The most famous Soviet ballerina. Who is she?

Who is the most famous Soviet ballerina? Someone will call Maya Plisetskaya, others - Olga Lepeshinskaya, the third - Galina Ulanova. All of them were outstanding dancers of the twentieth century. Soviet ballerinas, whose photos are shown below, managed to build the Soviet ballet to an unprecedented height in the whole world with their skill. Each of them went its own special way to the top of glory.

Galina Ulanova

A well-known Soviet ballerina was born in St. Petersburg to 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 haste, but the innate feeling for a long time did not allow her to relax, and she perseveringly practiced ballet poses. After graduation from the school in 1928 she was taken to the troupe of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. A year later she already danced the leading part in "Swan Lake" and made a great impression on both ballet critics and the public. They began talking about her as a future star. Until 1944, Galina was the primate of the Kirov Theater. Her repertoire included the roles of Juliette, Giselle, Masha from the Nutcracker. During the Patriotic War, a well-known Soviet ballerina was evacuated to Alma-Ata with the theater troupe. 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 Soviet ballerina who made a foreign tour. She performed on authoritative ballet stages of European capitals: Vienna, London, Paris, etc. The Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova was considered the property of world ballet art. Her favor was sought by many influential people on the planet, but she was impregnable and withdrawn. She kept everyone at a certain distance, did not make friends with anyone, had little contact, for which she was nicknamed "The Great Mute". Galina Ulanova, perhaps - the most gifted from the state of the Soviet ballerina. She was awarded the title People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, she became twice 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 years. Until the end of her life she looked immaculately elegant, walked on his heels and did a warm-up at the ballet. Her body rests on the Novodevichy cemetery.

Olga Lepeshinskaya

Another well-known Soviet ballerina, a noblewoman by birth, was born in Kiev in 1916. To obtain a choreographic education, she and her family moved to Moscow and entered the Moscow Ballet School. Her innate talent immediately caught her teachers' eyes, and immediately after graduation she was taken to the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. She performed the leading roles in the ballets of PI Tchaikovsky: Masha in The Nutcracker, Odette in the Swan Lake, etc. Her ballet partners included such famous dancers as Asaf Messerer, Alexei Ermolaev and Pyotr Gusev. Olga Lepeshinskaya starred in the first Soviet film ballet "Count Nulin." After leaving the stage, the great ballerina took up pedagogical activity and nurtured more than one generation of dancers. She passed away at the age of 94.

Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Plisetskaya was born in a wealthy Jewish family in 1925 in Moscow. Her father always held responsible government posts, but in 1938 was charged under the article "Enemy of the people" and shot, and her mother, the silent film actress, was exiled to Kazakhstan. In order for the girl not to get into the orphanage, her aunt, the Bolshoi actress 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 joined the ballet art. Becoming a graduate of the Moscow Ballet School, she joined the Bolshoi Theater. For 5 years, Maya danced minor parties, but after the performance of the role of Giselle, she became the primate of the Bolshoi Theater. In 1958, the famous Soviet ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and popular composer Rodion Shchedrin got married. Maya acted in many Soviet ballet films, and after leaving the stage she became the artistic director of the Rome Opera and Ballet Theater, and later the Madrid Ballet. Today Maya Plisetskaya is the chairman of the annual international ballet award "Maya".