Liza Minnelli. And to a new public, far from ballet (and, by the way, from Joseph Brodsky, with whom Baryshnikov had a real friendship), this incredible person became known thanks to a small but noticeable role in the TV series “Sex and the City.” Sarah Jessica Parker is his biggest fan. called Mikhail Baryshnikov a tough boy. Who would argue.

Vladimir Vasiliev is a symbol of the Bolshoi Theater and all Russian ballet of the second half of the 20th century. Due to the fact that Vasiliev lived in the Soviet Union, his popularity in the West is much inferior to the glory of the same Baryshnikov, although art connoisseurs, of course, know and appreciate him. Vasiliev worked mainly in Europe, gradually changing his profession to choreographer. Kazan and Paris, Rome and Perm, Vilnius and Rio - the geography of Vasiliev’s creative movements affirms and confirms his cosmopolitanism.

The blond giant, Bolshoi star, Godunov, in August 1979, while on tour in the States, decided not to return home. A terrible drama unfolded, in which not only the artist himself and his wife, ballerina Lyudmila Vlasova, were involved, but also Joseph Brodsky, the FBI, and even the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union. Remaining in the States, Godunov joined the famous American Ballet Theater, which he eventually left after a quarrel with his best friend Mikhail Baryshnikov. Then there was work within the framework of his own project “Godunov and Friends”, success, an affair with actress Jacqueline Bisset and an abrupt departure from the profession. Bisset persuaded Alexander to start a film career, and he partially succeeded: “Witness” with Harrison Ford and especially “Die Hard” made yesterday’s ballet dancer a Hollywood star. However, Godunov himself did not like being on the sidelines, although those who had not even been interested in ballet had now learned about “this Russian.”

He never returned to dancing, and in 1995 he died at the age of 45. “I believe that he did not take root and died of loneliness,” said Joseph Brodsky, who took an active part in his fate as a “defector.”

If there is an art that can conquer everyone’s heart without exception, penetrate the soul, fill it with joy, empathy, make it rejoice or cry, while capturing the entire auditorium - then this is the art of ballet.
Classical Russian ballet includes not only famous ballerinas and dancers, but also composers who wrote specifically for Russian ballet. To this day, all over the world, Russian ballerinas are considered the best, the most slender, hardy, and efficient.

Ulyana Lopatkina is a famous prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater. Inspired by the work of G. Ulanova and M. Plisetskaya, she forever connected her life with ballet and entered the choreographic school. However, upon admission she was given a very modest assessment. She fully revealed herself in the pre-graduation class. Everyone saw in her dance not only impeccable technical mastery of the dance, but also character, grace, and zest. Talent or the fruits of a lot of work? Later, in one of her interviews, she admits: “Stars are not born!” Which means, after all, hard work and will determine success. This is actually true. Ulyana Lopatkina is a very hardworking student, only this ability allowed her to become a real virtuoso in ballet.

Ulyana Lopatkina is a stately ballerina with an individual performance style and a certain attitude towards the hero, the audience, and herself. Maybe that’s why she now has Maria Taglioni’s medallion, which was in the custody of the great Galina Ulanova and given to Ulyana Lopatkina, according to her will.

Much has been said and written about the beauty and grace of Maya Plisetskaya.

The whole world admires Maya Plisetskaya. Often the movements of her flexible arms and body are compared to the flutter of the wings of a swimming swan, the transformation of a girl into a bird. Odetta, performed by Maya Plisetskaya, eventually became a world legend. A critic of the Parisian newspaper Le Figaro assured that her hands in Swan Lake move “not humanly” and that “when Plisetskaya begins the wave-like movements of her hands, you no longer know whether these are hands or wings, or whether her hands turn into the movement of the waves along which the swan floats away.”

Vladimir Vasiliev can rightfully be considered a legend of the Russian Ballet. The only ballet dancer who was awarded the title “Best Dancer of the World” by the Paris Academy of Dance and who was declared by critics to be “the god of dance,” “a miracle of art,” and “perfection.” He at one time introduced a new technique, which, combined with his characteristic deep artistry of its execution, is still considered the standard of male dance.

Ekaterina Maksimova is a famous Soviet ballerina, whose work has taken its rightful place among the masterpieces of this art. Her images had an amazing quality: they combined childlike inspiration, purity and the actions of an adult personality. This feature was achieved by the extraordinary lightness and grace of Maximova’s choreography, whose design was characterized by tones of light and joy. Each dancer's appearance on stage was an ode to lyricism and youth. Thanks to the teacher of the choreographic school, E.P. Gerdt, Ekaterina Maksimova focused not only on the impeccable performance of the dance, but also on conveying the whole range of feelings that excite her heroine. The inner world of the created images was conveyed by special facial expressions and special acting talent.

Natalya Bessmertnova is the most romantic ballerina of the twentieth century.
A master of lyricism, she captivated not with the technical “collapse” of thirty-two fouettes, but with the atmosphere (now they will say - the aura) of the dance. Her art is the strongest impression that will last a lifetime. The ability to take the viewer for several hours into a world where there is nothing mortal, this is precisely why her fans and admirers adored her.

The dancing abilities and artistry of Lyudmila Semenyaka first appeared in the choreographic circle of the Zhdanov Palace of Pioneers.

At the age of 10 she entered the Leningrad Academic Choreographic School. Vaganova, at 12 - made her debut on the stage of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater in the solo role of little Marie in the ballet “The Nutcracker”.
In 1969, she was awarded III prize at the First International Ballet Competition in Moscow.
From 1970 to 1972 she worked at the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater. She continued to study under the guidance of Irina Kolpakova.
In 1972, Yuri Grigorovich invited her to the Bolshoi Theater. In the same year, the artist successfully debuted in the Bolshoi Theater play Swan Lake.
In 1976, she won 1st prize and a gold medal at the 1st International Ballet Competition in Tokyo, and in Paris, Serge Lifar presented her with the Anna Pavlova Prize of the Paris Academy of Dance.

Svetlana Zakharova was born in Lutsk on June 10, 1979. In 1989 she entered the Kiev Choreographic School. After studying there for six years, she took part in the Vaganova-Prix competition for young dancers in St. Petersburg. She received second prize and an offer to go to the graduate course at the A. Ya. Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. In 1996, Zakharova graduated from the academy, being among the first graduates of Elena Evteeva, a former famous ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater. That same year she was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater troupe and already in the next season she took the position of soloist.

In April 2008, Svetlana Zakharova was recognized as the star of the famous Milan theater La Scala.
She performed in Moscow, St. Petersburg, London, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Milan, Madrid, Tokyo, Baku, New York, Amsterdam, etc.

About M. V. Kondratieva

“If Terpsichore existed in reality, Marina Kondratieva would be her embodiment. You don’t know and can’t catch when it falls to the ground. Either you see only her eyes, then her light graceful legs, then only her expressive hands. Together they tell wonderful stories in compelling language. But then a barely noticeable turn of the shoulder - and she’s gone... and it seems like she wasn’t there at all. She, like an early pink cloud, appears and then melts before our eyes.”

Kasyan Goleizovsky, ballet dancer, outstanding Russian choreographer

“Her dance evoked in me associations with Japanese painting, with the finest and most expressive strokes, with transparent strokes of watercolor paints.”

Lyudmila Semenyaka, People's Artist of the USSR

“Kondratieva’s highest professionalism is admired not only in her solo performances, but also in duets and ensembles with other soloists. Being a reliable partner is also an art. And how to achieve it remains a secret for many.”

Maris Liepa, People's Artist of the USSR

“Purity and lightness were inherent not only in her dance, but also in her soul. Of course, this was the real Muse.

Yaroslav Sekh, dancer of the Bolshoi Theater

There are special, “star” people in art, endowed, in addition to talent, hard work, charm and creative power, with some kind of light and flight. About Maris Liepa: he is in flight, in jumps, long, as if protracted, across the entire space of the stage. Like a straightened spring. On the day of the performance, in the morning, it was compressed like a spring, and it was important not to lose this state, the spring was activated when the curtain rose.

Thirteen-year-old serious Riga boy: first participation in a competition in Moscow. The first pas de deux from The Nutcracker. First success. Only from that moment did he decide that ballet was his destiny
He was passionate, passionate in every form. . Liepa skips to class with his students, light, indistinguishable from them, young ones, in the crowd. And he also teaches easily and passionately, falling to his knees, lighting himself up and praising, praising uncontrollably, because he knows: ballet is a gigantic work.
He lived his life like a torch or a star - it flashed and went out. He probably wouldn’t be able to survive, to fade away. He knew how and wanted only to live. “I feel like a race car driver, I’m flying and flying and I can’t stop.” "When I leave the Bolshoi, I will die." The Bolshoi was his only theater. He was a maximalist, a romantic. And ballet was his only destiny.

Of course, these are not all the stars of Russian ballet who have shone and are now shining on many stages around the world. But it’s impossible to talk about them all at once in one message. Thank you for attention.