Kondratyeva Marina Viktorovna - prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater, People's Artist of the RSFSR and then the USSR, a famous choreographer, and laureate of the 1st degree at the World Festival of Youth and Students in Warsaw.
A family
There is still no reliable information about who the ballerina’s mother was and what she lived, but many people still know her father’s name. Viktor Nikolaevich Kondratyev was an outstanding Soviet physicist and chemist who made a huge contribution to the development of the sections of the two integrating sciences. This man, who devoted his whole life to science, a professor and a doctor of sciences, managed to instill in his daughter an inner core, without which it was impossible to hold out in life, let alone in ballet.
Childhood
Kondratyev Marina Viktorovna was born on February 1 in 1934 in the city of Leningrad, which is now called St. Petersburg. From an early age, Marina showed extraordinary ability in dancing: the girl was mobile, her movements were full of beauty and grace. Many friends of her father, an academician, advised her daughter to go to a ballet school, and only one Nikolai Semyonov, also an academician and close Kondratiev, took the girl almost by the hand to her future place of study. But at the moment when they crossed the threshold of the school, fate played a cruel joke: the set of girls was closed. But how then did such a stunning ballerina appear, and not another scientist? A woman working as an administrator at the school, seeing Marina’s broken condition, decided to help: She gave Semenov the address and telephone number of a Leningrad choreographer. And now Agrippina Vaganova (the same choreographer), purely from a professional point of view, uttered something that forever changed the fate of the little girl: “You have to dance.”
Start date
The girl’s father did not strongly resist the decision, and now, young Marina Kondratieva, on the recommendation of Vaganova, enters the Moscow Choreographic School. The first time of study is not given too easily, but the passion and thirst for dance always came to the fore in front of any difficulties. Very soon, the girl gets used to it, gets used not only to complex schedules and merciless training - she gets used to the idea that she can become no worse than the most famous and unique leading ballerinas of not only the Bolshoi, but also many other world theaters. The efforts of the future ballerina are not in vain: in 1952, Marina brilliantly graduated from the school under the direction of Galina Petrova and after that fell into the troupe of dancers of the Bolshoi Theater.
First successes
The Bolshoi Theater becomes a real home for Kondratieva, not only at the time she began her studies, but for her entire future career. In those years, the legendary Plisetskaya, Struchkova, Lepeshinskaya, women whose name has already entered the history of Russian ballet, shone in performances and on stage . They were now right before the eyes of the beginning ballerina. She could see their skill, adopt it, listen to advice and, of course, improve.
At the Bolshoi Theater, her mentor was Marina Semenova, a well-known ballet dancer who has already won international acclaim, performing in all major theaters in the country. Semenova not only gave young Marina a start to develop her own technique, but it was she who prepared Kondratiev for her future profession - a tutor-tutor.
The debut of the beginning ballerina was the role of Cinderella from the ballet performance of R. Zakharov, and again, as soon as she started, the roles fell on her elegant shoulders, like snow. After Cinderella, Masha from The Nutcracker was played, another princess named Aurora from Sleeping Beauty and even the role of Shakespeare's Juliet, which was conveyed with all the fullness of feelings that can only be stated in the dance.
Duets
During her dance career, Marina Kondratyeva danced with many, like her, partners who went down in history. It was Mikhail Lavrovsky, and Yuri Vladimirov, and Vladimir Tikhonov, however, the most memorable duet was released by the ballerina with Maris Liepa, the Lithuanian and Soviet ballet soloist, whose performances were always memorable and atmospheric, thanks to his unique, “fiery” and impetuous dance technique .
With him, Kondratieva danced one of her most amazing roles - Giselle in the ballet of the same name by A. Adan edited by L. M. Lavrovsky.
Educational activities
Already in 1980, Marina Kondratieva graduated from the State Institute of Theater Arts. A.V. Lunacharsky (now GITIS).
Kondratyeva’s teaching was surprisingly easy: a woman could easily find a common language with beginner dancers, which she was at one time. With the help of V. Yu. Vasiliev and ND Kasatkina, her first teaching experience took place in an ensemble called “Moscow Classical Ballet”, and then, with confident grace, Marina easily managed the dancers of her native Moscow choreographic school. From 1990 to 2000, she became a professor at the school, and after a while, the woman finally became a teacher-tutor at the Bolshoi Theater.
For her teaching activities, the choreographer taught Margarita Perkun-Bebezichi, Elena Knyazkin, Vera Timashova, worked with ballerinas and ballet dancers of Grigorovich's studio, one of the country's most famous choreographers and choreographers, as well as with many other girls who, thanks to the sensitive leadership of their mentors, a worthy replacement for the Golden generation of Russian ballet of the 60s.
In our years, Kondratyeva is the head of the famous Nadezhda Gracheva and Natalia Osipova, each of whom is the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater.
Since 1988, Marina Viktorovna Kondratyeva began her career in a new field for herself - the choreographer, which again brilliantly succeeds.
Self-expression on stage and in its best roles
Kondratyev’s world of high ballet was remembered due to her unique technique. She did not introduce new styles or movements, as Plisetskaya did, but her manner of performance was so easy that it seemed that she was dancing not on the stage, but right in the air. Her amazing impetuosity of movements made it possible to perfectly beat many characters, where the peak of her skill fell on Giselle - a ballet in which the main character must flutter like an incorporeal vision, barely touching the floor with her feet. The ballerina's movements had to be graceful, but quick, she had to rush rapidly expressing her feelings, but at the same time, the sound of her steps should be absorbed by silence. All this was incredibly accurately managed to convey to Kondratieva.
Over and over now she sang the part of Giselle - the ballet came out better and better each time, and the mastery of the magnificent ballerina looked more and more refined. Shining in this image, Marina Kondratieva achieved the title of one of the best Giselle of the XX century.
Marina Kondratieva is a ballerina who has become a living embodiment of romantic ballet in his best traditions. Swift, graceful, weightless - it was a ghostly way that fascinated not only the audience, but also the choreographers who saw a lot and the whole troupe as a whole.
In the ballet “Paganini”, the girl again performed the role that came out best for her - the role of the Muse, emerging from nowhere and giving inspiration and hope.
Current activities
Do not be surprised to learn that at present Kondratyev is still teaching. Anyone who has at least once connected his soul with ballet will always return to it. The magnificent ballerina, already a choreographer and choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater, is now 82 years old, but this does not prevent her from preparing for the stage more and more talents. Among her students now are Anna Okuneva, Olga Smirnova, Nina Biryukova and many other girls who will never regret choosing a mentor.
3 years ago Kondratyeva became a member of the Art Council of the Bolshoi Theater Ballet Troupe, so now she, as a ballet teacher, has not only time, but also a direct opportunity to prepare young ballerinas so that their radiance on the stage is no less than that of Plisetskaya or Kondratieva herself.