Soviet Ballerina Gets
N.Y. Tribute
01 May 2012
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — When
people think of famous Soviet dancers who defected to the West, they recall
Rudolf Nureyev, certainly, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. But there was also a
formidable woman among them: Natalia Makarova, who defected in 1970 and went on
to win glory in Europe and the United
States.
Now 71, Makarova is
retired, but she was the undisputed star over the weekend at Lincoln Center's
David H. Koch Theater as ballet greats gathered to pay her tribute. It was part
of a rare and wonderful dance weekend courtesy of the Youth America Grand
Prix, or YAGP, a global ballet scholarship competition.
It's in the nature of
the art of dance that we almost never get to hear the artists speak. That's why
it was special to hear Makarova, in taped interviews broadcast on a huge
screen, describe her life, interspersed with footage of her dancing.
As graceful as the
dance excerpts were, it was a treat to hear her recount things that perhaps
didn't go so well. She described getting stuck in a tiny elevator lifting her
to the stage; at the time, she was trying to get into the spirit of the Swan
Queen. She heard the music playing without her, and finally had to break
character to scream at technicians, which she ably demonstrated in the film
clip.
Of that swan, and
other roles, she quipped: "I've danced every bird in the business."
She also spoke of her mother: "I gave her lots of trouble."
Makarova was to
appear in the flesh only at the curtain call. First came a truly impressive
parade of artists assembled by YAGP, performing bits of signature Makarova
roles pieces evocative of her life.
It was especially
striking to watch Russian ballerina Natalya Osipova. She has appeared in New York for several
seasons with American Ballet Theatre, but on Saturday night, she seemed to be
the most similar current ballerina to Makarova — in her talent, her build and
her potential.
The sprite-like
Osipova was impressively malleable in a modern piece by Mauro Bigonzetti,
performed with her partner, Ivan Vasiliyev, with whom she recently defected
from the Bolshoi to the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg.
Two other Russian
ballerinas also were in radiant form: Diana Vishneva, of the Mariinsky Ballet
and also ABT, who performed a deeply passionate pas de deux from
"Manon" with Marcelo Gomes, and the raven-haired Yekaterina
Kondaurova, also of the Mariinsky, who performed the Black Swan from "Swan
Lake" and was even more impressive in a brief piece of William Forsythe's
"In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated."
The evening was full
of high spirits, with many young competitors filling the seats. There are often
cheering crowds at Lincoln
Center, but ballet fans
doing the wave in the balcony? Not so common.
Still, the high point was Makarova's
appearance at the end of the show. After taking a few bows, she was hoisted
into the air by ABT's Gomes and David Hallberg — as stars of the present
showered respect on an icon of the past.
Nataliya Romanovna
Makarova, born November 21, 1940.
Fotosi,štiva
http://www.google.com/search?q=natalia+makarova&hl=en&client=opera&hs=mD0&rls=en&channel=suggest&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DUigT_zDC7LS4QSxt63FAw&ved=0CEEQsAQ&biw=991&bih=637
Natalia Makarova
performing 'The Dying Swan' by Camille Saint-Saens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jiGjVQltH8
Natalia Makarova was
born in Leningrad in former Soviet Russia.
At the age of 12, she auditioned for the Leningrad
Choreographic School,formerly
the Imperial Ballet School,
and was accepted although most students join the school at the age of 10. She
was a permanent member of the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad from 1956 to
1970, achieving prima ballerina status during the 1960s. Soon after Makarova defected
to the West in 1970, she began performing with the American Ballet Theatre in New York and the Royal Ballet in London. At first she was eager to expand her
choreography by dancing ballets by modern choreographers. She remained most
identified with classical roles such as Odette/Odile in Swan
Lake and Giselle; she was featured in
the 1976 live American Ballet Theatre production of Swan
Lake, simulcast from Lincoln Center
on both PBS and NPR. Makarova continued to excel in many different roles. most
notably, her title role in Giselle. She was slim and slight, and combined a
delicacy and lyricism with impeccable classical training.
Makarova: "Her
performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her
as the finest ballerina of her generation in the West".
In 1976 Makarova
married Edward Karkar, a businessman. Together they had a son, Andre Michael,
in February 1978.
In 1989, Natalia
Makarova returned to her home theater of the Kirov Ballet and was reunited with her family
and with former colleagues and teachers, and family. Her emotional homecoming
was documented in the film Makarova Returns. After her performance at the Kirov, she retired from dancing, donating her shoes and
costumes to the Kirov
Museum. Today Makarova
stages ballets such as Swan
Lake, La Bayadère, and
Sleeping Beauty for companies across the world.
In addition to being
an internationally renowned ballerina, Makarova won a Tony Award for her
performance in the show On Your Toes. She appeared as Lydia Lopokova (Lady Keynes) in
Wooing in Absence, compiled by Patrick Garland. It was first performed at Charleston Farmhouse and then at the Tate Britain.
Natalia Makarova
Kirov Mariinsky ABT Ballerina Talks About Her Early Years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57s4hqo_7zQ
St Petersburg,
Russia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ItZFNegL80&feature=related
Boat Cruise in St.
Petersburg, Russia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8BG4GQl6Kk&feature=relmfu