On March 17, the great Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev would have turned 78 years old. Ballet classic Roland Petit called Nuriev dangerous, the press called him a frantic Tatar, and rock stars and royalty declared their love for him. ELLE - about the “ballet Russians” who have achieved success in the West.

Sarah Bernhardt considered Nijinsky the greatest actor in the world, the press - no less than the eighth wonder of the world. A native of Kyiv, a dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, Nijinsky made his debut in Paris, where he amazed audiences and critics with his phenomenal technique, plasticity and taste. And the most amazing thing is that his career as a dancer lasted only ten years. In 1917, he appeared on stage for the last time, and until his death in 1950, he struggled with schizophrenia, moving between psychiatric clinics. Nijinsky’s influence on world ballet is difficult to overestimate, and his diaries are still deciphered and interpreted differently by specialists.

One of the main stars of Russian ballet in the world, Nureyev was a real pop star, bright and scandalous. A difficult, quarrelsome character, arrogance, stormy personal life and a tendency to shocking did not obscure the main thing - the incredible talent of Nuriev, who managed to combine together the traditions of ballet and current, as they say now, trends. A native of Ufa, the long-awaited son, who did not live up to the hopes of his military father, who contemptuously called Rudolf “ballerina,” made his most famous jump not on stage, but in the control zone of the Paris airport. In 1961, the Soviet dancer Nureyev suddenly took off with 30 francs in his pocket, asking for political asylum. Thus began Nuriev’s ascent to the world ballet Olympus. Fame, money, luxury, parties at Studio 54, gold, brocade, rumors of affairs with Freddie Mercury, Yves Saint Laurent, Elton John - and the best roles in the London Royal Ballet, directorship in the ballet group of the Paris Grand Opera. A completely ill Nuriev spent the last hundred days of his life in his beloved Paris. He is buried there.

Another famous representative of ballet, who can safely be called a pop star, is in many ways similar to Nuriev: childhood in the Soviet province (if we consider Riga as a province - still not Moscow or Leningrad), complete misunderstanding on the part of his father and a real artistic rise outside USSR. Remaining in the West in 1974, Baryshnikov quickly gained a foothold at the top: first he headed the legendary New York City Ballet, then for nine years, from 1980 to 1989, he directed the no less famous American Ballet Theater. He also actively and quite successfully, although unevenly, acted in films, became a socialite, and met with Hollywood beauties Jessica Lange and Liza Minnelli. And to a new public, far from ballet (and, by the way, from Joseph Brodsky, with whom Baryshnikov had a real friendship), this incredible person became known thanks to a small but noticeable role in the TV series “Sex and the City.” Sarah Jessica Parker is his biggest fan. called Mikhail Baryshnikov a tough boy. Who would argue.

Vladimir Vasiliev is a symbol of the Bolshoi Theater and all Russian ballet of the second half of the 20th century. Due to the fact that Vasiliev lived in the Soviet Union, his popularity in the West is much inferior to the glory of the same Baryshnikov, although art connoisseurs, of course, know and appreciate him. Vasiliev worked mainly in Europe, gradually changing his profession to choreographer. Kazan and Paris, Rome and Perm, Vilnius and Rio - the geography of Vasiliev’s creative movements affirms and confirms his cosmopolitanism.

The blond giant, Bolshoi star, Godunov, in August 1979, while on tour in the States, decided not to return home. A terrible drama unfolded, in which not only the artist himself and his wife, ballerina Lyudmila Vlasova, were involved, but also Joseph Brodsky, the FBI, and even the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union. Remaining in the States, Godunov joined the famous American Ballet Theater, which he eventually left after a quarrel with his best friend Mikhail Baryshnikov. Then there was work within the framework of his own project “Godunov and Friends”, success, an affair with actress Jacqueline Bisset and an abrupt departure from the profession. Bisset persuaded Alexander to start a film career, and he partially succeeded: “Witness” with Harrison Ford and especially “Die Hard” made yesterday’s ballet dancer a Hollywood star. However, Godunov himself did not like being on the sidelines, although those who had not even been interested in ballet had now learned about “this Russian.”

He never returned to dancing, and in 1995 he died at the age of 45. “I believe that he did not take root and died of loneliness,” said Joseph Brodsky, who took an active part in his fate as a “defector.”

Correspondent at the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus Naviny . by I learned first-hand what ballet dancers wear under tights and why it is believed that many of them are gay.Read about the pregnancy of ballerinas and one day off a week in our 10 facts.

To figure out which rumors about the Belarusian ballet are true and which are pure fiction, let the correspondent Naviny. by theater artist helped Gennady Kulinkovich with ballerina assistants.

1. Are ballet dancers fragile and fluffy?

Hearing: During one performance, a ballet dancer lifts and carries about 2 tons of weight.

Is it true: The physical activity is really great. On stage - it depends on the production, of course - a ballet dancer, a man lifts the ballerina many times. In modern productions all you do is lift and set, lift and set, lift, circle, set. If you count the number of lifts, then yes, two tons is a real number.

In addition, ballet dancers rehearse and train a lot. This is also a burden. We have rehearsals every day, except for the day off, which is once a week. Plus performances.

2. Ballet dancers get sick more often

Hearing: Due to heavy workloads and constant diets, ballet dancers get sick more often than others.

Is it true: The ballet rehearsal halls of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus are equipped with bactericidal lamps, like in a hospital. In winter, when the flu begins and other viruses appear, a separate worker turns on these lamps for half an hour to disinfect the room. This is very important so that diseases do not spread: we all work in close contact, train and rehearse for many hours. If someone brought a disease, then it is neutralized.

3. Occupational diseases in ballet

Hearing: Feet are the most painful place on a dancer’s body.

Is it true: This is partly true. Occupational diseases of dancers are diseases of the joints. Ballet dancers have protruding bones at their big toes, their joints become inflamed and naturally hurt. Women also have this disease, but it is caused by uncomfortable, tight shoes that deform the foot. For ballet masters, there is constant stress on the toes and forefoot: many movements in ballet are performed on the toes.

The second common class of health problems is prolapse of internal organs from constant jumping. Everything is individual, but often the kidneys, heart, and other internal organs drop, which subsequently put pressure on the bladder.

4. Young pensioners

Hearing: Some people think that ballerinas retire too early.

Is it true. By law, ballet dancers retire after having 23 years of work experience. Maternity leave time is not counted towards length of service. As a result, ballet dancers become young pensioners. However, many of them do not actually retire: depending on their state of health, retired dancers work as tutors, teachers, stage managers, stage workers, costume designers, etc.

To the interlocutor Naviny. by Gennady Kulinkovich has two years left until retirement. In the future, the dancer also plans to engage in teaching.

5. Abnormal operation

Hearing: Ballet theater artists have two days off a week, just like ordinary citizens

Is it true. Ballet dancers work 6 days a week. There is only one day off - Monday. During the summer, due to the fact that spectators migrate to dachas and to the sea, the day off at the Bolshoi Theater is moved to Saturday. The female part of the troupe is happy about this: finally there is an opportunity to spend time with their family. Men grumble: when Monday is a day off, you can at least relax and not do household chores.

The working day of ballet masters is also abnormal in the understanding of an ordinary person: from 10:00 to 15:00, then a three-hour break, after the break, work resumes at 18:00 in connection with evening performances. The official working day for ballet workers ends at 21:00.

A long break is necessary so that after morning training and rehearsals the body has time to rest and recover before evening work.

This is convenient for young dancers: they can study during the break. Gennady Kullinkovich, for example, received a higher choreographic education this way. But now he sees few advantages in this schedule.

“With such a schedule it is very difficult to arrange a personal life. Look at me: 38 years old, and no family, no children. My whole life is in the theatre,”- says Gennady.

6. Are ballet and children incompatible?

Hearing: Due to requirements for appearance, ballerinas have to give up motherhood.

Is it true: Having a family and children at the height of their career is indeed more difficult for ballet dancers than for representatives of other professions: both the work schedule and the fact that postpartum restoration of shape requires time and effort. So girls use two strategies: either start a family and children immediately after college/university, or postpone it until they retire.

Despite the unfavorable circumstances, in the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus there are ballerinas who have two, and some even have three children.

“We, just like doctors and teachers, combine work and pregnancy. We plan, go on maternity leave, recover and continue working. This is a matter for each individual artist, but during pregnancy, the sooner you leave dancing, the better for you and your unborn child. This is associated with risks: here you need to bend, jump, you can fall and get hurt,”- told website ballerinas of the Bolshoi.

“We are the best mothers, wives, and we also know how to dance and tiptoe around the kitchen,”- ballerinas joke in response to a question about the specifics of family life.

7. If he dances in ballet, that means he’s gay.

Hearing: There are many gays among ballet dancers.

Is it true: This is a common stereotype, says ballet dancer Gennady Kullinkovich. We no longer react to it. This is what they say about all men who dance. It is born out of a misunderstanding on the part of the viewer: how can men remain indifferent and calm surrounded by so much beauty and nudity. Spectators often find themselves behind the scenes, and men are shocked: here everyone changes clothes, intimate parts of their bodies are at arm's length... But we are already accustomed to this and react as if it were something normal. So the viewer thinks that the men in the ballet are gay.

8. What does a dancer wear under his tights?

Hearing: Dancers don’t wear panties.

Photo pixabay.com

Is it true: There is more talk about the underwear of male artists than about the underwear of ballerinas: the viewer under a snow-white tights, to his surprise, does not see the expected outlines of the panties.

Gennady Kulinkovich said that dancers have their own secrets. Manufacturers of dancewear meet the expectations of artists and produce seamless models of special underwear that is invisible under the costume - bandages. A store located near the Bolshoi sells special clothes for dancers.

9. Meat in pointe shoes

Hearing: Ballerinas put meat in their pointe shoes to reduce injury to their feet.

Is it true: No meat is included. There are more modern ways to protect your feet. Ballet companies produce special half shoes that cover only the toes. They are silicone. Some people don’t add anything - it’s already convenient for them. Silicone inserts for pointe shoes are not produced in Belarus; they are made in the USA, China, and Russia.

Photo pixabay.com

Over the course of a year, a ballerina wears out 5-10 pairs of pointe shoes, depending on the load. Some artists have their own lasts - three-dimensional copies of feet made by masters, from which pointe shoes are made to order.

10. Dancing pays well.

Hearing: Artists earn a lot.

Is it true: Everything is relative. The earnings of ballet dancers depend on their position in the troupe: leading stage master, soloist or corps de ballet dancer. The number of scenes worked in productions also affects. For each performance, points are awarded, which are kept by a special theater employee. The amount of points for each dance is different, standard for all artists, it depends on the complexity and duration of the performance. The amount of points received affects the bonus. Thus, the salary of a corps de ballet dancer is around 120 rubles, and the bonus awarded for performances can exceed it several times.

Photo by Sergei Balay

The myths about only female parts in dance have long gone into oblivion. Today men rightfully occupy the leading roles, without them we cannot imagine modern ballet.

Top 5 most famous ballet dancers

Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky

The founder of male ballet of the 20th century. Born into a family of dancers in 1890. In 1907, after graduating from college, he began performing with the Mariinsky Theater, almost immediately playing leading roles. Nijinsky had a technique that was unique at that time, especially inconspicuous in life, he completely transformed into his hero. His bird-like jumps and flights were inimitable. Nijinsky's innovations and experiments were not always successful; he seemed to be ahead of his time and the public did not understand him. The artist's last performance was in 1919. Later, the ballet adopted his expressionist style and completely new plastic movements. Despite the short period of creativity (10 years), he was and remains an idol.

Vasiliev Vladimir Viktorovich

Born in 1940 into a working-class family. In 1947, for company, I went to a dance club with a friend. And 2 years later, in 1949, he was admitted to the choreographic school, where he amazed his teachers with his skill and virtuosity. After college, in 1958 he was invited to join the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe, where he almost immediately began playing leading roles. The most enchanting part was the part of Spartak, after which Vasilyev was nicknamed “the god of dance.” With his movements he conveyed the slightest accents in the music, merging with it into a single whole. Vasiliev was awarded several awards and became a laureate of many competitions, winning first prizes and gold medals.

Gorsky Alexander Alekseevich

In 1889 he began dancing in the corps de ballet, and 11 years later he became the premier of the troupe. Author of the manual for Stepanova's dance movement system. Dance theory teacher at a ballet school. Gorsky is a ballet reformer. He introduced the laws of drama and a sense of authenticity into ballet. His production of Don Quixote is still staged in theaters, although at that time it did not cause delight among critics. As a choreographer, Gorsky made a great contribution to the development and improvement. Many famous ballets, staged by Gorsky in his own interpretation, began to live a new life.

Ermolaev Alexey Nikolaevich

As a 16-year-old college graduate, Ermolaev plays the god of the wind - his first role in the ballet “Talisman”. The theater's choreographer immediately saw the guy's unbridled energy and strength and created images to suit his character. A fan of ballet, he rearranged all the parts to suit himself, rehearsing at night by candlelight. Ermolai changed the usual image of the male role in ballet; his virtuosic movements - triple rounds in the air, double revolts - are still not being repeated by dancers.

Fokin Mikhail Mikhailovich

Italian, born into a family of ballet dancers in 1850. Studied at the Florentine Dance Academy G. Lepri. Since 1870 he performed on the stage of La Scala. Master of facial expressions and pas de deux. Author of the methodology for developing ballet dance technique.

The art of dance is a unique form of expression that uses a universal body language that everyone can understand. From ballet to modern dance, from hip-hop to salsa and from oriental dance to flamenco, dance has recently become an indulgence that is something of a renaissance.

But when it comes to individual dancers, who has the best moves? The best posture, strength and sharpness? Below are ten of the greatest dancers of the twentieth century - selected for their fame, popularity and influence on the world art of dance.

10. Vaslav Nijinsky

Vaslav Nijinsky was one of the most talented ballet dancers in history, perhaps even the greatest. Unfortunately, there is no clear footage of his incredible talent in motion, which is the main reason why he only ranks tenth on this list.

Nijinsky was well known for his amazing ability to defy gravity with his magnificent leaps, as well as his ability to fully inhabit the role he was playing. He is also known for dancing in pointe shoes, a skill not often seen in dancers. Nijinsky danced in the lead roles paired with the legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova. Then Tamara Karsavina, founder of London's Royal Academy of Dancing, became his partner. They were described with Karsavina as “the most exemplary artists of that time.”

Nijinsky left the stage in 1919, at the relatively young age of twenty-nine. His retirement is believed to have been due to a nervous breakdown, and he was also diagnosed with schizophrenia. Nijinsky spent the last years of his life in psychiatric hospitals and asylums. The last time he danced in public was in the final days of World War II, impressing a group of Russian soldiers with his complex dance moves. Nijinsky died in London on April 8, 1950.

9. Martha Graham


Martha Graham is considered the mother of modern dance. She created the only fully codified technique of modern dance, produced over one hundred and fifty works during her life as a choreographer, and had a huge influence on all areas of modern dance.

Her technique's departure from classical ballet, and her use of specific body movements such as contraction, release and spirals, have had a profound influence on the dance world. Graham even went so far as to create a “language” of movement based on the expressive capabilities of the human body.

She danced and choreographed for over seventy years. During this time, she became the first dancer to perform at the White House; the first dancer to travel overseas as a cultural ambassador and the first dancer to receive the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As the mother of modern dance, she will be immortalized in the memory of people for her incredibly emotional performances, her unique choreography, and especially for her homegrown dance technique.

8. Josephine Baker


Although Josephine Baker's name is primarily associated with the Jazz Age, her fiery dances continue to influence the dance world almost one hundred and ten years after her birth, as they always did.

Many decades before Madonna, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, there was Josephine Baker, one of the world's first celebrities of African descent. Josephine went to Paris in 1925 to dance in La Revue Nègre. She made a lasting impression on French audiences with her perfect combination of exotic charm and talent.

The following year she performed at the Folies Bergère, and this was the true beginning of her career. She appeared in a banana skirt and wowed the crowd with her dancing style. She later added singing to her performances, and remained popular in France for many years. Josephine Baker responded to the adoration of the French people by becoming a French citizen herself in 1937.

In France, she did not feel the same level of racial prejudice that was present in the United States at the time. Toward the end of her life, Josephine Baker hoped to create a "world village" on her estate in France, but these plans were dashed by financial difficulties. To raise funds, she returned to the stage. Her return was short, but it was a triumph on Broadway in the 1970s, and in 1975 she opened a retrospective show in Paris. She died that year from a cerebral hemorrhage, a week after the show opened.

7. Gene Kelly


Gene Kelly was one of the biggest stars and greatest innovators during the golden age of musicals in Hollywood. Kelly considered his own style to be something of a hybrid of different approaches to dance, taking his movements from modern dance, ballet, and tap.

Kelly brought dance to the theater, using every inch of his set, every possible surface, and every wide camera angle to break out of the two-dimensional confines of film. And in doing so, he changed the way filmmakers looked at their cameras. Thanks to Kelly, the camera became a living instrument, and even the dancer it was filming.

Kelly's legacy permeates the music video industry. Photographer Mike Salisbury photographed Michael Jackson for the cover of "Off The Wall" wearing "white socks and lightweight leather Gene Kelly loafers" - which have become the movie star's trademark. It was this image that after some time became the singer’s own recognizable brand.

Paula Abdul, originally known for her dancing and choreography, referenced Kelly's famous dance with Jerry the Mouse in her kitschy video for "Opposites Attract," which ends with a tap dance. Usher was another top-selling artist who paid tribute to Kelly's legacy. There will never be another dancer like Kelly, and his influence continues to resonate through generations of American dancers.

6. Sylvie Guillem


At forty-eight years old, Sylvie Guillem continues to defy the laws of ballet and gravity. Guillem changed the face of ballet with her uncanny talents, which she always used with intelligence, integrity and sensitivity. Her natural curiosity and courage led her to the most daring paths, beyond the usual boundaries of classical ballet.

Instead of spending her entire career on "safe" performances, she made bold decisions, equally capable of singing the role of "Raymonda" at the Paris Opera, or being part of an innovative dance performance based on the work of Forsythe. In The Middle Something Elevated." Almost no other dancer has such range, so it is not at all surprising that she has become the standard for most dancers around the world. Like Maria Callas in the opera world, Guillem was able to change the popular image of the ballerina.

5. Michael Jackson


Michael Jackson was the man who made music videos a trend and he is, without a doubt, the man who made dancing an important element of modern pop music. Jackson's moves have already become standard vocabulary in pop and hip-hop dances. Most modern pop icons such as Justin Bieber, Usher, Justin Timberlake admit that Michael Jackson's style has had a strong influence on them.

His contribution to the art of dance was original and unusual. Jackson was an innovator who was primarily self-taught, designing new dance moves without the common effects of formal training that limit one's imagination. His natural grace, flexibility and amazing rhythm contributed to the creation of the “Jackson style.” His employees called him a "sponge." This nickname was given to him for his ability to absorb ideas and techniques wherever he found them.

Jackson's biggest inspirations were James Brown, Marcel Marceau, Gene Kelly, and perhaps this will surprise many people, various classical ballet dancers. What many of his fans don't know is that he initially tried to "pirouette like Baryshnikov" and "tap dance like Fred Astaire" but failed miserably. However, his dedication to his own unique style brought him the fame he sought, and today his name stands alongside other giants of popular music such as Elvis and the Beatles, and he is considered one of the greatest pop icons of all time.

4. Joaquin Cortés


Joaquin Cortez is the youngest dancer on this list, but despite the fact that he is still in the process of shaping his legacy, he is one of the few dancers in history who managed to become phenomenal sex symbols, beloved by both women and men. and men. Elle Macpherson described it as "walking sex"; Madonna and Jennifer Lopez have publicly expressed their adoration for him, while Naomi Campbell and Mira Sorvino are among the women whose hearts he has (rumored) broken.

It's safe to say that Cortés is not only one of the greatest flamenco dancers of all time, but also the one who cemented flamenco's place in popular culture. His male admirers include Tarantino, Armani, Bertolucci, Al Pacino, Antonio Banderas, and Sting. Many of his fans call him the Flamenco God or simply the Sex God and if you get a chance to watch one of his shows, you will understand why. However, at the age of forty-four, Cortez remains a bachelor, declaring that "dance is my wife, my only woman."

3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers


Astaire and Rogers, of course, were a unique pair of dancers. They say that “he gave her charm, and she gave him sex appeal.” They made dancing much more appealing to the masses during a rather prudish time. This was partly due to the fact that Rogers used her acting skills to dance, and made it seem like dancing with Astaire was the happiest moment of her life.

The era also contributed to the rise in their popularity; during the Great Depression, many Americans were trying to make ends meet - and these two dancers gave people a chance to forget about the depressing reality for a while and have fun.

2. Mikhail Baryshnikov


Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time, considered by many critics to be the greatest. Born in Latvia, Baryshnikov studied ballet at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad) before he began performing at the Mariinsky Theater in 1967. Since then, he has performed leading roles in dozens of ballets. He played a key role in bringing ballet into popular culture back in the late 1970s and early 80s, and he was the face of the art form for over two decades. Baryshnikov is perhaps the most influential dancer of our time.

1. Rudolf Nureyev


Baryshnikov won the hearts of critics and fellow dancers, and Rudolf Nureyev was able to charm millions of ordinary people around the world. The Russian-born dancer became a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater at the age of 20. In 1961, when his personal life brought him under Soviet scrutiny, he sought political asylum in Paris and then toured with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.

In the 1970s, he broke into the film industry. Most critics argue that he was not as technically good as Baryshnikov, but Nureyev still managed to captivate the crowds with his amazing charisma and emotional performances. The ballet of the couple Nureyev and Fonteyn (Romeo and Juliet) remains to this day one of the most powerful and emotional duet performances in the history of ballet.

Unfortunately, Nureyev was one of the first victims of HIV infection, and died of AIDS in 1993. Twenty years later, we can still see the incredible legacy he left behind.

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Donnie Burns


Donnie Burns is a Scottish professional ballroom dancer who specializes in Latin dance. He and his former dance partner Gaynor Fairweather were World Professional Latin Dance Champions a record sixteen times. He is currently the President of the World Dance Council, and also appeared on the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars.

He is considered the greatest ballroom dancer of all time, and his championship dances with his partner are now considered classics. But things didn't always go so well for Burns. During an interview with the Daily Sun, he admitted: “I never thought a little boy from Hamilton would get to experience any of what I have experienced in my life. I was teased relentlessly at school and often got into fights because I wanted to prove that I was not a “dancing queen.”

It is safe to say that today he would not object to such an epithet, since Donnie Burns is currently considered the “King of Dance”.

On March 17, the great Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev would have turned 78 years old. Ballet classic Roland Petit called Nuriev dangerous, the press called him a frantic Tatar, and rock stars and royalty declared their love for him.

VACLAV NIJINSKY

Sarah Bernhardt considered Nijinsky the greatest actor in the world, the press - no less than the eighth wonder of the world. A native of Kyiv, a dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, Nijinsky made his debut in Paris, where he amazed audiences and critics with his phenomenal technique, plasticity and taste. And the most amazing thing is that his career as a dancer lasted only ten years. In 1917, he appeared on stage for the last time, and until his death in 1950, he struggled with schizophrenia, moving between psychiatric clinics. Nijinsky’s influence on world ballet is difficult to overestimate, and his diaries are still deciphered and interpreted differently by specialists.

RUDOLF NURIEV

One of the main stars of Russian ballet in the world, Nureyev was a real pop star, bright and scandalous. A difficult, quarrelsome character, arrogance, stormy personal life and a tendency to shocking did not obscure the main thing - the incredible talent of Nuriev, who managed to combine together the traditions of ballet and current, as they say now, trends. A native of Ufa, the long-awaited son, who did not live up to the hopes of his military father, who contemptuously called Rudolf “ballerina,” made his most famous jump not on stage, but in the control zone of the Paris airport. In 1961, the Soviet dancer Nureyev suddenly took off with 30 francs in his pocket, asking for political asylum. Thus began Nuriev’s ascent to the world ballet Olympus. Fame, money, luxury, parties at Studio 54, gold, brocade, rumors of affairs with Freddie Mercury, Yves Saint Laurent, Elton John - and the best roles in the London Royal Ballet, directorship in the ballet group of the Paris Grand Opera. A completely ill Nuriev spent the last hundred days of his life in his beloved Paris. He is buried there.

MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV

Another famous representative of ballet, who can safely be called a pop star, Mikhail Baryshnikov is in many ways similar to Nureyev: childhood in a Soviet province (if we consider Riga as a province - still not Moscow or Leningrad), complete misunderstanding on the part of his father and a real artistic rise outside the USSR. Remaining in the West in 1974, Baryshnikov quickly gained a foothold at the top: first he headed the legendary New York City Ballet, then for nine years, from 1980 to 1989, he directed the no less famous American Ballet Theater. He also actively and quite successfully, although unevenly, acted in films, became a socialite, and met with Hollywood beauties Jessica Lange and Liza Minnelli. And to a new public, far from ballet (and, by the way, from Joseph Brodsky, with whom Baryshnikov had a real friendship), this incredible person became known thanks to a small but noticeable role in the TV series “Sex and the City.” Sarah Jessica Parker is his biggest fan. called Mikhail Baryshnikov a tough boy. Who would argue.

VLADIMIR VASILIEV

Vladimir Vasiliev is a symbol of the Bolshoi Theater and all Russian ballet of the second half of the 20th century. Due to the fact that Vasiliev lived in the Soviet Union, his popularity in the West is much inferior to the glory of the same Baryshnikov, although art connoisseurs, of course, know and appreciate him. Vasiliev worked mainly in Europe, gradually changing his profession to choreographer. Kazan and Paris, Rome and Perm, Vilnius and Rio - the geography of Vasiliev’s creative movements affirms and confirms his cosmopolitanism.

ALEXANDER GODUNOV

The blond giant, Bolshoi star, Godunov, in August 1979, while on tour in the States, decided not to return home. A terrible drama unfolded, in which not only the artist himself and his wife, ballerina Lyudmila Vlasova, were involved, but also Joseph Brodsky, the FBI, and even the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union. Remaining in the States, Godunov joined the famous American Ballet Theater, which he eventually left after a quarrel with his best friend Mikhail Baryshnikov. Then there was work within the framework of his own project “Godunov and Friends”, success, an affair with actress Jacqueline Bisset and an abrupt departure from the profession. Bisset persuaded Alexander to start a film career, and he partially succeeded: “Witness” with Harrison Ford and especially “Die Hard” made yesterday’s ballet dancer a Hollywood star. However, Godunov himself did not like being on the sidelines, although those who had not even been interested in ballet had now learned about “this Russian.”