Famous and beautiful ballerinas. Famous ballerinas and longevity

The history of ballet in Russia begins in the 30s of the 18th century. In 1731, the Land Noble Corps was opened in St. Petersburg. Since the graduates of the corps in the future were expected to occupy high government positions and needed knowledge of secular manners, the study fine arts, including ballroom dance, the building was allocated significant place. Jean Baptiste Lande, who is considered the founder of Russian ballet art, became the dance master of the corps in 1734. In 1738, Jean Baptiste Lande opened the first ballet school in Russia - the Dancing School of Her Imperial Majesty (now the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova). Ballet in Russia gradually developed and in 1794, productions began by the first Russian-born choreographer, Ivan Walberch. Under Paul I they were published special rules for ballet - it was ordered that there should not be a single man on stage during the performance and male roles at that time were performed by women, for example (1780-1869). Kolosova was one of the first to perform Russian dances on the ballet stage. Another of her innovations was that she replaced the lush stylized costume with an antique chiton. Ballet dancer and choreographer Adam Glushkovsky wrote about Kolosova: “I have been following for more than forty years dance art, I saw a lot of famous ballet dancers coming to Russia, but in none of them did I see such talent as Evgenia Ivanovna Kolosova, a dancer of the St. Petersburg theater, possessed. Every movement of her face, every gesture was so natural and understandable that it decisively replaced speech for the viewer." Evgenia Kolosova was on stage from 1794 to 1826, after which she took up teaching.

One of Evgenia Kolosova’s students was Avdotya (Evdokia) Ilyinichna Istomina(1799-1848), sung by Pushkin in “Eugene Onegin”:

The theater is already full; the boxes shine;
The stalls and the chairs, everything is boiling;
In paradise they splash impatiently,
And, rising, the curtain makes noise.
Brilliant, half-airy,
I obey the magic bow,
Surrounded by a crowd of nymphs,
Worth Istomin; she,
One foot touching the floor,
The other slowly circles,
And suddenly he jumps, and suddenly he flies,
Flies like feathers from the lips of Aeolus;
Now the camp will sow, then it will develop,
And with a quick foot he hits the leg.

Another famous ballerina of those years was (1793-1810), whose creative path was cut short by death from tuberculosis at the age of 17 years.

Historians are still arguing about which Russian ballerina was the first to dance on pointe shoes (leaning only on the tips of her toes). Some believe that it was Maria Danilova, others are of the opinion that it was Avdotya Istomina.

Another student of Evgenia Kolosova was (1804-1857). One of her contemporaries wrote about her: “With the most charming appearance, she had so many feelings and games that she captivated the most impassive spectator.” Patron and lover, in fact common-law husband Teleshova, was a count, Governor-General of St. Petersburg Mikhail Miloradovich.

Ekaterina Telesheva. Portrait by Orest Kiprensky

A famous Russian ballerina of the 19th century was Maria Sergeevna Surovshchikova-Petipa a (1836-1882). The ballerina's husband was ballet dancer Marius Petipa.

The fruit of the union of the artistic couple Maria Surovshchikova - Marius Petipa was a daughter (1857-1930), who, like her parents, became a famous ballet dancer. Ballet historian Mikhail Borisoglebsky wrote about her: “Happy “stage destiny”, beautiful figure, support famous father made her an indispensable performer character dances, a first-rate ballerina, diverse in her repertoire."

17 years (from 1861 to 1878) on stage Mariinsky Theater performed Matilda Nikolaevna Madaeva(stage name Matryona Tikhonovna). A big scandal in St. Petersburg society was her marriage to Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn, a representative of one of the most noble Russian families, an officer who rose to the rank of Adjutant General of His Majesty's Retinue. This marriage was considered a misalliance, since the spouses came from different classes, and according to the laws of the 19th century, officers of the imperial army could not be officially married to people from lower classes. The prince chose to resign, making a choice in favor of his family.

A prominent representative of the Moscow school of ballet of the 19th century was (1839-1917), who was the leading dancer of the Bolshoi Theater for 10 years.

Another famous ballerina Bolshoi Theater was (1857-1920). For two decades, Gaten danced almost all the female roles, without having any rivals on the Bolshoi stage. In 1883, the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe was significantly reduced, but Gaten refused offers to move to St. Petersburg theaters in order to preserve the traditions of Moscow ballet. After leaving the stage, Gaten taught at the Moscow Choreographic School.

She worked for 30 years (from 1855 to 1885) on the stage of the imperial theaters of St. Petersburg (1838-1917). Contemporaries wrote about her: “She had outstanding success in character dances, requiring fire and passion, but she also excelled in mimic roles.”

In the 60s of the 19th century she shone on the stages of St. Petersburg, Moscow and Paris (1838-1879). The Italian choreographer Carlo Blasis wrote that “diamond sparks rain down from under her feet while dancing” and that her “fast and constantly changing pas can involuntarily be compared to a thread of spilling pearls.”

From 1859 to 1879 she performed at the Bolshoi Theater (1842-1918). Yuri Bakhrushin in the book “History of Russian Ballet” wrote: “being a strong dancer and a good actress, Sobeschanskaya was the first to deviate from generally accepted rules and, performing in ballet roles, began to use characteristic makeup. Blazis, who observed Sobeshenskaya at the beginning of her career, wrote that she "she is delightful as a dancer and as a mime" and that in her dances "the soul is visible, she is expressive" and sometimes even reaches the point of "frenzy." Later, another contemporary asserted that "it is not the difficulty of her jumps and the speed of her turns that makes her best impression on the viewer, but through the integral creation of a role in which dance is the interpreter of facial expressions.”

From 1877 to 1893 she danced in the St. Petersburg Ballet Troupe of the Imperial Theaters (1857-1920).

The best representatives of Russian ballet are Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova.

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

Anna Pavlova

Anna Pavlova is an outstanding Russian ballerina.

The outstanding ballerina Anna Pavlova was born into a family far from art. She developed the desire to dance at the age of 8 after the girl saw ballet performance"Sleeping Beauty". At the age of 10, Anna Pavlova was accepted into the Imperial drama school, and after graduation - to the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater.

What is curious is that the aspiring ballerina was not placed in the corps de ballet, but immediately began to give her responsible roles in productions. Anna Pavlova danced under the direction of several choreographers, but the most successful and fruitful tandem, which had a fundamental influence on her performance style, was with Mikhail Fokin.


Anna Pavlova as a dying swan.

Anna Pavlova supported the choreographer’s bold ideas and readily agreed to experiments. Miniature "The Dying Swan", which later became business card Russian ballet, was almost impromptu. In this production, Fokine gave the ballerina more freedom, allowing her to independently feel the mood of “The Swan” and improvise. In one of the first reviews, the critic admired what he saw: “If a ballerina on stage can imitate the movements of the noblest of birds, then this has been achieved: in front of you is a swan.”

Galina Ulanova

Galina Ulanova - outstanding ballerina, to whom monuments were erected during her lifetime.

Galina Ulanova's fate was predetermined from the very beginning. The girl’s mother worked as a ballet teacher, so Galina, even if she really wanted to, was unable to bypass the ballet barre. Years of grueling training led to Galina Ulanova becoming the most titled artist of the Soviet Union.

After graduating from the choreographic technical school in 1928, Ulanova was accepted into ballet troupe Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. From the very first performances, the young ballerina attracted the attention of spectators 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 the men in the audience could not hold back their tears.


Galina Ulanova performs the role of Giselle.

Galina Ulanova reached unprecedented heights in mastery of performance. They imitated her, teachers of the leading ballet schools in the world demanded that their students do steps “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 years old. 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


Olga Lepeshinskaya is a ballet dancer and ballet teacher.

For her passionate temperament, sparkling technique and precision of movements, Olga Lepeshinskaya was nicknamed “The Jumping Dragonfly”. 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 the ballet school at the Bolshoi Theater.

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


Olga Lepeshinskaya - ballerina with a passionate temperament

Despite the fact that the ballerina was Stalin’s favorite and had many awards, she was very demanding of herself. Already at an advanced age, Olga Lepeshinskaya said that her choreography could not be called outstanding, but her “natural technique and fiery temperament” made her inimitable.

Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya - Russian and Soviet artist ballet

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 Shulamith Messerer. Plisetskaya’s father was shot, and her mother and little brother were sent to Kazakhstan to a camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland.

Aunt Plisetskaya was a ballerina at the Bolshoi Theater, so Maya also began attending choreography classes. The girl reached great success In this field and after graduating from college, she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe.


Maya Plisetskaya is an outstanding ballerina.

Plisetskaya's innate artistry, expressive plasticity, and phenomenal jumps made her a prima ballerina. Maya Plisetskaya performed leading roles in all classical productions. She was especially successful 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. Overflowing energy and incredible love to their profession allowed Plisetskaya to make her debut in the production of “Ave Maya” on her 70th birthday.

Lyudmila Semenyaka

Lyudmila Semenyaka - Russian and Soviet ballerina.

The beautiful ballerina Lyudmila Semenyaka performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater when she was only 12 years old. The talented talent could not go unnoticed, so after some time Lyudmila Semenyaka was invited to Grand Theatre. Galina Ulanova, who became her mentor, had a significant influence on the ballerina’s work.

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


Lyudmila Semenyaka, Andris Liepa and Galina Ulanova at a rehearsal.

At the end of the 1990s, Lyudmila Semenyaka announced her retirement from her ballerina career, but continued her activities as a teacher. Since 2002, Lyudmila Ivanovna has been a teacher-tutor at the Bolshoi Theater.

“Amateur” decided to talk about the legends of ballet art of the 20th century.

Olga Preobrazhenskaya

In 1879 she entered, where I studied with teachers Nicholas Legat and Enrico Cecchetti . After graduation she was accepted intoMariinskii Opera House, where her main rival wasMatilda Kshesinskaya. Since 1895 she toured Europe and South America, successfully performed in the theater La Scala. In 1900 became a prima ballerina. She left the stage in 1920.

In 1914 began pedagogical activity, from 1917 to 1921 she taught a plastic class at the Mariinsky Theater opera troupe, taught at the Petrograd Choreographic School, at the School of Russian Ballet A. L. Volynsky.

She emigrated in 1921, and since 1923 she lived in Paris , where she opened a ballet studio and continued her teaching activities for almost 40 years. Also taught at Milan, London, Buenos Aires, Berlin . She left teaching in 1960. Among her students were Tamara Tumanova, Irina Baronova, Tatiana Ryabushinskaya, Nina Vyrubova, Margot Fonteyn, Igor Yushkevich, Serge Golovin and others.

Olga Iosifovna died in 1962 and buried on(some sources erroneously indicateMontmartre cemetery).

Matilda Kshesinskaya

Born into a family of ballet dancersMariinsky Theater: daughter of a Russian PoleFelix Kshesinsky(1823-1905) and Yulia Dominskaya (the widow of the ballet dancer Leda, she had five children from her first marriage). Sister of ballerina Yulia Kshesinskaya (“Kshesinskaya 1st”; married Zeddeler, husband - Zeddeler, Alexander Logginovich) And Joseph Kshesinsky(1868-1942) - dancer, choreographer, director, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1927).

In 1896, Preobrazhenskaya received the status of prima ballerina.

Graduated in 1890 Imperial Theater School, where her teachers were Lev Ivanov, Christian Ioganson and Ekaterina Vazem . After graduating from school she was accepted into the ballet troupeMariinsky Theater, where at first she danced as Kshesinskaya 2nd (Kshesinskaya 1st was officially called her older sister Julia ). Danced on the imperial stage with 1890 to 1917.

In 1896 received the status prima ballerinas imperial theaters (probably largely due to his connections at court, since the chief choreographer Petipa did not support her promotion to the very top of the ballet hierarchy).

In 1929 opened her own ballet studio in Paris . Kshesinskaya’s student was a “baby ballerina”Tatiana Ryabushinskaya.

In exile, with the participation of her husband, she wrote memoirs , originally published in 1960 in Paris on French. The first Russian publication in Russian was published only in 1992.

Matilda Feliksovna lived long life and died December 5, 1971 a few months before his centenary. Buried atCemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Boisnear Paris in the same grave with her husband and son. On the monument epitaph : “Your Serene Highness Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters KShesinskaya».

Vera Trefilova

Vera Trefilova was born into an artistic family. N.P. Trefilov’s mother, a non-commissioned officer’s widow, was a dramatic actress and was not married. Outstanding dramatic actress became godmother M. G. Savina.

Besides Despite the fact that sources also give the ballerina the surname Ivanova, she bore three more surnames after her husbands: after her 1st husband - Butler, after her 2nd - Solovyova, and after her 3rd - Svetlova.

Trefilova was a follower of classical ballet

Graduated in 1894Petersburg Theater School, teachers Ekaterina Vazem and Pavel Gerdt , and was immediately accepted onto the stage at the ImperialMariinskii Opera House to the corps de ballet with the promise that in a few years she will take role soloist - which happened in 1906 after she, already working on stage, continued to take lessons, her teachers were:Katarina Beretta, Enrico Cecchetti , Maury in Paris, Evgenia Sokolova, Nikolai Legat . In 1898, at the premiere of The Mikado's Daughter, the choreographer She replaced L.I. Ivanov Ekaterina Geltser, but the exit was unsuccessful, leaving the ballerina in the corps de ballet for several more years. Nevertheless, she performed in small solo roles. And having finally become a soloist, she already felt confident in the difficult first roles.

Trefilova was a supporter of classical ballet, denying innovation. But she became a master of academic ballet.

V. Trefilova worked at the Mariinsky Theater from 1894 to 1910.

Yulia Sedova

Graduated St. Petersburg Choreographic Schoolin 1898. Leading teacher Enrico Cecchetti staged for her and his other student Lyubov Egorova special graduation performance “Dance Lesson at the Hotel”, designed to demonstrate good mastery of performance technique.

Although from the first years of her stay at the Mariinsky Theater, she was entrusted with significant roles, her career Things were far from going well; only in 1916, before resigning, did she receive a higher education degree ballet career the title of ballerina. There were subjective reasons for this; the director openly didn’t like herimperial theatersV. A. Telyakovsky, who left many unflattering reviews about her in his diaries. She was accused of squabbles and intrigue. Now it is impossible to judge the objectivity of these statements, especially if we take into account the specific atmosphere of relations in the St. Petersburg ballet, which was actually run byMatilda Kshesinskaya.

Sedova had a large build, broad shoulders, strong muscular legs

Objectively, we can say that the artist had an enterprising, active nature and apparently got along with her colleagues, as evidenced by the numerous tours that she led. However, apart from subjective reasons, it is not entirely successful career, there were also quite objective ones. She had a large-boned build, broad shoulders, strong muscular legs with large feet, therefore, while achieving very good results in complex jumps and rotations, she lost in the plasticity of poses. Thus, her external data did not suit the spoiled St. Petersburg ballet public.

By 1911, the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater relied heavily on her, as a number of artistes, for example Anna Pavlova and Vera Trefilova left the theater, and Kshesinskaya andTamara Karsavinaappeared on stage to a limited extent. However, she did not receive the long-deserved title of ballerina and probably submitted her resignation in protest when Karsavina's salary was increased. The resignation was accepted.

Left without work, the artist led a large tour around USA , her travel partner was Mikhail Mordkin . The soloists of the troupe were Lydia Lopukhova, Bronislava Pozhitskaya, Alexander Volinin And Nikolay Solyannikovlike a mimic dancer. The corps de ballet consisted of six to ten people. The scenery was painted by the artistKonstantin Korovin. The tour was a success. The American public seeing it for the first time classical ballet of this level, it was received well. The performance schedule was very intense, performances were given almost every day. The troupe performed in 52 cities. Sedova performed 38 times in "Swan Lake", 27 times in "Coppelia "and 10 times in "Russian Wedding", a small ballet staged by M. Mordkin. The production of “Giselle” had to be canceled due to Mordkin’s illness. The St. Petersburg press followed the tour and reported on the delight of the Americans.

After returning from America, negotiations followed about returning to the Mariinsky Theater, which led nowhere. On March 6, 1912, the actress gave “Farewell Evening” on stageSt. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1912-1914, the actress toured in Western Europe . Only in 1914 was she able to return to the Mariinsky Theater. On November 9, 1916, her farewell benefit performance took place, at which she first performed the role of Aspiccia in “ Pharaoh's daughters " At the age of 36, she left the stage forever.

Agrippina Vaganova

Agrippina Vaganova was born on 14 ( June 26) 1879 in St. Petersburg, in the family of a chaperone Mariinsky Theater. Her father, Akop (Yakov Timofeevich) Vaganov, moved to St. Petersburg from Astrakhan, where there had been a Armenian community; however, he himself was from Persian Armenians and did not make any capital in Astrakhan; served as a non-commissioned officer, and after retirement he moved to St. Petersburg.

In 1888 it was accepted intoImperial Theater School. Among Vaganova's teachers wereEvgenia Sokolova, Alexander Oblakov, Anna Joganson, Pavel Gerdt, Vladimir Stepanov. IN junior classes studied with Lev Ivanov , calling this time “two years of idleness”, then went to class Catherine Vazem . Vaganova's first role was Lisa's mother, main character, in the school play "magical flute", staged by Lev Ivanov for middle school students.

In 1897, after graduating from college, she was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, and a few years later received the status soloists . Vaganova brilliantly succeeded in individual solo variations, for example, in the ballet Delibes "Coppelia" ", for which she was nicknamed the "Queen of Variations".

She made some changes to choreographic techniques, which at first may have seemed inappropriate to strict adherents of academicism, but later occupied a worthy place in the technique of leading dancers.

Vaganova made some changes to choreographic techniques

Leaving the stage in 1916 , took up teaching. At first she taught at various private schools and studios, then, after the revolution, she was invited A. A. Oblakov to work in Petrograd Theater School. Its first issue, which included Nina Stukolkina, Olga Mungalova and Nina Mlodzinska, prepared in 1922. In 1924 she graduated from the class that she began teaching in 1921. Taking pre-graduation women's classes prepared by such teachers as E. P. Snetkova, M. A. Kozhukhova, M. F. Romanova , released every other year, sometimes annually. She developed her own pedagogical system, based on the clarity and meaningfulness of technique, the rigor of body positioning, and the positions of arms and legs. "Vaganova system"played a decisive role in the development of ballet art of the 20th century.

From 1931 to 1937 Vaganova - artistic director ballet troupeLATOB named after S. M. Kirov.

Agrippina Yakovlevna died in Leningrad November 5, 1951. Buried at Literary BridgesVolkovsky cemetery

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

Anna Pavlova

Outstanding ballerina Anna Pavlova was born into a family far from art. She developed a desire to dance at the age of 8 after the girl saw the ballet production of “The Sleeping Beauty.” At the age of 10, Anna Pavlova was accepted into the Imperial Theater School, and after graduation, she was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater.

What is curious is that the aspiring ballerina was not placed in the corps de ballet, but immediately began to give her responsible roles in productions. Anna Pavlova danced under the direction of several choreographers, but the most successful and fruitful tandem, which had a fundamental influence on her performance style, was with Mikhail Fokin.

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

Galina Ulanova

Galina Ulanova's fate was predetermined from the very beginning. The girl’s mother worked as a ballet teacher, so Galina, even if she really wanted to, was unable to bypass the ballet barre. Years of grueling training led to Galina Ulanova becoming the most titled artist of the Soviet Union.

After graduating from the choreographic technical school in 1928, Ulanova was accepted into the ballet troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. From the very first performances, the young ballerina attracted the attention of spectators 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 the men in the audience could not hold back their tears.

Galina Ulanova reached . They imitated her, teachers of the leading ballet schools in the world demanded that their students do steps “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 years old. 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 "Dragonfly Jumper". The ballerina was born into a family of engineers. From early childhood, the girl literally raved about dancing, so her parents had no choice but to send her to the ballet school at the Bolshoi Theater.

Olga Lepeshinskaya easily coped with both classic ballet (“Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”) and modern productions (“Red Poppy”, “Flames of Paris”.) During the Great Patriotic War, Lepeshinskaya fearlessly performed at the front, raising the fighting soldier spirit.

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ballerina with a passionate temperament. | Photo: www.etoretro.ru." border="0" vspace="5">!}

Olga Lepeshinskaya -
ballerina with a passionate temperament. | Photo: www.etoretro.ru.

Despite the fact that the ballerina was Stalin’s favorite and had many awards, she was very demanding of herself. Already at an advanced age, Olga Lepeshinskaya said that her choreography could not be called outstanding, but her “natural technique and fiery temperament” made her inimitable.

Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya- 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 Shulamith Messerer. Plisetskaya’s father was shot, and her mother and little brother were sent to Kazakhstan to a camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland.

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

Plisetskaya's innate artistry, expressive plasticity, and phenomenal jumps made her a prima ballerina. Maya Plisetskaya performed leading roles in all classical productions. She was especially good at 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. The talented talent could not go unnoticed, so after some time 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 effortlessly that from the outside it seemed as if she was not making any effort, but was simply enjoying the dance. In 1976, Lyudmila Ivanovna was awarded the Anna Pavlova Prize from the Paris Academy of Dance.

At the end of the 1990s, Lyudmila Semenyaka announced her retirement from her ballerina career, but continued her activities as a teacher. Since 2002, Lyudmila Ivanovna has been a teacher-tutor at the Bolshoi Theater.

But he mastered the art of ballet in Russia, and most life performed in the USA.