Arthur became a woman. "Russian" transsexual from New York - a world-class star

Citizenship:

USSR USSR

Profession: Career:

1965 - present time

Awards:

Mazol (Malika) Yashuvaevna Kolontarova (Kalandarova)(taj. Malika Kalandarova; genus. September 2, Stalinabad, USSR) - Soviet Tajik dancer, actress, teacher. People's Artist of the USSR ().

Biography

She toured with ensembles in cities of the USSR and abroad: Afghanistan, Japan, Spain, Turkey, India, etc.

She acted in films.

Since 1993 he has lived and worked in New York (USA). She continued her dancing career by opening Malika’s International Dance School, where she teaches dance to young girls.

Family

Awards and titles

• Honored Artist of the Tajik SSR ()
• People's Artist of the Tajik SSR ()
• People's Artist of the USSR ()
• State Prize of the Tajik SSR named after. Rudaki ()

Filmography

• - Zumrad - episode
• - Bride and groom - Gulnora
• - The Legend of Rustam - episode
• - Hurricane in the valley - Gulchehra
• - And another night of Scheherazade... - episode
• - New tales of Scheherazade - episode
• - Scheherazade's last night - episode
• - Sherali and Oybarchin - episode

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Notes

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Excerpt characterizing Kolontarova, Mazol Yashuvaevna

Pierre, having unexpectedly become a rich man and Count Bezukhy, after recent loneliness and carelessness, felt so surrounded and busy that he could only be left alone with himself in bed. He had to sign papers, deal with government offices, the meaning of which he had no clear idea of, ask the chief manager about something, go to an estate near Moscow and receive many people who previously did not want to know about his existence, but now would offended and upset if he didn’t want to see them. All these various persons - businessmen, relatives, acquaintances - were all equally well disposed towards the young heir; all of them, obviously and undoubtedly, were convinced of the high merits of Pierre. He constantly heard the words: “With your extraordinary kindness,” or “with your wonderful heart,” or “you yourself are so pure, Count...” or “if only he were as smart as you,” etc., so he He sincerely began to believe in his extraordinary kindness and his extraordinary mind, especially since it always seemed to him, deep down in his soul, that he was really very kind and very smart. Even people who had previously been angry and obviously hostile became tender and loving towards him. Such an angry eldest of the princesses, with a long waist, with hair smoothed like a doll’s, came to Pierre’s room after the funeral. Lowering her eyes and constantly flushing, she told him that she was very sorry for the misunderstandings that had happened between them and that now she felt she had no right to ask for anything, except permission, after the blow that had befallen her, to stay for a few weeks in the house that she loved so much and where made so many sacrifices. She couldn't help but cry at these words. Touched that this statue-like princess could change so much, Pierre took her hand and asked for an apology, without knowing why. From that day on, the princess began to knit a striped scarf for Pierre and completely changed towards him.
– Do it for her, mon cher; “All the same, she suffered a lot from the dead man,” Prince Vasily told him, letting him sign some kind of paper in favor of the princess.
Prince Vasily decided that this bone, a bill of 30 thousand, had to be thrown to the poor princess so that it would not occur to her to talk about Prince Vasily’s participation in the mosaic portfolio business. Pierre signed the bill, and from then on the princess became even kinder. The younger sisters also became affectionate towards him, especially the youngest, pretty, with a mole, often embarrassed Pierre with her smiles and embarrassment at the sight of him.
It seemed so natural to Pierre that everyone loved him, it would seem so unnatural if someone did not love him, that he could not help but believe in the sincerity of the people around him. Moreover, he did not have time to ask himself about the sincerity or insincerity of these people. He constantly had no time, he constantly felt in a state of meek and cheerful intoxication. He felt like the center of some important general movement; felt that something was constantly expected of him; that if he didn’t do this, he would upset many and deprive them of what they expected, but if he did this and that, everything would be fine - and he did what was required of him, but something good remained ahead.

"Malika was the calling card of Tajikistan." Outstanding Soviet ballerina remembered in Dushanbe
Manizha Kurbanova

May 22 is the birthday of the outstanding ballerina, People's Artist of the USSR Malik Sabirova, whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Tajik ballet. On this day, according to already established tradition, at the Opera and Ballet Theater. Aini hosted a concert of ballet masters in her honor, and a creative evening was held at the Museum of Outstanding Women of Tajikistan on May 26, where admirers of her talent gathered.

Dance in honor of the ballerina

At the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after. S. Aini hosted a festive concert of theater soloists dedicated to the memory of Malika Sabirova. Among the guests were representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations who came to enjoy the elegant art of ballet.

Young and talented artists Farangis Kasymova, Muhammad Azimzoda, Asel Nilobekova, Umed Sangalizoda performed pas de deux from the ballets “Giselle” and “Don Quixote”, and also showed excerpts from the ballet “Leyli and Majnun”, which Malik once performed Sabirova and Muzaffar Burkhanov.

Between the artists' performances, excerpts from Zaur Dakhte's documentary about Malika Sabirova were shown on a white canvas, where she performed in several images. An excerpt from a program on the Russian television channel “Culture” about the life and work of the ballerina was also shown.

It was impossible to get a ticket to the ballet...

The second event dedicated to the memory of the Tajik ballet star was the creative evening of Malika Sabirova, which took place last Saturday at the Museum of Outstanding Women of Tajikistan. Friends, colleagues and admirers of the ballerina’s talent gathered there and shared their memories.

Honored Artist of Tajikistan, ex-Minister of Culture of the republic in Soviet times, Tamara Abdushukurova spoke about the life and work of Malika Sabirova. And she began her performance with a famous poem by the recently deceased People's Poet of Tajikistan Mumin Kanoat, for whom the great ballerina was a Muse:

"Oh white swan, hesitate, do not interrupt the wonderful moan,
After all, you will leave and only he will remain, as if pale and blind..."

“What could be more sincere than these words, in which the poet conveyed his feelings about the death of a ballerina who passed away in the prime of life, not quite 40 years old?” Abdushukurova noted.

“Malika was very hardworking, she could not rest. Even when she went to some sanatorium or holiday home, she always managed to create a working environment and rehearse there. And even when she was quite famous, having conquered the whole world with her talent, she did not stop working above yourself,” noted Tamara Makhsumovna.

According to her, seeing such diligence of the ballerina, the theater troupe concentrated around her, trying to reach the bar that she represented. And therefore, during the period when the ballerina was the prima of the Tajik ballet, it was impossible to get a ticket to this or that performance, since the theater hall was always full.

Abdushukurova also recalled the ballerina’s last performance at the Rossiya cinema and concert hall in Moscow.

“All the ballet stars gathered there in November 1980,” said Tamara Abdushukurova. “The artists performed for two evenings in a row, foreign guests were invited to this concert, and the organizers decided to give the last, final number to Malika in order to complete the ballet evenings with her performance. And although at that time the ballerina was already ill, she performed brilliantly on a stage not intended for ballet dance, since at the Bolshoi Theater or in any other ballet theater, the stage was a little sloping.Malika understood that she had to perform brilliantly in front of distinguished guests and although, she "It was very difficult, she did it. Who would have thought that this was Malika's last appearance at a concert of this magnitude?"

“When they talk about perfection, they remember Malika Sabirova, because she was able to become an ideal for many dancers. She came from the country of mountains and took everyone into the poetic world of beauty,” Abdushukurova quoted a quote about the great ballerina.

"Malika was the calling card of Tajikistan"

The famous statesman and public figure Guljahon Babasadykova also shared her personal memories of Malika Sabirova. She talked about the human qualities of a ballerina.

“I am happy that I knew Malika Sabirova personally, that we lived those happy times when she was next to us, and we could see her performances in person, and not on film. Through her, our people fell in love with ballet, and rightfully, Malika was a calling card of Tajikistan,” noted Guljahon Babaevna, talking about the ballerina’s contribution to the art of Tajikistan.

Babasadykova also recalled the last years of the ballerina, when she decided to leave Dushanbe.

“Many people believe that the leader of the republic, Jabbor Rasulov, dealt exclusively with agricultural issues, without paying attention to art and culture,” she said, “But this is not so. Rasulov had a special approach to each creative person. And when he found out that Sabirova wants to leave the republic forever, and she was invited to work in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, he called her for a personal conversation to understand the problems that the ballerina faced."

Public figure Maysara Kalonova also spoke about Malika Sabirova. She remembered the time when, as secretary of the district committee of the Central District Komsomol, she once invited a ballerina to the opening of a youth club.

“Despite her busy schedule, Malika came to a meeting with Komsomol members. Our joy knew no bounds. “Work is genius. Not everyone is a genius, but everyone can become a master of their craft,” Malika noted then. And I still remember these words of hers,” noted Maysara Yuldashevna.

Zemfira Kazakova, head of the department of choreography at the Tajik Institute of Arts. M. Tursunzade, who worked and was friends with Malika Sabirova, also shared her memories.

According to her, Malika had many regalia, but never showed arrogance and was very modest. She also remembered that everyone could be seen in her house: famous artists, high officials and ordinary people.

“One day Malika asked to engage in a conversation with a young man who came to visit her,” said Zemfira Zakirjanovna. “Later I found out that it was Pavel Slobodkin, the founder and director of the then famous ensemble “Jolly Fellows”, in which Pugacheva sang. It seemed like everyone knew Malik."

“When she came to the next meeting with voters at the Institute of Arts, which I headed at that time, no one dared to speak first in front of her, although they had been preparing for a long time. Then the great master of words, the unsurpassed actor Mahmudjon Vakhidov, came onto the stage where Sabirova stood and, falling to his knees right in front of the ballerina, quoted the poems “You and You” by Pushkin:

"I stand before her thoughtfully,
There is no strength to take your eyes off her;
And I tell her: how sweet you are!
And I think: how much we love you,” he said, changing the ending after a short pause, and the whole audience applauded! We wrote it all down in the protocol,” said Tamara Abdushukurova.

There were many memories of the great artist. At the end of the evening, famous cinematographer and photographer Zaur Dakhte shared his videos.

It turns out that he accompanied the artist on many of her tours around the country, filming her performances. The documentary filmmaker shared his rich archive with the museum and showed the audience excerpts from the ballerina’s concerts, her personal photographs and footage from the film “Malika”.

At the creative evening, students of the National Conservatory also performed with a small concert. Talabsho Sattorova, who performed classical musical works, accompanied by Malika Sabirova dancing on stage.

Those gathered once again emphasized the outstanding contribution of the ballerina to Tajik art, and there were also proposals to find funds for an international competition or festival of ballet art named after Malika Sabirova, which would further raise the prestige of Tajikistan at the international level.

In this issue we will talk about the Soviet artist from Tajikistan Malika Kalantarova - the dancer shone at various concerts during the USSR. Her name sounded everywhere, in all the Union republics. However, we will talk not only about the woman’s biography, but also about the difficult situation that once arose with her child. Malika has two adult sons, one of whom she lost... but soon found a daughter!

At the age of 34, Malika Kalandarova received the title “People’s Artist of the USSR.” This was an unprecedented success for a dancer from distant Tajikistan. She toured all over the world and represented the Soviet Union. Her husband was the famous musician Ishak Gulkarov in those years, who accompanied her during dances and accompanied her everywhere. After the Soviet Union disappeared and perestroika began, Malika Kalandarova emigrated from Tajikistan to the States. The reason for the move was the civil war among Tajiks in 1992.

Malika Kalantarova in her youth

It was not easy in America - a woman had to sell dishes. “I have two sons. The eldest is Marik, and the second is Arthur. Marik was very brave and courageous from childhood, but Arthur, unlike his brother, grew up completely differently...” Kalantarova begins her story.

Family photo

Arthur Gulkarov

However, even in the USA, Malika was able to continue her career as a dancer. Her ensemble was a great success among Americans. The youngest son Arthur, while still a small boy, began to show interest in dancing, and in his youth the guy already danced in a troupe led by his mother. Gulkarov really dreamed of becoming a world famous dance floor star.

Dancer Artur Gulkarov

In 2005, Gulkarov moved to Moscow and made a career as a dancer in the Russian capital. He met Joseph Kobzon and other creative celebrities.

Arthur Gulkarov and Joseph Kobzon

But after a short time the man returned to New York. Unpleasant rumors began to circulate about the dancer’s future life, but, most importantly, no one knew where Artur Gulkarov had disappeared to. He disappeared!

Son became daughter

Malika Kalantarova: “My youngest son never played with the boys in the yard. And at school they constantly laughed at him and teased him as a girl. It was very difficult for him to live with this. Always hung around girls. And later I noticed that he uses my lipstick and tries on women's clothes. More and more he became like a girl...I was condemned for allowing my son to do this, but now I treat him with understanding...that is, Samira. Moreover, I always wanted to have a daughter.”

From the first days of work, this woman gained enormous fame, and she rightfully began to be called “malikai sakhna” - the queen of the stage. On September 2, the famous dancer, People's Artist of the USSR Malika Kalantarova, who has been living in the USA for many years, celebrates her birthday.

On this day, we decided to tell you about the artist’s creative path, why she left the country, and how she arranged her life in a foreign land: she told us all this before her 65th birthday three years ago.

"Daisy"

Mazol Yashuvaevna Kalantarova was born on September 2, 1950 in the family of an ordinary hairdresser. None of my relatives had anything to do with art. In their large family, everyone addressed young Mazol affectionately: “Margosha, Margaritka.” The girl's first applause was given by her neighbors, in front of whom she held her concerts. If we talk about where she began to learn professional basics, these were classes at the House of Culture and in the children's studio of the Theater. Mayakovsky.

According to the honored artist of the republic, the head of the Padida theater-studio, Sharofat Rashidova, she and Malika were friends since childhood, when they went together to the dance studio of the so-called “Jewish theater” (that, it turns out, was the popular name for the Mayakovsky Russian Drama Theater) .

“Malika was 10 years old, and I was 12,” the artist recalls. - We went together to learn to dance with the same teacher. More often I sang, she danced.

In the summer of 1965, the recruitment of dancers began for the new state dance ensemble “Lola”, the director of which was appointed the famous Tajik choreographer Gaffor Valamatzade.

Malika Kalantarova

Having learned about the recruitment, Malika, who had just arrived from the pioneer camp, without even asking her parents for leave, ran to the Green Theater. No one even paid attention to the short girl, dressed in shabby home clothes, since there were many beautiful and tall girls there. They all danced in front of Valamatzadeh, and the viewing ended there. "And I?" - the girl asked indignantly. He looked at her incredulously and asked how old she was. “I’m 14 now, and in September I’ll be 15,” Malika said, trying to straighten up and show herself more mature. Valamatzadeh told her to come when she grows up.

“I replied that I couldn’t wait,” says the artist. “I ran up to the musicians and asked them to play “Fergana,” and I quickly started dancing. At this time he was talking to someone, then he stopped and looked for a long time without saying a word. When the dance ended, I immediately took up another one. “What is your name?” - he asked finally.

“Everyone calls me Daisy,” I answered. This is how my creative life began in a real dance group.

"Malikai sakhna"

Six months later at the Opera and Ballet Theater. The Aini ensemble "Lola" held its first concert, where mainly mass dances were performed. “Daisy” was assigned to perform a solo number - the classical dance “Chigarpora” (meaningful translation - “Broken Heart”).

“I loved fast movements, everything flying and swift,” says our heroine. - And my teacher wanted me to show the necessary severity in this dance: the movement of the eyes, shoulders, arms, even kicks - everything should be expressive. With feeling. He taught me to delve into the essence of dance, to be the mistress of the stage. I still remember the crepe de Chine dress, the green camisole, the long scarf, the crown...

Who would have thought that at the age of 15 I would dance like this! After the concert, the Minister of Culture of the Republic, Mehrubon Nazarov, came backstage. “Where is the girl who danced the classical dance?” - he asked. They pointed at me. “This little one?” - he looked with disbelief. “After all, there was a graceful, tall girl on stage.” I showed her high heels. He asked what my name was. I answered. “No, from this day on your name is Malika because you are the queen of the stage,” he said. Afterwards everyone started calling me Malika. To be honest, I always liked the great ballerina Malika Sabirova, so I was glad to be her namesake.

Creative flight

Due to constant rehearsals, Malika transferred from the capital's school No. 3 to evening school. And when the tour began, she had to study on her own. Together with the ensemble, she traveled throughout the Soviet Union. Later, her art was applauded on the stages of Japan, Afghanistan, Spain, Turkey, and India. Malika's first foreign tour began in 1969 from Belgium, where she was part of the artists led by Akhmad Babakulov. Among the dancers they took Zebo Aminzade and her.

Malika Kalantarova

Kino-Teatr.RU

At concerts, Malika had only one dance number. Seeing how warmly she was received by the Belgian public, representatives of the Ministry of Culture gave instructions to increase the number of her performances.

According to Saydali Gadoev, the chief choreographer of the children's ensemble "Lola", they met Malika Kalantarova in 1971 during the preparation of a festive concert, when he was still a student at the choreographic school.

Before that, I saw her on TV,” he says. - And here she was nearby, working with us, dancing. She was so modest in life. Often on tours where we went, she did not leave the hotel - she sewed details to her dance outfits. Of course, they envied her, but she never attached any importance to it.

Costs of the profession

And how many bruises, stretch marks and fractures she received during her professional career! Somehow in 1973 in Varzob, while filming a dance number, she accidentally twisted her leg. The shooting could not be cancelled, she was taken to the nearest medical center and given an injection of novocaine to numb the pain.

My husband, Ilyos Gulkarov, played the doira, I’m wearing a thin camisole, I’m waving my braids back and forth, smiling, and the blood seeps through my shalwars and there’s a dull pain,” says Malika-apa. - But the dance turned out great. When they played this number on television, I always remembered this moment.

Indeed, it was she, Malika Kalantarova, who, like a graceful doe in a leap, could fly over the stage and just as quickly land on her knees. Viewers of the older generation remember this enchanting dance - “Shodiyona”...

Stage Director

It was this dance that Malika Kalantarov was asked to stage in 1979 by the famous Soviet choreographer, director of the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the USSR Igor Moiseev, who called her an “oriental miracle” and believed that Malika “made a revolution in oriental folk dance.”

At first, Malika did not agree, because she herself had a teacher - Gaffor Valamatzade. But Moiseev said that he wanted to see her as the dance director. He called the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan and asked to send Malika Kalantarov to stage his eastern numbers. She was immediately sent to Moscow.

“It was a mixed dance,” Malika recalls today. - Both boys and girls danced there. The dance was very dynamic, you had to jump across the stage while maintaining flexibility, and I taught the guys how to do this. For the second dance - “Mountain Women of Tajikistan” - I specially ordered Kulyab chakans and decorations. With this dance, Moiseev traveled to many countries around the world, a lot was written about it, I even have newspapers from those years, where it is written that I am the dance director.

Departure

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the civil war in Tajikistan caused Malika and her family to leave for the States in 1993.

“During the civil war in Tajikistan, armed people entered our house,” says our heroine. - Having seen my portraits on the walls, they asked who Malik Kalantarov is related to me. In life I am different from my image, so they did not recognize me. When I answered that these were my portraits, they did not believe me and asked me to prove it. I had to dance in front of them. Convinced of the veracity of my words, they left...

Now Malika Kalantarova and her family live in the Queens borough of New York. Her life's dream was to create an oriental dance school. She had to experience many difficulties in the USA, but today the Malika Dance School in New York is already 18 years old. To open this school, Malika worked in trade, selling dishes.

M. Kalantarova teaches her students folk Tajik, Bukhara, Uzbek, Indian dances, and has now begun to practice Latin American dances.

Friend and support

As Malika herself admitted in an interview, her profession, to which she completely devoted herself, always came first. In the family, her parents supported her in every possible way, and later her husband and sons, Mark and Arthur, began to support her.

By the way, Malika Kalantarova’s husband - a famous dory player, Honored Artist of the Republic Ilyas Gulkarov - still supports our heroine in all her endeavors. He fell in love with her at first sight, when she was just starting to dance at the Green Theater, where she rehearsed with the Lola ensemble. She set the condition that she would get married when she received some title. Ilyas had to wait. And only when in 1972 Malika received the title of Honored Artist of the Tajik SSR, they got married.

“My husband is the biggest support in my life,” says Malika-apa. “If he hadn’t been around, it’s unlikely that I would have coped with all my difficulties, and I had so many of them!”

You can’t help but remember the events of April 2015, when Malika Kalantarova made a public confession in the program “Let Them Talk” on the Russian TV channel: her son Arthur changed his gender and became Samira. It was extraordinary courage to announce this to the whole world. But Malika managed.

At first no one supported Arthur's decision to change his sex - neither his mother, nor his father, nor his brother. But when Malika Kalantarova realized that she could lose her child, she took her side.

Malika Kalantarova (right) and her daughter Samira Mazal (left) on the TV show “Let Them Talk.”

I miss my homeland

...During all the years of emigration, Malika Kalantarova came to Tajikistan three times, the last time in 2016.

My husband and I lived in a hotel,” says the artist. - One day I needed medicine and I went to the pharmacy. Imagine my surprise when on the street a group of boys aged 10-12 saw me and shouted: “Look, this is Malika Kalantarova!” I asked how they knew me, because 20 years had passed and the younger generation of the republic, born after my departure, could hardly have known me. The boys explained that they had seen me on TV, where they showed me dancing. And they also said that when their little sisters organize their concerts in front of their mothers, they, in turn, admiring their dance, often exclaim: “Well, you’re just like Malika Kalandarova!” Then I realized that my beloved Tajik people had not forgotten me. I was so happy!

Malika Kalantarova was last in Tajikistan in 2016: the People's Artist of the USSR came to her native Dushanbe at the invitation of Emomali Rahmon.

A delegation of 50 people, which included the artist herself, arrived in Dushanbe to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the state independence of Tajikistan.

Malika Kalantarova and her husband visiting the Asia-Plus radio station, September 2016

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Malika Kolontarova - “my son changed gender.”

Malika Kalandarova - People's Artist of the USSR. A successful dancer from distant Tajikistan. Toured all over the world.

Her husband, musician Ishak Gulkarov, accompanied her during dances and was with her everywhere on tour. After perestroika, she emigrated to the USA.

Malika’s story surprises many: a strong-willed woman, a mother of two sons, found a daughter in exchange for one son!

Her son Arthur, a talented boy, changed his gender.

Gulkarov Arthur- in 2005 he became famous in Moscow.

I know many famous personalities. Talented and successful. It would seem that what else is needed!?

Arthur began his career in dance groups in Tajikistan, and since 1993 he has lived in New York and Moscow. The last time he gave a concert in the capital of Tajikistan was in 2009.

The whole world learned about Arthur’s gender change after a program on Channel One.

Where he admitted that he changed his gender in the USA and now his name is Samira Mazal.

Samira appeared on the program with her famous mother and told her story. How hard it was, all her life she felt like a woman, she was friends only with girls, boys teased her, no one understood her. It's very difficult when people don't understand you. She also thought about committing suicide twice.

Samira still cannot find contact with her father. It's hard for her to show up at her parents' house, where she grew up.

The older brother doesn't talk either.

Samira was accepted by her mother Malika, she was the only one who understood and helped her child find his dream and become happier by paying for sex reassignment surgery and breast augmentation.

In Samira Gulkarova’s own words: “It wasn’t easy. I made a career as a dancer, but I was not a happy person, I didn’t want to live. Twice I wanted to commit suicide. But then I realized that I had to become a woman and had an operation. And my mother paid for 2 operations: gender reassignment and breast surgery. The operations cost $30,000. But now both my mother and I are calm and everything is fine with us.”

We wish Samira female happiness and success.

How would you feel about such changes in your family?