Galina Ulanova biography, beginning of life
Galina Sergeevna Ulanova was born on January 8, 1910 in St. Petersburg - died in March 1998 in the Moscow region. Galina is a famous artist, choreographer, teacher and the most titled ballerina in the entire history of Soviet ballet. Father – S.N. Ulanov, ballet director.
Mom - M.F. Romanova, ballerina, classical dance teacher, worked at a theater school. Relatives performed in A. Pavlova's enterprise. Since childhood, Galina knew what ballet was and how difficult it was to achieve audience sympathy, as well as to get the leading role. Probably, Galina Ulanova was initially destined to become a dancer, because she was born into a family of ballet dancers.
The girl spent her childhood and youth in the cultural capital. It's funny, but it's unlikely that anyone who saw her show on stage, at least in a recording, would be able to assume that this sweet, graceful girl was a real tomboy.
The fact is that the parents wanted a son to be born, so the father, who was never ready for life with a girl, instilled in his daughter male hobbies. They went fishing together, looked for worms, made nets and dried fish. When Galya came to her summer cottage and the neighboring girls invited her to play with dolls or make Easter cakes in the sandbox, she proudly answered that she would rather shoot a bow and climb trees.
After the revolution, her relatives decided to send her to a ballet school - primarily because of the family’s financial problems: unlike other schools, it was a boarding school, Galya would be supported by the state, normally dressed and well-fed. She was only 9 years old then.
At first, Ulanova could not get used to the new house: on the very first morning she tried to run away. Mom visited her regularly, and the girl sobbed into her lap. But it was during that period of her life that she remembered the word “should.” Galina said: “I must... This formula appeared in my head much earlier than the desire for creative activity and than the desire to work on the ballet stage.”
So, at the age of 9, the girl was able to get into the Petrograd Theater School (later the Choreographic College), where her main teachers were Maria Romanova (Galya studied with her for the first 6 years), and then Agrippina Vaganova. The woman was cool towards her new student, who at first was clearly not on the list of the best. However, closer to graduation, Vaganova realized that all this time she had been teaching a talented ballerina.
At the age of 18, Ulanova graduated from a choreographic school and in the same 1928, almost immediately after her graduation performance, she joined the troupe of the Leningrad State Opera and Ballet Theater.
At first, it was difficult for the young ballerina to go on stage; she was very afraid of the audience, but later the fear receded. Galina was always very dissatisfied with her work, especially at the beginning of her career, and this became the impetus for many hours of rehearsals, after which the girl’s things could be wrung out, everything was so saturated with labor sweat.
At the age of 19, the ballerina received her first leading role - Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, and then she danced this role for the rest of her life.
If you want to look at the ballerina through the eyes of her fans, play the following video:
Biography
Galina Sergeevna Ulanova is a legendary Soviet ballerina who raised the possibilities of dance art to an unprecedented level. She was not only admired, she was imitated. For many years, in many countries, teachers of ballet studios, teaching their students, demanded that they do steps “like Ulanova.” And it’s not just that Galina Sergeevna is the only ballerina in the world to whom monuments were erected during her lifetime, and even in two cities at once - in St. Petersburg and Stockholm. In addition, the largest rehearsal hall of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater bears the name of the famous ballet actress.
Galina Ulanova in childhood
Probably, fate immediately destined Galina Ulanova to be a dancer, because she was born into a family of ballet dancers at the Mariinsky Theater. Later, her father, Sergei Nikolaevich Ulanov, became a theater director, and her mother Maria Fedorovna Romanova passed on her extensive dance experience to the choreographic school. Galya spent her childhood and youth in her native St. Petersburg. It's funny, but hardly anyone who saw her perform on stage, at least in recordings, would have been able to guess that this fragile, graceful woman was a real tomboy at an early age.
Little Galina Ulanova with her mother Maria Romanova | To be remembered
The fact is that the parents were expecting the birth of a son, so the father, who was never ready to play with the girl, instilled in his daughter boyish hobbies. They went fishing together, dug for worms, made nets and dried fish. When Galya came to the dacha and the neighboring girls called her to play with dolls or make Easter cakes in the sandbox, she proudly answered that she preferred to shoot a bow and climb trees.
Galina Ulanova at the choreographic school | To be remembered
But her carefree childhood came to an end when Galina turned nine years old. She was accepted into the elementary class of the Petrograd Choreographic School, and she began to comprehend the art of ballet under the guidance of her mother, Maria Romanova. And in her graduating classes, Ulanova adopted the experience of the icon of Russian ballet - Agrippina Vaganova, after whom this educational institution would later be named, and among the people it would be called nothing less than “Vagankovsky”.
Galina Ulanova in her youth | Grand Theatre
At the age of 18, Galina graduated from the choreographic school and in the same 1928, virtually immediately after the graduation performance, she joined the troupe of the Leningrad State Opera and Ballet Theater, which soon received the name of Sergei Kirov, and later regained its historical name - the Mariinsky Theater.
More about ballet
From her first appearance on stage, Galina Ulanova attracted people's attention. A year later she danced the leading role for the first time.
Quite quickly, Galina became an indispensable ballerina, and her work with Konstantin Sergeev, which became famous throughout the world in the thirties, is still exemplary. The dancer worked at the Mariinsky Theater until 1944.
She danced the main roles in such famous productions as “Giselle”, “The Nutcracker”, “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” and so on. But the girl’s most important achievement in those years is considered to be the image of Juliet in Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet, which she created in 1940. Connoisseurs of ballet art from all over the world still call her dances the standard.
During the Second World War and the Leningrad blockade, the ballerina often performed for soldiers in hospitals in Perm, Alma-Ata, and Yekaterinburg. In Kazakhstan, she also worked on the stage of the Alma-Ata State Theater, for which in 1943 she received the title of People's Artist. A year later, the dancer goes to the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. On this occasion, Galya later said that she would never have left her favorite stage in Leningrad, but everything was decided for her by people “from above” - from the Central Committee. Everything was quite strict: either the girl dances on the main stage of Russia, or she doesn’t dance at all.
Despite the difficulties, at the Bolshoi Theater Gali's talent shone with new colors. Shows with her participation became the pearls of the theater, and the scene of Giselle’s madness in the ballet was recognized as the pinnacle of tragedy. It was with the Bolshoi Theater that the dancer first went on tour abroad.
In the hall of the Vienna Opera House she received a standing ovation, and in London the girl created a sensation. The British media wrote the next day that no prima singer had had such success since the times of the great Anna Pavlova. Moreover, it is necessary to highlight that Galina was 46 years old at that time.
After 4 years, the ballerina performed on stage for the last time. She presented the ballet Chopiniana to fans and ended her ballet career. But she continued to work at the Bolshoi Theater. Until the end of her life, the country's best ballerina remained there as a teacher. Among her students were such famous stars as N. Tsiskaridze, N. Semizorova, I. Prokofieva and many other artists. The woman also interacted with soloists of the Paris, Hamburg, Sydney, Tokyo and Stockholm ballets.
In addition, Prima, as the chairman of the jury, judged international competitions, not only in the Moscow region, but also in Varna, Bulgaria. By the way, at one of the official festivals she appreciated the performance of another great artist - Maris Liepu.
Many people called Galina Ulanova a goddess, do you want to know why? Watch the following video:
Galina Ulanova: an ordinary goddess for whom beautiful wives were abandoned
She passed away in 1998. But the name of the ballerina is not forgotten, she is still idolized! January 8, Galina Sergeevna’s birthday, is a special day for fans of her work.
A future star was born into a ballet family. Mom and dad were involved in classical dance. One day, little Galya was taken to the Mariinsky Theater to see “The Sleeping Beauty” and when the Lilac Fairy appeared on stage, the girl loudly screamed to the whole audience: “And this is my mother!”
I dreamed of becoming a sailor
As a child, Galya did not particularly like to play with dolls, but she enjoyed climbing trees with the boys. She didn’t think about the ballet profession; she saw from her parents how hard labor it was. Galya dreamed of becoming... a sailor. But at the age of 9 she was taken to a choreographic school. The young student had excellent professional abilities, and her parents’ dream of continuing the ballet dynasty began to come true. Galina devoted herself to the new business with full dedication, she approached everything thoroughly. This is probably why her phrase became a revelation for many: “I can’t say that I love ballet as such”... Her studies took place in the most difficult post-revolutionary years. There was no light, no firewood, sometimes we had to do exercises in fur coats. But the children in the boarding school were fed! Galya studied with her mother, then mastered her skills under the guidance of Agrippina Vaganova.
The ballerina’s parents were also associated with classical choreography. Photo: Anatoly ZHDANOV
In 1928, Ulanova became an artist at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. The debut of the young ballerina was loud, the audience instantly fell in love with her. She served on this stage for 16 years. And then she was “transferred” by official order to Moscow, to the Bolshoi Theater. Galina entered the position of soloist in 1944.
Alas, Ulanova never became a Muscovite and until her last days she was sad about Leningrad.
The main ballerina of the Soviet Union
Her dance was captivating and inspiring. Ulanova, with the help of body movements, was able to tell something that was not written in the libretto. Her dramatic skill struck her in the heart. Almost every performance with Ulanova's participation ended with applause. The audience gave her a standing ovation, and sometimes cried from an overabundance of feelings.
“You have to make every move so that it’s true.” “You have to work with your head,” Ulanova said.
In 1956, Ulanova went on tour to England. What a stir there was! The legend has arrived. The prim English public lined up to see her Giselle and Juliet. Ulanova lived up to expectations: the audience was in complete ecstasy.
The queen came to the performance. When she appeared, the whole hall stood up and stood at attention. In silence, Elizabeth walked to the place. The same should have happened at the end of the performance. But the audience stood by the stage and no one noticed how the queen left. The ovation lasted for half an hour. But then Ulanova was 45 years old! By today's standards - a deep ballet pension! By the way, Galina Sergeevna did special gymnastics all her life, weighed 48 kilograms and preferred high heels.
Galina Ulanova as Juliet in Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet. Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Great men of great women
Galina Sergeevna did not consider herself a beauty. But she said that a discreet appearance is ideal for ballet: with the help of makeup you can transform her into anyone you want! However, men went crazy for her. The talent and genius of the ballerina fascinated men. Seeing her on stage, many wanted to get to know her better.
They left beautiful wives for her sake. Director Yuri Zavadsky left Soviet cinema star Vera Maretskaya for the ballerina. Actor, artistic director of the Moscow Theater named after. Lenin Komsomol Ivan Bersenev left actress Sofya Giatsintova (the divorce was never finalized).
The main artist of the Bolshoi Theater, Vadim Ryndin, also left his family for the sake of the Soviet Juliet. Vadim Fedorovich was jealous of the ballerina. And she admitted that she was even flattered by this: “You’re already over forty, and they’re still jealous of you.”
In 1928, Ulanova became an artist at the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater. Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
And Galina Sergeevna broke up with Ryndin.
“Probably, I’m just not a homely person by nature, so I didn’t have a family,” admitted Galina Sergeevna. — All my husbands were creative, talented, very interesting people. They gave me a lot, taught me a lot. I remember them with gratitude.
Galina Ulanova rehearses with Lyudmila Semenyaka and Andris Liepa. Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
At the end of her life, next to the ballerina was her friend, Komsomolskaya Pravda journalist Tatyana Agafonova. Ulanova sometimes introduced Agafonova as her “adopted daughter.” She did not have her own children. Tatyana became her house help and secretary. In order to always be close to the great Ulanova, the journalist left her job at the newspaper, exchanged her apartment and mother, and settled in the famous high-rise building on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. Later, Galina Sergeevna and Tatyana exchanged their apartments for one four-room apartment. But they did not live there long. Tatyana died three years earlier than the ballerina, burned out from cancer. After the death of her friend, Galina Sergeevna closed the rooms and lived in only one. At the age of 89, she had a stroke; when Ulanova was discovered, it was too late. It was not possible to save her. The ballerina was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
The interior of Galina Ulanova’s office in a house on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. Photo: Anatoly Zhdanov
KP DOSSIER
Galina Sergeevna was born in St. Petersburg on January 8, 1910. Ulanova is perhaps the most titled ballerina: People's Artist, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin and Stalin Prizes. She trained 12 students. Yes, what kind! Each is a star, a great individual: Vladimir Vasiliev, Ekaterina Maksimova, Lyudmila Semenyaka, Nikolai Tsiskaridze...
Galina Ulanova was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Meet the leader
The first time Stalin saw Galina was in Esmeralda. Then the young artist played the role of Diana. According to the scenario, the girl had to aim her bow directly towards the box where the statesman was located. Galya, before performing this manipulation, froze for a second - she really understood that for this the NKVD could accuse her of an attempt on the life of the leader. But, fortunately, everything went well. Stalin was shocked by the show and even invited the entire troupe to his Kremlin for a reception.
There was a banquet in the Kremlin, after which Galina was invited into the hall and seated next to Stalin. Later, journalists asked the ballerina if she was afraid to sit next to the leader. The girl replied that she was not scared, but very embarrassed because of the high status of Joseph Vissarionovich, who was nearby.
The statesman greatly appreciated the ballerina’s talent, so she was awarded the Stalin Prize 4 times. But the titles and even all the amazing titles could not force the dancer to subordinate her creativity to the political system. Galina was surprisingly strong; many would have carried out the order without any complaints, but the girl did not want to submit to government authority.
Prima ballerinas
Author: Irina Kravchenko
The Bolshoi Theater has always featured ballerinas who were called great, brilliant, outstanding, wonderful. We have chosen the very best, although, of course, balletomanes will be upset not to see Raisa Struchkova, Nina Semizorova, Lyudmila Semenyaka, Nina Timofeeva, Nina Ananiashvili or Natalia Osipova on the pages of Story today... But this once again shows how many diamonds there were , is and, we are sure, will be in Russian ballet!
Recluse
Galina Ulanova
Galina Ulanova (1909–1998) had two monuments erected during her lifetime - in her native St. Petersburg and in Stockholm. So many enthusiastic words have been written and said about the icon of classical ballet that it is difficult to add anything new. At the same time, no one knows the whole truth about the ballerina of all times and peoples.
Maya Plisetskaya is one of many who considered Ulanova a very closed person: “I was insanely afraid of people! She walked along the corridor with her eyes downcast. God forbid you make eye contact with anyone.” Nikolai Tsiskaridze recalled how she rehearsed Narcissa with him: “One fine day she told me: “I’ll show you now how I see him” and... began to jump! At that moment, some miracle happened in the hall. She was 87 years old, she was wearing heels, but she turned into a young man, jumping, running. At that moment I realized what drove people crazy, what made her photograph go under bullets during the war. Magic! The magic of talent is inexplicable.”
Keeper of traditions
Marina Semenova
Like Galina Ulanova, Marina Semenova (1908–2010), was a student of the legendary Agrippina Vaganova and entered the Bolshoi Theater, having achieved great success on the Leningrad stage. The name of Semenova is associated with the revival of the imperial glory of Russian ballet - she began to dance when many of her great predecessors found themselves in exile after the revolution. Her crowning role for a quarter of a century was the role of Odette in Swan Lake. At the end of the 30s, Semenova’s career was overshadowed by the position of “the wife of an enemy of the people” - her husband, the USSR Ambassador to Turkey, was arrested, and she herself was under house arrest for some time.
From 1953 until the end of her life, Marina Timofeevna successfully taught; her students could form an entire “Semyonovsky Regiment”!
Optimist
Olga Lepeshinskaya
“You can light a cigarette from it!” – stage partners said about Olga Lepeshinskaya (1916–2008). Her dance violated the canons of academicism, but Stalin’s favorite ballerina and winner of four Stalin Prizes knew how to skillfully hide her shortcomings, including her short stature, and emphasize her advantages. Her energy knew no bounds! As contemporaries recalled, during the day Lepeshinskaya helped build the metro or went “to grow potatoes,” and in the evening she danced “Coppelia.” “She was a noisy social activist, an energetic, tireless member of the party, who was a member of all bureaus, committees, and presidiums.
Olga Vasilievna did not miss a single opportunity so as not to climb up to the podium and loudly express for the thousandth time her affiliation with the Bolshevik Party,” - this is how Plisetskaya wrote about her. In 1962, as a result of the shock caused by the death of her husband, General Alexei Antonov, Lepeshinskaya went blind, but in Italy they were able to restore her sight.
She never returned to the stage, but was actively involved in teaching and social activities, including abroad.
Madame "No"
Ekaterina Maksimova
Ekaterina Maksimova (1939–2009) received her playful nickname due to the fact that she often flatly refused new roles, assuring that she would not be able to fulfill the choreographer’s requirements. But in the end, she overcame her uncertainty, performing everything with utmost precision and artistry. She danced the entire classical repertoire of the Bolshoi, her famous 32 fouettés in Don Quixote sent the audience into a frenzy. She said her favorite role was Anyuta from the modern ballet of the same name to the music of Gavrilin, staged especially for her.
Miniature and graceful, Maximova was rarely called by her full name and patronymic. For the whole world she was Katya, Katyusha. “Katya and Volodya” is not only the title of the film by Dominique Delouche. This was the name of the famous duet of Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasiliev, her constant partner on stage and in life. Despite the difference in temperament, they were a wonderful couple, “aristocrats of the stage.”
Ekaterina Sergeevna said about herself: “I am a normal person, and somehow very down to earth.” Having overcome a spinal injury suffered in 1975, Maksimova returned to the stage, although doctors doubted whether she would walk. Having left the Bolshoi, largely due to a conflict with Grigorovich, she returned there a few years later and taught students, passing on to them what she had learned from her teachers, Elizaveta Gerdt and Galina Ulanova.
Ekaterina Sergeevna died suddenly, from a heart attack, on the eve of International Dance Day.
Muse
Natalia Bessmertnova
We can say that Natalia Bessmertnova (1941–2008) was lucky with her husband: Yuri Grigorovich, for many years the chief choreographer of the country’s main theater, often involved his wife in the premiere casts of his masterpieces (for example, she danced his “Swan Lake” before Plisetskaya).
But success came to her much earlier: Bessmertnova served in the Bolshoi Theater troupe since 1961, and became Grigorovich’s wife only seven years later. And she performed one of her signature roles - Giselle - in 1963, so much so that she was compared with Spesivtseva and Ulanova, emphasizing the romanticism and spirituality of the image she created.
“I am strong in my weakness,” said Bessmertnova. In general, her early death can be explained by the persecution that was inflicted on Grigorovich. In recent years, Natalia Igorevna preferred not to talk about the Bolshoi Theater.
Pavlova the second
Nadezhda Pavlova
When talking about the style of the Bolshoi Theater of the 70s, people most often remember Nadezhda Pavlova (born 1956) and her unique big batman - she literally flew over the stage! The namesake of the famous Russian ballerina, originally from Chuvashia. The youngest, eighth child in the family. She became famous early, having danced Cinderella and Giselle at the age of 17.
Her constant partner, and for the first 10 years, her husband was dancer Vyacheslav Gordeev. This couple was considered a symbol of the Bolshoi Theater and was called “The Hope and Glory of Russian Ballet.” At the peak of her career, Pavlova experienced severe depression, but managed to return to the stage. She combined dramatic and comedic gifts.
She played leading roles in the films “The Blue Bird” and “The Sicilian Defense”. Today he is a professor at RATI, works in different countries as a teacher-tutor. Loves horse riding. According to people who know her closely, she has highly developed intuition and clairvoyance.
Symbol
Svetlana Zakharova
Svetlana Zakharova (born 1979), a new symbol of Russian ballet and the “main state ballerina,” comes from Lutsk, Ukraine. She moved to the Bolshoi Theater in 2003 from the Mariinsky. The owner of an excellent body and technique, she actively works on the leading stages of the world, is known abroad even more than in Russia, and is considered the most sought-after Russian ballerina. At La Scala, Zakharova received the etiquette title.
They say that Mikhail Baryshnikov calls her his favorite modern dancer. The ballerina is prone to experimentation: for her 30th birthday she showed a new ballet “Zakharova” on the Bolshoi stage. Supergame”, created especially for her. After finishing her career, Svetlana sees herself in the chair of the Minister of Culture, but for now she is a State Duma deputy from United Russia.
Married to the famous violinist Vadim Repin. At the beginning of 2011, she gave birth to a daughter and has already started rehearsals.
photo: Rudolf Kucherov/RIA Novosti, Mikhail Trakhman/FOTOSOYUZ; Alexander Makarov/RIA Novosti, Nikolai Bobrov; Nadezhda Bausova/Bolshoi Theater/FOTOSOYUZ
Personal life
In 1940, at the premiere of the famous play “Romeo and Juliet,” Ulanova again stood out. She played then, naturally, the main role. Romeo in the new production is performed by Konstantin Sergeev. Working for a long time and experiencing the story together, the artists fell in love. Feelings between the couple flared up very seriously. Konstantin treated Galina with respect, so he always called her “you.”
Unfortunately, the relationship could not last long, as the dancer was transferred to Moscow. As a result, the duo broke up. But this is far from the last romance in a woman’s life.
GALINA ULANOVA IN THE BIG BALLET
Her first performance in Swan Lake was a huge success in 1929, but she herself again did not experience a feeling of satisfaction from her work. Odette-Odile in her performance improved from performance to performance thanks to the painstaking and tireless work of the ballerina herself. Not only systematic exercises helped her in this - in the process of working on the role, Ulanova read a lot, improvised and reflected on the images. This was already her own system, which was based on “a promise to myself to do this and that. This was my principle, the basis of my whole life. This cultivation of will became a habit and became the source of what is called my success,” reflected Galina Sergeevna.
The head of the ballet troupe of the Kirov Theater, Fyodor Vasilyevich Lopukhov, played a huge role in the development of the ballerina Ulanova. The first years of performances seemed extremely unsuccessful to the self-critical ballerina - helplessness, fatigue, annoyance and disappointment. In fact, there were many unsuccessful games, but Fyodor Vasilyevich continued to believe in the talent of young Ulanova, entrusting her with the most diverse and technically complex games.
Galina Ulanova in the ballet “Giselle”
Once he saw her “a pale girl with a colorless face of a northerner, not distinguished by external temperament and beauty,” and yet he paid attention to her, being able to discern the attractive force that emanated from Ulanova, the charm that lay in her shyness and isolation. Gradually, the ballerina began to understand: in order to successfully embody this or that image on stage, you need to sincerely and deeply transform yourself, not only externally, but also internally.
This realization came to her suddenly when, after one of the rehearsals of “Giselle,” she, being completely confused and despairing because she could not understand her role, got on a bus and left for Tsarskoe Selo. All alone, she sat on a bench, reflecting on the image of “Giselle” and suddenly experienced a moment of insight. It was from this moment that the chain of failures was broken.
“Giselle” is a very special performance in the work of Galina Ulanova. She first danced the main role in 1932 , and the role was not intended for her, but for another ballerina, Elena Lukom, who was unable to take part in the performance due to illness. Having never seen Giselle performed by such famous ballerinas as Anna Pavlova or Tamara Karsavina in her life, Galina Ulanova was practically left to herself and worked on creating the image, trusting her own intuition. Completely new features appeared in her Giselle - the enormous spiritual power of the image, its amazing integrity and grandeur - everything that even the best dancers who had the chance to perform this role did not have before. Ulanova fell in love with her Giselle - she danced this performance, with the exception of some short breaks, throughout her entire creative life.
By that time, her constant partner on the stage of the Kirov Theater was Konstantin Sergeev. A lot has been said about how great this duet was. The pinnacle of their joint work was the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” - and this same ballet became its end. After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Ulanova and Sergeev diverged, but each of them left warm memories of their partner. Later, on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, Ulanova’s partners were Mikhail Gabovich and Yuri Zhdanov.
The image of Juliet, like other images in the work of Galina Ulanova, was born gradually. The heroine’s life intersected with the life of the ballerina herself. The same moment of insight and mental shift that Juliet experiences in one of the scenes of the play, standing in front of the mirror, was experienced by Galina Ulanova. Later, she often recalled an episode that occurred while she was still at school. Ulanova was relaxing with friends at the dacha of one of her classmates. During a morning walk along a shady alley, she suddenly found herself in an open space flooded with sunlight. Shocked by the sudden change, she screamed and ran away, not remembering herself and not realizing what was happening to her. This strange and amazing feeling was born in her again and again, already during the performance, when Ulanova-Juliet stood in front of the mirror, anxiously peering into her future.
Galina Ulanova in the ballet “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”
In Juliet Ulanova there is a lot of personal, directly experienced. Shortly before the ballerina began working on the image of Juliet, she suffered a very serious illness. She looked at the doctor who saved her from death as if she were God, experiencing a feeling of boundless adoration, selfless devotion - the same feelings that her Juliet later experienced for her Romeo.
the ballet “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” was staged on the stage of the Kirov Theater , Ulanova had already acquired her creative individuality, so the part of Maria was created taking into account the characteristics of the performer. Galina Ulanova endowed her Maria, touching and infinitely sad, with enormous inner strength, which gradually becomes more and more distinct behind the girl’s external humility and irresponsibility. The image of Maria developed from performance to performance - Ulanova never stopped working on it, finding new movements and expressive means to reveal the mental state of her heroine.
The development of Galina Ulanova's creativity resembles a gradual movement from lyricism to tragedy. Over time, her Maria became more and more irreconcilable. And she managed to fill even the tender image of Juliet with will and passion, becoming the first performer of this role on the stage of the Kirov Theater. The image of Juliet is one of the most vivid and memorable in Ulanova’s work.
Ulanova's repertoire is surprisingly diverse. The young, trusting and impressionable Cinderella is a real, living human portrait, a hymn of selfless feeling; Parasha is a simple, modest Russian girl, devoted and sincere in her feelings; the poetic Tao Hoa is the little heroine of the great Chinese people, whose dance is full of genuine drama. Maria, Coralie, Juliet are complex psychological images, inspired and lively characters.
“In all my roles, I follow a single line, adhering to some great depth of human feelings, relationships, self-sacrifice - for the sake of the big, deep, pure and bright...”
A certain pattern is interesting - she always had the most successful roles in days of trouble, when she had to fight fear or anxiety, force herself to abandon life's problems and concentrate on the performance, and sometimes overcome severe physical pain.
Ballet, which she once disliked so much, became her destiny. Galina Ulanova's life was devoted to the theater. Before the war it was the Kirov Theater, after the war it was the Bolshoi Theater. From performance to performance, Ulanova's fame grew, but she continued to remain just as self-critical and demanding of herself.
“I don’t remember a time when she allowed herself to be late for a rehearsal or at least before it started, at the last minute, to hem the tapes of her shoes. If the rehearsal is scheduled at one o’clock, Ulanova stands at one o’clock completely ready, “warmed up,” collected, extremely attentive,” recalled choreographer Leonid Mikhailovich Lavrovsky.
Her demands on herself were sometimes simply merciless. In recent years of performances, she has greatly limited her repertoire. Once she was asked a question about why she stopped dancing “Swan Lake ,” which she did so well. She answered simply:
“I can’t dance worse than Ulanova.”
Due to injury, she could no longer perform some technically complex movements that she had previously been able to do, and she did not consider it worthy to replace them with other, simpler movements... Her creative self-restraint is a consequence of increased self-criticism. Those few roles that Ulanova left in her repertoire, having crossed the threshold of creative maturity, were performed by her just as perfectly as many years ago.
Her graduation performance, which she danced on the stage of the Kirov Theater, was “Chopiniana”. It also became her last performance on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater after more than forty years. An entire era in the history of Russian ballet lay between the two Chopinians. On May 16, 1928, she appeared on stage as a timid, shy and insecure girl. On December 29, 1960, she danced Chopiniana as a renowned ballerina whose path was littered with honors and fame. And yet the great, brilliant Ulanova, who was sometimes called “the first ballerina of the era,” continued to remain a modest, self-critical, “unsmiling ballerina,” as one of the ballet critics called her, absolutely devoid of even a shadow of coquetry and affectation.
Adjustments made by work in the capital
The post-war years seriously affected Galina's life. For the girl, moving to Moscow was a blow. After all, she had to not only forget about her favorite place of work, but also about her boyfriend.
The artist had no relatives in the capital, so she had to live in hotels. Galina lived well in the city, because she was pampered with attention, excellent treatment, awards and titles. Ulanova realized that in Moscow they wanted to make her a “pillar noblewoman.”
This frightened her, but what was more confusing was that the state wanted to connect her love of creativity with politics. One day, the secretary of the Bolshoi Theater party committee asked the ballerina to thank the government leadership on behalf of the artists for their assistance in matters of creativity. Ulanova flatly refused, finally saying that she was studying ballet, not politics.
The life of ballerina Galina Ulanova after her career ended
After finishing her ballet career, our today's heroine began working as a teacher. Over the years, she studied with such famous dancers as Ekaterina Maksimova, Lyudmila Semenyaka, Nina Timofeeva, Nina Semizorova and some others. Many of her students went on to have wonderful careers in the world of Russian ballet.
Galina Ulanova's merits in ballet are so great that a postage stamp was issued in her honor. Several times Galina Ulanova took part in various creative festivals and international competitions, where she worked as a teacher and jury member. In addition, during her career she starred in six films, most of which were documentaries.
The great ballerina died on March 21, 1998. She never looked sick or decrepit, and therefore her death came as a surprise to many. The artist’s grave is located at the Novodevichy cemetery.
New love
Galina did not like to talk about her personal life; happiness loves silence, as they say. All that was known was that all the male ballerinas were respectable people. The first time she got married very early. Isaac Melikovsky then became her husband. The second marriage also quickly broke up. Later, Ulanova admitted that her pain was not the ruined relationship, but the lack of children. The artist blamed her childlessness on her relatives, who convinced the girl to rely not on children, but on her career.
The most vivid feelings
Director Ivan Bersenev became joy and real happiness for Galina. This young man gave the artist 2 bright years of marriage. Ivan loved two ladies - Ulanova and his wife. It was the two of them who cried over the death of Ivan Bersenev, who died at a relatively young age.
After this, Vadim Ryndin captured Galina’s heart. He, like the other men of the artist, admired her. But Vadim really liked to drink, the girl could not come to terms with this. The man was also very jealous, which at first was even flattering.
Once a dancer in adulthood was asked by journalists what she regretted in her personal life. Galina replied that she always wanted to have a strong family, one man for the rest of her life, to whom she would give herself completely. The star also admitted that she doesn’t know how to cook at all, but dreams of correcting this misunderstanding after finishing her career.
Love with a married man
Considering Ulanova’s incredible passion for her work, it’s surprising how she found time for her personal life: “I only had a house to sleep and then go back to the gym,” she said in an interview. Nevertheless, the dancer still has one stamp in her passport. Ulanova tied the knot with Yuri Zavadsky . However, after several years of marriage, she divorced the actor and then preferred only civil unions.
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The ballerina’s most tragic romance happened with director Ivan Bersenev, who was not only twenty-one years older than Galina Sergeevna, but was also officially married to actress Sofia Giatsintova . Nevertheless, his family status did not prevent Bersenev from spending the last two years of his life with Ulanova; on December 25, 1951, he passed away.
The ballerina did not have her own children, however, in the 70s she met journalist Tatyana Agafonova , whom she called her daughter. The woman even settled in Galina Sergeevna’s spacious apartment on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, where today the dancer’s memorial museum is located. But in the 90s she died of cancer. Ulanova outlived her named daughter by four years.
Director Ivan Bersenev working on a play, 1949. Photo: RIA Novosti/ Elizaveta Mikulina
Monument during life
Galina was truly a unique person. Realizing this, the president of the UNESCO Dance Commission decided to open a monument to Ulanova in Stockholm. It is interesting that the monument was erected during her lifetime.
Galina was present at the opening of the monument. But due to natural modesty, she constantly hid her face in her collar, repeating to herself that the monument was erected not to her, but to the great power of ballet.
Almost everyone loved the Soviet ballerina. Beyond monuments and memorials, there are also amazing displays of gratitude. Flower growers from Holland developed the “Ulanova” tulip variety in her honor, Crimean astronomers named an asteroid after her, and the Russian Central Bank issued a coin with Ulanova’s profile.
It is not surprising that Ulanova is valued even after death. What will other idols say about her?
Galina Sergeevna Ulanova. Curriculum Vitae
At the Opera and Ballet Theater named after. Kirov Galina Ulanova performed the roles of the classical repertoire: Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Masha in The Nutcracker, the Tsar Maiden in The Little Humpbacked Horse, Raymonda in the ballet of the same name by Alexander Glazunov, etc. In 1932, she first performed the role of Giselle in staged by Marius Petipa and danced it until the end of her stage career.
Ulanova’s repertoire included the roles of Komsomolka (“The Golden Age” by Dmitri Shostakovich), Solveig (“The Ice Maiden” to the music of Edvard Grieg), Actress (“Flames of Paris”) and Coralie (“Lost Illusions”) by Boris Asafiev, Diana (“Esmeralda” Caesar Pugni), Nikia (“La Bayadère” by Ludwig Minkus), etc.
In 1940, the premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet took place, in which Ulanova performed the role of Juliet. For all contemporaries who saw Ulanova in this role, she remained the one and only Juliet.
During the Great Patriotic War, Ulanova performed in hospitals in front of the wounded, and danced in theaters in Moscow, Perm, Alma-Ata, Sverdlovsk, and Leningrad.
From 1944 to 1960, Galina Ulanova was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia and repeatedly traveled abroad as part of its troupe, for the first time - to London in 1956, to Paris in 1958 and to New York in 1959.
On the stage of the Bolshoi Theater she performed the role of Cinderella in the ballet of the same name by Sergei Prokofiev, Tao-Hoa in “The Red Poppy” by Reinhold Gliere, Katerina in “The Tale of the Stone Flower” by Sergei Prokofiev and others.
On December 29, 1960, Galina Ulanova’s last performance on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater took place. Ulanova said goodbye to the audience with the ballet “Chopinina”.
One of Galina Ulanova’s last partners was Maris Liepa.
After leaving the stage, Galina Sergeevna remained in the theater and worked as a teacher-tutor for more than thirty years.
Her services were recognized with Soviet and Russian state awards and titles. Galina Ulanova was People's Artist of the USSR (1951), twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1974, 1980), awarded the Order of Lenin (1953, 1970), and the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1980).
She was a laureate of the Lenin Prize in 1957 and State Prizes of the USSR (1941, 1946, 1947, 1950). In 1995, she became a laureate of the Russian theater award “Golden Mask” in the category “For honor and dignity in the profession”, in 1997 - the Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art.
Galina Ulanova has won worldwide recognition. She was an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Corresponding member of the German Academy of Arts in Berlin (1959), Honorary member of the academies of Finland, Brazil, China, Venezuela. Ulanova was awarded international awards: the Anna Pavlova Prize of the Paris Academy of Dance (1958), the Oscar Parselli Life for Dance Prize (1988, Milan), the Medal for Finland of the Order of the Lion of Finland (1958), the Prize in honor of the Italian violinist Biotti ( 1958), Bulgarian Order of Cyril and Methodius, first degree (1968); Commander's Order for merits in the field of art and literature (France, 1992), Order of Parasat of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1995).
She starred in the feature film “Ballet Soloist” (1946), in the concert films “Big Concert” (1951), “Concert of Masters of Arts” (1952), “Masters of Russian Ballet” (1953).
Ulanova’s dance was captured in the films “Romeo and Juliet” (1954) and “Bolshoi Theater Ballet” (1956). The documentary film “Galina Ulanova” (1963) and the television film “The World of Ulanova” (1981) are dedicated to her work.
On November 16, 1981, a gala evening dedicated to Ulanova, organized by UNESCO, took place in Paris, and the ballet “In Honor of Ulanova” was performed (choreographer Vladimir Vasiliev).
In 1984, a monument to Ulanova was unveiled in Stockholm - the first and only monument to a Russian person abroad, erected during her lifetime (sculptor Elena Janson-Manizer), and in the same year a bronze bust of the ballerina was installed in St. Petersburg (sculptor Mikhail Anikushin).
The great ballerina died on March 21, 1998. She is buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.
On June 8, 2001, the opening ceremony of the monument to Galina Sergeevna Ulanova took place at the Novodevichy Cemetery. The authors of the sculpture are Fyodor Fiveysky and Alexander Tikhonov. The monument was erected on the initiative of the Moscow government, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Bolshoi Theater staff and the organizing committee of the IX International Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers.
On December 20, 2004, the museum-apartment of the ballerina Galina Ulanova opened to visitors. The museum is located in the house where the ballerina lived. The museum's exhibition, consisting of photographs, posters, letters, and memorial items, tells about the life and work of Galina Ulanova, from her first performances on stage to the last years of her life. The museum now has 15 thousand storage units. Ulanova’s personal library has been preserved. Of the 2,400 volumes - 300 books with dedicatory inscriptions from famous people.
The museum is a branch of the Bakhrushin State Theater Museum. The head of the museum is Tatyana Kasatkina.
The name of Galina Ulanova was assigned to a jewelry diamond weighing 164.70 carats, mined in March 1998 at the Udachnaya diamond pipe in Western Yakutia. The Galina Ulanova diamond has joined the collection of more than 400 unique and famous registered Yakut diamonds, which are the national treasure of Russia.
According to the testimony of several people close to her, shortly before her death, Ulanova destroyed all the papers from which something could be learned about her private life. However, it is known that Galina Ulanova was married three times, and all three of her chosen ones are outstanding people of art: director Yuri Zavadsky, actor and director Ivan Bersenev, artist Vadim Ryndin.
Life with Agafonova
At the age of seventy, the artist was lucky enough to talk with journalist Agafonova. She was twenty years younger than Galina. Subsequently, the women began to become friends. Ulanova allowed Agafonova to become her secretary. After that, they moved in together and began to live together, which gave rise to a lot of gossip.
Tanya helped the ballerina in all everyday matters, but the friendship was destroyed by the sudden death of Agafonova. Galina was very worried about her. For Prima, the loss of a friend was like the loss of her only child.
Interesting Facts
Not everyone knows what Galina Ulanova loved, whether she had a hobby. There is a list of interesting facts that will help you get to know the ballerina better:
- First fact. Galina had practically no hobbies; she devoted herself entirely to ballet. But she had passions, for example, she loved music very much.
- Second fact. The most comfortable state for a dancer is loneliness. She usually didn't approach anyone first.
- Third fact. Ulanova loved animals.
- Fourth fact. I tried to keep myself in shape. The morning began with exercises, which included ballet steps. And in old age, her weight remained the same as in her youth - 49 kg. She was always elegant and graceful.
- Fifth fact. She did not consider herself a home person and blamed her parents for this.
"Romeo and Juliet"
Soon Konstantin Sergeev became the girl’s permanent partner at the Kirov Theater. He had heard a lot of good things about Galina Ulanova and was glad to start working with her. Colleagues on stage and ballet fans constantly praised this duet. The apogee of their joint work was the play “Romeo and Juliet”. Then the Great Patriotic War began, and Sergeev and Ulanova diverged. But each of them left pleasant memories of their partner. Then Galina’s partners on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater were Yuri Zhdanov and Mikhail Gabovich.
The image of Juliet, like many types in the ballerina’s work, was born gradually. The life of the heroine of the tragedy intersected with the reality of the dancer herself. There is a scene in the play when Juliet, standing in front of the mirror, experiences a moment of spiritual shift and insight. The same thing happened in Ulanova’s life. In the future, she often recalled this episode, which happened to her while she was still at school. Together with her friends, Galina went to relax at the dacha of one of her classmates. The next morning she went for a walk along the shady alley. Suddenly the girl found herself in an open space filled with sunlight. Stunned by the sudden change, Ulanova screamed and ran wherever she could. Galya was not aware of what was happening. This amazing and strange feeling was born in her again and again, already during the performance itself. Just in the scene where Juliet stood in front of the mirror, anxiously peering into her unclear future.
Galina’s image of the heroine of Shakespeare’s tragedy is associated with many personal experiences in reality. Before starting work on the character of Juliet, Ulanova suffered a rather serious illness. The girl looked at the doctor who saved her from death as if at the Lord, experiencing a feeling of selfless devotion and boundless adoration. In the play, the same emotions will appear in Juliet towards Romeo.
