Galina Ulanova | |
|---|---|
Галина Уланова | |
 Ulanova in 1968 | |
| Born | (1910-01-08)8 January 1910 |
| Died | 21 March 1998(1998-03-21) (aged 88) |
| Resting place | Novodevichy Cemetery,Moscow |
| Occupation | Prima ballerina assoluta |
| Employer(s) | Mariinsky Theatre,Bolshoi Theatre |
| Known for | Romeo and Juliet,Giselle,Swan Lake |
| Awards | People's Artist of the USSR |
Galina Sergeyevna Ulanova (Russian:Галина Сергеевна Уланова,pronounced[ɡɐˈlʲinəʊˈlanəvə]; 8 January 1910 [O.S. 26 December 1909] – 21 March 1998) was a Russian ballet dancer. She is frequently cited as being one of the greatestballerinas of the 20th century.[1]
Ulanova was born inSaint Petersburg, Russia. Both her parents were the soloists of the Mariinsky theatre and danced withAnna Pavlova. Later, her father became a director and her mother taught ballet. Ulanova recalled that she 'never had a choice to pick a career' and due to her parents' profession, ballet was her only option. As a child she dreamed of becoming a sailor, saying she feared having the life of artists with lots of labour and no sleep. Nevertheless, her parents sent her to ballet school at a very young age, where she studied underAgrippina Vaganova and her own mother.[2]
When she joined theMariinsky Theatre in 1928, the press found in her "much ofSemyonova's style, grace, the same exceptional plasticity and a sort of captivating modesty in her gestures".[3]Konstantin Stanislavsky, fascinated with her acting style, implored her to take part in his stage productions. In 1944, when her fame reachedJoseph Stalin, he had her transferred to theBolshoi Theatre, where she would be theprima ballerina assoluta for 16 years. The following year, she danced the title role in the world premiere ofSergei Prokofiev'sCinderella.
Ulanova was regarded as a great actress as well as a dancer, and when she was finally allowed to tour abroad at the age of 46, enraptured British papers wrote that "Galina Ulanova in London knew the greatest triumph of any individual dancer sinceAnna Pavlova". Having retired from the stage at the age of 50, she coached many generations of Russian dancers.
Ulanova was one of the few dancers to be awardedHero of Socialist Labour and the only one to receive this honour twice. She was also awarded the highest exclusively artistic national title,People's Artist of the USSR.[4] and she was awarded theStalin Prize in 1941, 1946, 1947, 1950, and theLenin Prize in 1957. She was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1960.[5]
She died in 1998 in Moscow, aged 88, and is buried in the cemetery of theNovodevichy Convent.[6]
Ulanova's apartment in one of Moscow'sSeven Sisters, theKotelnicheskaya Embankment Building, is preserved now as a memorial museum. Monuments to Ulanova were erectedin Saint Petersburg andStockholm.
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Ulanova is portrayed by Aliya Tanikpaeva (billed as "Aliya Tanykpayeva") in a non-speaking role in episode 1 of season 2 of theNetflix seriesThe Crown.[7]
But the segment of the ballet as depicted in 'The Crown' is actually near the beginning of Act Two with the entrance of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. However, as prima donna assoluta of the Bolshoi Ballet, Galina Ulanova would never have danced the secondary role of Myrtha in the 25 October 1956 performance of 'Giselle' that was attended by Queen Elizabeth II at Covent Garden Opera House. Rather, the role of Myrtha was danced by Rimma Karelskaya that evening and NOT Ulanova as misrepresented in the television series. Furthermore, this entrance of Myrtha is only the beginning of Act Two, but the television series has Claire Foy playing the role of Elizabeth II leaving her royal box and the performance of the ballet during the audience's applause for the completion of Mytha's entrance solo -- such a premature royal departure would have been unspeakably rude and scandalous because the 1956 visit of the Bolshoi Ballet to London was meant as a diplomatic gesture to foster renewed relationships between the USSR and the UK. Thus this rewriting of actual historical fact is only 'historical fiction' for the sake of a good story line aimed at an uneducated viewing television audience.
She was earlier played byCyd Charisse in the Hollywood filmMission to Moscow (1943).
Kahn, Albert E. (1962).Days with Ulanova. New York: Simon and Schuster.
"2 Architect Rossi Street".Encyclopedia of Saint Petersburg (in Russian). Retrieved17 October 2009. | ||
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