Natalia Bessmertnova
Acting
Biography
Soviet & Russian ballerina, ballet teacher. People’s Artist of the USSR (1976). Recipient of the Lenin Prize (1986), the USSR State Prize (1977), the Lenin Komsomol Prize (1972). Prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre. Wife of ballet master, Yuri Grigorovich. Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 10th convocation (1979–1984). Natalia Bessmertnova was born on July 19, 1941, in Moscow to Igor Borisovich Bessmertnov, a doctor, and Antonina Yakovlevna Bessmertnova (née Peshkova), a housewife. She also had a younger sister, Tatiana. Both sisters enrolled at the Moscow Choreographic School, but Natalya achieved considerably greater success in this field than her sister. Bessmertnova’s first instructor was the distinguished Maria Kozhukhova (Natalia was her favourite pupil). When Kozhukhova died, Bessmertnova joined Sofya Golovkina’s class. L.K.Cherkasova was also one of her teachers. In 1961, at her final examination, she brilliantly performed 48 fouettés, receiving the highest mark in classical dance; in the same year, she was accepted into the Bolshoi Theatre company. She possessed elongated, ‘weeping’ lines of dance, a weightless, soaring leap, and an exquisitely delicate grace of movement. Her principal partner was Mikhail Lavrovsky, with whom she'd formed a creative partnership whilst still a student. Alongside Lavrovsky, Bessmertnova began to master one of the most important roles of her life, Giselle. On November 20, 1963, her performance of Giselle captivated the Moscow audience. Over the course of her life, Bessmertnova danced this role almost 200 times. A prima ballerina at the Bolshoi Theatre, she danced all leading roles in the classical and contemporary repertoire & was the first to perform many roles in the ballets of her husband, Yuri Grigorovich, the Bolshoi's chief choreographer. In his ballets, she brought to life many lyrical characters that have become classics of Russian choreography. Great ballerina Galina Ulanova remarked: "I remember how, during a performance of Giselle, when I looked at Bessmertnova...I could no longer take my eyes off her; she 'lived' so sincerely and spontaneously within the 'crowd', her gaze was so expressive; she was frightened & empathetic during Giselle’s scene of madness.” Performed as a guest ballerina in productions by Finnish National Opera in Helsinki (Giselle, 1966), Belgrade National Theatre (Odette-Odile, Giselle, 1970–1971), La Scala in Milan (Odette-Odile, Giselle, 1970, 1977), Rome Opera Ballet (Giselle, Odette-Odile, 1970, 1980), Warsaw National Theatre (Giselle, 1971), Royal Norwegian Opera in Oslo (Odette-Odile, 1972), Sofia National Opera Ballet (Giselle, 1972), Vienna State Opera Ballet (Masha, ‘The Nutcracker’, 1973), Paris National Opera (Anastasia, ‘Ivan the Terrible’, 1976, Giselle, 1977, Juliet, 1978), Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm (Odette-Odile, 1979), and with ballet companies in Wiesbaden, Basel, Turin, Toulon, Nice, Ljubljana, Novi Sad, Zagreb, Tokyo. Took part in a gala concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, dedicated to the 85th birthday of impresario S. Yurok (1973). Served on the jury of international ballet competitions on numerous occasions (Moscow (Russia), Varna (Bulgaria, several occasions), Lausanne (Switzerland) – ‘Lausanne Prize’ (1995), and the All-Japan Ballet Competition in Nagoya (2001–2004, chair in 2001 & 2004)).
Known For
A valuable testimony that approaches the essence of Nijinsky who did not leave a video. Boris Kochno, who was at the center of Russian ballet, vividly tells how Nijinsky, who had fallen ill, witnessed his newly choreographed self-made work. Nijinsky's successor machine is a rare record of transferring Nijinsky's appearance in the popular work "Afternoon of a Faun" to two great dancers, Grigorowich and Wasiriev, who carry Bolshoi ballet on their backs.
Memories of Nijinsky
Raymonda is betrothed to Jean de Brienne, a gallant knight who pledged to go on a crusade led by the King of Hungary. When her beloved leaves, Abderakhman, a foreign knight, makes a bid for the hand of Raymonda and threatens her fate when she rejects him…
Bolshoi Ballet: Raymonda
No description available.
Swan Lake
Peasant girl Giselle dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover is betrothed to another. She is summoned from the grave by spirits who dance men to death. The spirits target her lover for death, but Giselle's great love frees him from their grasp.
Giselle
A 1975 recording of the Bolshoi Ballet's performance of Yuri Grigorovich's production of "Spartacus".
Spartacus
This programme is dedicated to the work of the outstanding choreographer Kasyan Goleizovsky. Featured ballet dancers include Natalya Danilova, Olga Pavlova, F. Gil'fanov, M. Rativosyan, Natalia Bessmertnova, Alexander Lavrenyuk, Natalya Bolshakova, Vadim Gulyaev, Natalia Kasatkina, T. Varlamova, Shamil Yagudin, Semyon Kaufman, Ekaterina Maximova, Vladimir Vasiliev, T. Cherkasskaya, Viktor Kasatsky, Yelena Ryabinkina, Vladimir Romanenko, Mikhail Lavrovsky, M. Gorodskaya, Ella Kosterina.
About Ballet
The role of Anastasia entered Natalia Bessmertnova's creative biography as one of the roles that best suited her acting personality and professional abilities. The libretto has no literary basis; it was written by the choreographer himself. The score was assembled by Mikhail Chulaki from fragments of Sergei Prokofiev's music for Sergei Eisenstein's film of the same name and other works by the composer. According to Yuri Grigorovich, it was the music that became the primary creative impetus for the ballet's creation.
Ivan The Terrible
A look behind the scenes at the Bolshoi Theatre. This feature-length ballet film explores the Russian school of realistic dance and highlights the immense daily effort that goes into an artist’s preparation before they take to the stage. Chronicles the arduous journey to mastery: from the first lessons of the kids who joined the ballet class, to the performances of famous dancers – the public’s idols, who have already mastered the magical lightness and beauty of choreography, the pinnacle of this art.
The Secret of Success
The Bolshoi Ballet perform Prokofiev’s classic ballet, “Romeo and Juliet”, based on the tragic love story about two young star-crossed lovers, featuring the original choreography of Leonid Lavrovsky revised by Yuri Grigoovich.
The Bolshoi Ballet: Romeo and Juliet
A broadcast in honor of the 200th anniversary of the renowned Bolshoi Ballet. The company revives one of the most acclaimed triumphs in its history, Romeo and Juliet, featuring the original choreography of Leonid Lavrovsky.
The Bolshoi Ballet: Romeo and Juliet
The aristocratic beauty of the Bolshoi Ballet brings this acclaimed production of Swan Lake alive with ennobling presence and artistry. Natalia Bessmertnova is soft and lyrical in the dual role of Odette and Odile; her eminently feminine quality makes her the ideal interpreter of this classic. The elegance and magnetism of Siegfried is masterfully portrayed by Alexander Bogatyrev. With exquisitely designed sets, and a dance corps whose skill rivals that of the principal ballerinas. This historic production was choreographed by the critically acclaimed master Yuri Grigorvich, with Tchaikovsky's timeless score performed by the Moscow Symphonic Orchestra under the baton of Algis Zhuraitis.
Swan Lake
Bolshoi Ballet stars dance to Prokofiev's score of a cruel Russian czar (Yuri Vladimirov) and his poisoned wife (Natalia Bessmertnova).