Who is the most famous Soviet ballerina? Someone will call Maya Plisetskaya, others - Olga Lepeshinskaya, others - Galina Ulanova. All of them were outstanding dancers of the twentieth century. Soviet ballerinas, photos of which are given below, with their skill were able to raise the Soviet ballet to unprecedented heights around the world. Each of them has passed its own special path to the pinnacle of fame.
Galina Ulanova
The famous Soviet ballerina was born in St. Petersburg in the family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater in 1909. From the age of 9, Galina began to study ballet art at the Petrograd Choreographic School, where her mother worked as a choreographer. She went to classes without much desire, but her innate feeling did not allow her to relax for a long time, and she persistently practiced ballet poses. After graduating from college in 1928, she was accepted into the troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. A year later, she was already dancing the leading part in Swan Lake and made a great impression on both ballet critics and the public. They began to talk about her as a future star. Until 1944, Galina was the prima of the Kirov Theater. Her repertoire included the roles of Juliet, Giselle, Masha from The Nutcracker. During World War II, the famous Soviet ballerina, along with the troupe of the theater, was evacuated to Alma-Ata. In 1943, she was nominated for the title of People's Artist of the Kazakh SSR. After the war, Ulanova was transferred to Moscow to the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. She was the first of the Soviet ballerinas who made a foreign tour. She performed on authoritative ballet stages of European capitals: Vienna, London, Paris, etc. Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova was considered the property of world ballet art. Many influential people of the planet sought her favor, however, she was impregnable and closed. She kept everyone at a certain distance, was not friends with anyone, had little contact, for which she was nicknamed the "Great Dumb." Galina Ulanova is perhaps the most talented Soviet ballerina from the state. She was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, she became twice a hero of Socialist Labor, a laureate of various prestigious awards. During the life of Galina Ulanova, two monuments were erected: one in her homeland in St. Petersburg, and the other in Stockholm. Galina Ulanova died at the age of 89. Until the end of her life, she looked impeccably elegant, walked on heels and did a warm-up at the ballet machine. Her body rests in the Novodevichy cemetery.
Olga Lepeshinskaya
Another famous Soviet ballerina, a noblewoman by birth, was born in Kiev in 1916. To get a choreographic education, she and her family moved to Moscow and entered the Moscow Choreographic School. Her innate talent immediately caught the eye of her teachers, and immediately after graduation she was taken to the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. She performed the leading parts in the ballets of P. I. Tchaikovsky: Masha in The Nutcracker, Odette - Odile in Swan Lake, etc. Her ballet partners were such famous dancers as Asaf Messerer, Alexey Ermolaev and Petr Gusev. Olga Lepeshinskaya starred in the first Soviet ballet film “Count Nulin”. After leaving the stage, the great ballerina took up teaching activities and raised more than one generation of ballerinas. She passed away at the age of 94.
Maya Plisetskaya
Maya Plisetskaya was born into a wealthy Jewish family in 1925 in Moscow. Her father always held important government posts, but in 1938 he was charged under the article “Enemy of the People” and executed, and her mother, a silent film actress, was exiled to Kazakhstan. In order for the girl not to go to the orphanage, her aunt, an artist of the Bolshoi Theater, Sulamith Messerer, adopted Maya. Her uncle - Asaf Messerer - was also a famous dancer of the Bolshoi Theater. So the girl grew up among two artists and became involved in ballet art. Having become a graduate of the Moscow Choreographic School, she joined the Bolshoi Theater. For 5 years, Maya danced minor parts, but after playing the role of Giselle, she became the prima of the Bolshoi Theater. In 1958, the famous Soviet ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and the popular composer Rodion Shchedrin got married. Maya starred in many Soviet ballet films, and after leaving the stage she became the artistic director of the Roman Opera and Ballet Theater, and then the Madrid Ballet. Today Maya Plisetskaya is the chairman of the annual Maya International Ballet Award.