Stella Esambaeva personal life. "new news": "he did not attend the mosque, but lived according to the Koran"
Marina POTOTSKAYA
Parents come up with names for children, and owners come up with names for dogs. One such owner, a former sailor, named his dog Admiral: to make it more fun and about sea life reminded. Because admiral is the most honorable title among sailors.
This Admiral was a prominent dog, as tall as his master’s bicycle. The breed is unknown, but cute. The dog had only one drawback: our Admiral did not know how to swim!
And he lived, by the way, in a city where all the streets led to the sea - big, blue, salty. There, ships from all over the world sailed into the port, and on the beaches, from morning to evening, all the city residents sunbathed and swam - children, adults and even dogs, although there were notices everywhere: “DO NOT WALK WITH DOGS!”
But the dogs didn’t walk – they swam. Doggy style: quickly, quickly moving its paws and lifting its satisfied muzzle high.
Only one Admiral did not sail. The owner once brought him to the beach, threw himself into the water, swam, snorting, and began to call:
- Admiral, Admirasha, come to me!..
But the Admiral suddenly trembled, whined, hid under the bench and never wanted to swim to his owner.
The owner did not forgive him for this - he kicked him out of the house, and even with a scandal:
- So that I, a sailor, would have a dog afraid of the sea?! - the owner shouted throughout the street. - Yes, after this I don’t want to see you! And I’ll board up your booth, you know that!
The Admiral ran away quickly so as not to hear the master’s fair words. I settled down to live on the beach, in the bushes. I lay there all day, looking at the blue sea and thinking about my dog’s lot.
And one day I decided to go to the port. He had a friend there - the ship's dog, Zhuchok. This Bug on his fishing longboat sailed wherever he went - to the Mediterranean Sea, to the Baltic Sea, and to different oceans...
Here comes the longboat home to the port. The whole team leaves the ramp; Next to the boatswain is the ship's dog. He waddles, like a sailor, wagging his tail. Everyone who meets him pets him, hugs him, and gives him a bone instead of flowers... But the dog is not arrogant from such a meaningful life! Any dog could talk to him and consult with him.
The Admiral asks him:
- Well, tell me, how did you learn to swim?
The bug closed its eyes and recalled:
- That was a long time ago. Our longboat was heading towards the shores of India. We were sailing past some island, so the boatswain and the guys decided to sail there in a boat. And they took me with them, I was still a puppy then. We were swimming, suddenly the boatswain grabbed me and threw me straight into the ocean: “Well, swim!” - speaks. “Or are you not a sailor?!” Where are you going to go? I immediately paddled the water with my paws, scored - and swam out! That's how I learned.
The admiral sighed:
- Maybe they should throw me like that?
“I won’t throw you,” says the Bug. “You’re probably heavier than a sack of herring.” You should have thought before when you were little!
- What should we do now, Zhucha?
- What to do, what to do... Do you live on the beach now? So come on, learn to swim at night! Get in the water and try it.
The Admiral went home, into the bushes. I slept until nightfall and had disgusting dreams: all cats and cats. And at night he suddenly woke up and went to the sea.
How huge it was! And how it made noise, rumbled... Black waves teased the Admiral, rolled up to his very paws, and then, rustling, rolled back. The admiral took a step forward, then another... His fur stood on end, he trembled and tucked his tail. The waves washed over him from head to paws. He snorted, shook himself off, but did not run away.
“I remember myself well as a child - it helps to write”
Children's writer Marina Pototskaya talks about her books and discusses the importance special treatment to children and refuses to compare life in Moscow and Tel Aviv.
You write good, funny books. How did it happen that in life, where there is a place for suffering and depression, and not every writer can bypass these swamps, you chose the path Have a good mood? How did you become a children's writer?
I don’t write funny books on purpose - that’s probably how it works for me. I don’t set myself the task of making people laugh: I’m not a comedian. And then, not all of my stories are funny.
Of course, I would like my readers to have an easier, more fun life. Adults often think that children have it easy. Yes, they don’t have to work, feed their family, make difficult decisions, be responsible for themselves and everyone around them. But they have their own stories, no simpler than ours. They're just different.
The child does not have life experience. It is difficult to explain to him that “everything will change.” Adults know how to take a hit and compensate for failures. And for, say, a five-year-old person, “today” is half his life, and “tomorrow” is a hundred years from now. Child's world limited: family, kindergarten group, best friend...And the problems that arise from this small world, the child considers global, terrible, eternal.
I remember myself well as a child. I remember my childhood feelings, fears, joys. This is probably the main thing that helps me write.
Tell us about your family and life in Israel. You were born in Moscow and can compare two worlds, two ways of life. Where is it more interesting for you to watch people?
I was born in Moscow, lived there for many years and left there already fully formed... not a writer, but a literary man. In Moscow I worked a lot for children's radio and on television. Radio - it was main love. The first time I came there was when I was five years old: I was already good at sight reading. First, I read at the microphone what others had written, then - what I wrote myself.
About family. My mother is actress Irina Pototskaya. Everyone who listened to children's radio programs in the USSR knew my mother's voice. There are still recordings of her on the Internet. Mom brought home yellowish sheets of typewritten poems and stories that she read on the radio. Nikolai Nosov and Valentin Berestov gave her their books. Therefore, it is probably quite logical that, after reading all this, I began to write for children.
My father is the poet Mark Sobol. He has many poems about the war that he himself went through. But what is most famous is his “Ben’s Song” from the film “The Last Inch”: “What do I care about you all, and what do you care about me?” I really met and became friends much later.
My family is my husband, screenwriter and TV director Boris Salibov, two fully grown daughters who have existed independently for a long time, as well as a cat and a dog.
We have been living in Israel for more than 25 years. If you measure the time spent here in dogs, then our current Jack is already the third.
Here I started from scratch. I studied at a pedagogical college - this is after the philological department of Moscow State University! I did a wide variety of things here. In Israeli schools she was a consultant on the problems of immigrant children from former USSR. I voiced films - the experience of Moscow radio came in handy! She wrote for local Russian-language newspapers. Together with Boris I taught a course on youth program at the University of Ariel. And for many years I have been teaching at an evening school in Tel Aviv: I teach people from four to ten years old to think, speak and read in Russian. Of course, I read a lot of what I write to my students - I am very interested in their opinions.
It is impossible and unnecessary to compare Moscow and Tel Aviv. That's two different worlds, and it’s amazing that they exist at the same time. In Moscow, it’s hard to imagine that there is such a street as Nakhmani, where I live: with palm trees, cats and ficus trees the size of a house. And on Nakhmani Street the endless Moscow is unimaginable.
How often do life stories appear in your works?
Pototskaya - Where do the stories come from? They simply appear in the head. This happens especially often in the morning. Therefore, if I don’t have to go anywhere in the morning, I lie to myself and come up with ideas. These stories and fairy tales are a mixture of what was seen, heard, imagined and experienced. True, in the book “The Incident in Plyushkino” there are two stories, where the plots were incidents from life that our Moscow neighbors once shared with me. I just “edited” them a little. But without neighbors, these stories definitely wouldn’t have appeared!
Your book “Acute Pig Disease” is famous. She is known and quoted. How long did it take to create? Would you like to see a film or cartoon based on it? Who do you see as the director?
In the book “Acute Pig Disease” there are three absolutely unrelated stories: the first is the one of the same name, also “Two Grandmothers” and “Across the Street”. Two stories, “The Pig Disease” itself and “Two Grandmothers,” were published a lot, but the third was forgotten. About cartoons - it’s not too realistic yet. Accordingly, about directors.
The Moscow publishing house “Vremya” published your A new book. There are boys Kolya-Rabbit and Sasha, and there are circus elephant. Have you already received feedback from readers? Who writes more often, parents or children?
Pototskaya - The book consists of ten completely different fairy tales and stories. There are funny ones, for example, “The Story of the Table.” And, say, “Rabbit” is even a dramatic story. The first written review of this book was given by Andrei Usachev, my “hundred-year-old” friend and also the most severe critic. What Andrey wrote about me and about “Plyushkino” is on the Internet. I re-read this when I have Bad mood, - so that it improves.
“The Incident at Plyushkin” was released in early April, so I hope reviews will appear later. And for other books (“When Mother Was Little”, “Nekhochukin and Others”, “Peter and Ice Cream”, “The Tale of blue-eyed pig", "Lemonade Cow") there are quite a lot of responses. Almost everyone is positive and wonderful. I read them and wonder: is this really about me?
A great thing is the Internet! Here is a video: in the middle of the children's library in the city of Tambov, which, unfortunately, I have never been to, a girl is sitting. She flips through my book and tells me what she liked there and why. Wow! Or I read that in Kursk there was a competition for young readers, where a sixth-grade student took first place with my fairy tale “Acute Pig Disease.” And attached is a photo of this pretty young lady...
You look at it and read it, and you immediately want to come up with something new for a new book.
– What did you dream of as a child? Has your main dream come true? What would you like now for yourself and your family?
As a child, I had different dreams. Some came true: for example, that I should have a dog. Or so that I can see the sea. Here it even came true with an overlap: I live by the sea. Probably, I had some ordinary dreams.
What would I like now? Well, so that my grandchildren Galya and Pavlik speak Russian well. This serious problem. And so that I always find with them mutual language- in all senses.
Where is it better to work, in the silence of the house or in a noisy, crowded cafe? Maybe on the seashore?
I work best at home, on the computer. I don't go to the sea very often. It's hot there in the summer, and our summers are long. I love walking around old Tel Aviv, although it’s so old - it’s a little over a hundred years old!
Houses in Tel Aviv look like white ships. Many seem to be battered by storms, but there is still some lightness in them. The entire city is built on sand, like a huge beach. And this beach, not completely rolled into asphalt, largely determines the style of Tel Aviv life. I love observing this life even more than participating in it.
Probably, in general, I am essentially more of an observer than a “creator”.
Marina Markovna Pototskaya was born in Moscow, studied at school on Bolshaya Ordynka. Graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University. She worked on radio and television - as an author, presenter, and reporter. I went to Israel, and instead of the fourteenth floor in Chertanovo, I ended up on the first floor in Tel Aviv. She studied at college in Israel, was a journalist, voiced in Russian the heroines of Uma Thurman and Julia Roberts, worked in Israeli schools and at the university.
Interview: Alexandra Bagrechevskaya
Photo from the personal archive of Marina Pototskaya
M Akhmud Esambaev was the first artist of the USSR who performed his solo program and collected dances of the peoples of the world in one concert. He said about his work: “Dance is life. I breathe through the dance. Lungs don’t count.”
Makhmud Esambaev was born in the foothill village of Starye Atagi (today the Grozny district of the Chechen Republic). Already at the age of seven he danced at village weddings, and a year later he performed in a small circus that roamed the mountain villages. The son's hobby aroused the father's anger: he locked him at home, hid his clothes, and beat the boy so that he would stop dancing. His peers teased the boy as a “buffoon.” However, Makhmud Esambaev continued to dance.
In 1939, against the will of his father, he entered Grozny choreographic school and already at the age of 15 he performed in the Checheno-Ingush State Song and Dance Ensemble.
When the Great Patriotic War began, Makhmud Esambaev turned 16. He found himself in a front-line concert brigade. The artists performed in military hospitals, at the construction of defensive structures and on the front line. During one such concert, a shell exploded not far from the dancer, and a fragment hit him in the leg. The wounded Esambaev finished his performance, went backstage and lost consciousness there. The military surgeon told him that his leg was saved by a miracle and he would not be able to dance. However, Esambaev recovered and returned to the stage.
In 1943, Esambaev performed in Pyatigorsk, liberated from the Germans - he was invited to the local operetta theater, but he did not work there for long. A year later, residents of Chechnya and Ingushetia began to be resettled in Central Asia and Kazakhstan. The dancer and his relatives ended up in the city of Frunze (today Bishkek). Here at the local House of Culture he gave lessons in folk and ballet dancing. In Kyrgyzstan, Makhmud Esambaev got married and had a daughter, Stella.
Makhmud Esambaev performs lezginka at a festival in his native village of Starye Atagi. 1963 Photo: aif.ru
Makhmud Esambaev. Photo: fishki.net
Makhmud Esambaev on the set of the film “The Dance Poet.” 1961 Photo: aif.ru
Soon Esambaev became a soloist of the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater. Here he performed the main roles in ballets " Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", " Bakhchisarai fountain"and in the first national ballet performances. Esambaev later recalled: “I am grateful to the Kyrgyz people for giving me the opportunity to learn the art of ballet for 12 years. I can’t remember a single bad day in Kyrgyzstan". He is the first dancer to be awarded the title of People's Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR. In the future, Esambaev will become a people's artist of several more union republics.
In the mid-50s, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was restored, and the family returned there. At that time, the State Folk Dance Ensemble led by Igor Moiseev was popular. The members of the group went on expeditions and studied the dance folklore of the peoples of the world. Later these compositions were processed and became the basis of the repertoire. However, alone national dances no one performed it in those years. Esambaev, like Moiseev, turned to folk art, but developed a solo program.
This is how dance novels dedicated to culture appeared different nations. Among his first works was the Indian ritual dance "Golden God", spanish dance“La Corrida”, Tajik “Dance with Knives”. In 1957, Makhmud Esambaev became a soloist of the Republican Philharmonic.
“The poster says “Dances of the Peoples of the World,” but it should be “Peoples of the World in Dance.” Be sure to watch Esambaev! Esambaev's dancing is a theater of experience, not performance. Each master’s performance on the stage, each of his miniatures is, I would say, a small, complete ballet.”
Yuri Grigorovich, choreographer
In 1957, the All-Union Youth Festival was held in Moscow. Makhmud Esambaev's wife sold a carpet and a sewing machine so that he could go to the capital and perform there. The competition changed his life: Esambaev was awarded one gold and two silver medals.
“Mom, I remember hearing on the radio that dad received three medals, won first place, shouting: “Stellochka, our dad got everything!” And so I remember this moment, I understood it as a child, but I was also very happy, and my mother simply cried with joy.”
Stella Esambaeva
After the victory, Esambaev was able to move to Moscow and bring his wife and daughter to the capital. And soon the Soviet dancers went on a world tour. They visited France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, India and many other countries. Abroad, Makhmud Esambaev collected dances of different nations in order to later include them in his performances. His repertoire included the Brazilian ritual dance “Macumba”, the Uzbek dance “Shepherd”, the Russian “Emigrant”, the Jewish “Tailor”, and the Peruvian “Peacock”. “Since childhood, I subconsciously felt the magical connection of folk dance with life”, Esambaev wrote decades later in his confessional article “The Joy of Dance.” After the tour, the dancer created his own team.
When the dancer left the stage, he organized the International Union of Pop Artists and was an academician of the International Dance Academy. With his support, new buildings were built in Grozny for drama theater and the circus. Esambaev died in 2000. He is buried at the Danilovskoye Muslim Cemetery in Moscow.
Today, an evening in memory of Makhmud Esambaev will be held at the Rossiya cinema and concert hall. There is no need to introduce this person. Esambaev was the first to Soviet scene created a solo program "Dances of the Peoples of the World" and traveled with it almost all over Earth. At the age of thirty he received worldwide recognition and fame. But at the same time I was remembered as a modest and cheerful person, with wide open with an open soul. This year the maestro would have turned 80 years old. The daughter of the great artist Stella ESAMBAEVA talks about her father.
– Stella Makhmudovna, not all admirers of your father’s talent know that he fabulous career started almost in camp conditions...
– In 1944, he, like the entire Chechen people, was deported to Central Asia. My father had to report to the commandant’s office every day as a special settler. One day dad refused this humiliating procedure. A quick trial took place, and he was sent to the mines in the remote village of Aktyuz. The conditions there were terrible, dad became seriously ill and almost died. But as soon as I recovered, I came to the camp club, gathered people and began rehearsing different numbers with them.
The troupe began to be invited to other mines and even to city theaters. And soon the ensemble under his leadership gained fame throughout Kyrgyzstan. Six months later, dad was released.
Few people know that Esambaev was wounded at the front. The propaganda team of Soviet art masters, in which he then worked, often went to the front line with concerts. One day, during his speech, a shell exploded nearby. A shrapnel hit my leg. Despite the hellish pain, dad finished the dance and fell unconscious backstage. The field doctor operated on him and said: “Young man, forget about the stage. You won’t be able to dance anymore.”
After being wounded, my father returned home to Kyrgyzstan. Got a job at the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater. In those years they gathered here famous masters arts who found themselves in evacuation. He soon became a local celebrity. People came specifically to look at Esambaev.
– Worldwide fame Esambaev acquired it after creating the “Dances of the Peoples of the World” project. How did it come about?
– At first, dad danced in ballet, where the rates for young artists, even famous ones, were low. To earn some extra money, he also got a job at the Philharmonic. AND for a long time I was torn between the Philharmonic and the theater.
IN post-war years The ensemble under the direction of Igor Moiseev thundered throughout the country. It was his acquaintance with Moiseev’s work, according to his father, that gave him the idea of creating a solo program. He carried her for a long time.
One day, it was in the spring of 1957, I came home after a concert and told my mother that he was going to Moscow, where the first international festival. Wants to try his hand.
Of course, it was a risky move. But his mother supported him: “You should go. I’m sure you will succeed.”
And so he arrives in Moscow and immediately ends up on All-Russian competition. Performed a Spanish dance. The jury unanimously awarded victory to the tall and beautiful dancer from the Kyrgyz Ballet. Then he performed at an all-Union competition, and again received the highest award. When Galina Ulanova and Igor Moiseev first saw young Esambaev, they immediately realized that they were looking at a rare nugget, and offered to perform at international competition. Here he also received a gold medal. Three highest awards for only one year.
Later Igor Moiseev gave him East Dance with knives. It was a very impressive and dynamic dance.
In 1959, dad went to South America, where he began collecting material for a solo program.
– Apparently, he also brought “Makumba” from there?
– You know, while performing this dance, a boy who lost his speech due to a serious injury spoke. This happened in Kherson in 1964. My father was invited to speak at a cultural educational school. He talked about himself, and all this time the young man looked at him thoughtfully from the front row, without asking any questions. Then my father found out that his name was Anatoly Barykin. At the end of the speech, dad asks the director: “Why is this boy silent all the time?” The director replies: “You know, Mahmud, five years ago he had an accident and as a result he stopped talking. The doctors can’t do anything.”
“Bring him to the concert,” says the father, “and in general, take all your children.”
Dad said that that evening he danced "Macumba" for this boy. As if he felt that he could help him. This is a very heavy, dramatic ritual dance. The sorcerer performs magical actions and gradually expels evil spirit. But he himself dies, at the cost of his life, saving people from evil.
And during the dance, when the hero falls, a heartbreaking cry is heard. It was the mute Barykin. He shouted: “Mahmoud...” And then fell unconscious.
Dad, of course, didn't know about this. He sat in the dressing room and came to his senses. And then a whole procession collapses. Everyone is screaming and crying. Something unimaginable is happening. My father said that he had never experienced such a strong emotional upsurge in his life.
– Mahmud Alisultanovich did not have theological education. But all his actions are surprisingly combined with the canons of the sacred scriptures...
– My father always liked to say: “Do good! And never expect anyone to answer you.” He did not attend the mosque, but lived according to the Koran. He was a very pious person, although he did not perform traditional prayer. “Allah must be in the soul,” he liked to repeat. At the same time, he accompanied every step with prayer, even going on stage.
– What was Esambaev like in ordinary life, in relationships with loved ones - children, spouse, relatives?
- You know, very easy person, with a great sense of humor. We were always in high spirits just because he was home. I don’t remember us ever being discouraged when we stayed together. There was always a joyful atmosphere in the house. He knew how to live easily, despite the fact that life did not spoil him.
He was also unusually easy to communicate with people. Norwegian television crews filmed the film “The Dancing Diplomat,” emphasizing the extraordinary delicacy of his manners and talent for communication.
And he also loved people very much. One day in Yalta I went into his room in the morning and saw next picture- all the beds are occupied, children and adults are sleeping everywhere, but he is nowhere to be seen. It turns out that friends from Khabarovsk came to visit him at night and he gave up his place to them.
I found dad on the balcony. He slept on an air mattress with his head covered straw hat and covering himself with a towel on top.
– How did your mother, Nina Arkadyevna, perceive what was happening? After all, it’s not easy for a woman to maintain such a rhythm?
“Of course, she was very tired, but she never showed it. She lived for him and for him.
Mom never remained indifferent to people, although she grew up in a wealthy family and never needed anything. Parents understood without words and always supported each other.
– The 80th birthday of Makhmud Esambaev will be widely and solemnly celebrated today in the Rossiya cinema and concert hall. How do you celebrate your father's birthdays at home?
– Very modestly. Only our closest friends come to us on this day - those whose friendship my father valued very much.
Interviewed by SAID BITSOEV
Hello, dear blog readers. In this article I will tell you about a man whose name is pronounced with enthusiasm in all corners of the Earth. At the same time, every time they use epithets - “maestro of dance”, “patriarch of world choreography”, “greatest dancer of the century”, “people’s artist of eight republics”. As you already understood, his name is Makhmud Esambaev.
They say that there are people who cannot be praised enough. Mahmud Alisultanovich is one of these people. His life is a true embodiment of victory strong spirit over cowardice and evil. Makhmud Esambaev was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council for 35 years and during this time he was called the “people's servant.” After all, the motto of his life has always been to help people and not expect gratitude for it. The phrase “kindness will save the world” belongs to him. Mahmud spent his whole life lending a helping hand to people and wanted to warm them with the warmth of his soul. But, most importantly, every time he did good, he himself became happier.
Such dancers are born once every 1000 years. All over the world, great choreographers and dancers, such as Igor Moiseev, Galina Ulanova, have long recognized this. Esambaev loved Russia and his Chechen people very much. After all, let's remember famous word maestro: “I have two wings – Chechnya and Russia.” Not a single significant event in the Soviet Union took place without the participation of Mahmud Alisultanovich. Concerts, festivals, holidays, significant dates, anniversaries, “Blue Light” - everywhere Mahmud was the most welcome guest. And, almost always, he set the tone; they repeatedly asked him to perform as an encore.
Biography and creativity of Makhmud Esambaev
The future king of dance was born in the village of Starye Atagi on July 15, 1924 in the family of the Chechen Alisultan from the Ishkhoy teip (by the way, about Chechen teips I'll write big article). In those years, the love of dance was instilled in us from infancy. After all, people who did not know how to dance were considered inferior in the Caucasus.
When Mahmud was 7 years old, his father very often took him with him to weddings, where the little dancer amazed everyone with his talent. But could anyone then imagine that this young man would become famous throughout the world? In those days, nomadic circuses traveled around villages and cities. At the age of 8, Esambaev began touring Chechnya as part of one of these circuses. This fact enrages his father, because he believes that this is not the business of real men and this is not how one can feed a family.
In general, one gets the feeling that fate itself led him by the hand to the heights of mastery. Everything that happened in Mahmud’s life happened “in spite of, not thanks to.” In 1934, Lyubov Orlova comes to Chechnya and is told that there is a boy who simply perfectly parodies her. Of course, Orlova became interested in looking at him. When Mahmud parodied her, she laughed for a very long time and said that this boy has a great future. It was the meeting with the circus and Lyubov Orlova that strengthened in the minds of little Mahmud a clear and distinct desire to become an actor.
In 1939, at the age of 15, Esambaev entered the Grozny Choreographic School and began participating in concerts of the Chechen-Ingush Ensemble. But, in 1941 it begins. Mahmud, as part of the ensemble, leaves for the front, but during a performance he is wounded in the leg. The attending surgeon will then announce to him that he will no longer be able to dance. This was the first blow of fate. But Esambaev did not give up and in 1943 in Pyatigorsk at the operetta theater he was offered several roles at once. By the way, he was awarded the “Order Patriotic War» II degree.
But in 1944 a new misfortune came. The entire Esambaev family is forcibly deported to Kyrgyzstan. This blow of fate was not endured by his mother, who passed away seeing the suffering of her family. My father was also very sick. But Mahmud did not break down here either. He worked hard and believed that his star would one day rise.
Here the young man’s talent was revealed in a new way. For 12 long years, until 1956, Esambaev was a soloist of the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater. Until now, in this Central Asian republic he is considered one of the founders of the Kyrgyz ballet. Mahmud Alisultanovich performed the main roles in the ballets “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”. By the way, it was here that the father admitted that he was wrong when he opposed his son’s choice.
Later, Esambaev himself recalled: “I am grateful to the Kyrgyz people for giving me the opportunity to learn the art of ballet for 12 years. I can’t remember a single bad day in Kyrgyzstan.” Mahmud became the very first dancing man in Kyrgyzstan, who was awarded the title People's Artist Kirghiz SSR. I would like to say that he was the first in everything, because it is not for nothing that in the future he will become People’s Artist of 7 more republics.
The year 1957 comes and, starting from this time, fortune accompanies him everywhere. Just that year there was held in Moscow World Festival youth. Mahmud really wanted to get there, but he understood that he did not have the means to do so. During this difficult time for the family, his wife Nina supported him.
They sold all their valuables, although there were only a few of them (a carpet, a sewing machine), and he went to conquer the capital. Of course, now few people remember that he had to sleep at train stations and live from hand to mouth, only chance meeting with the choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater Kramarevsky, who knew Esambaev, helped the young talent.
Then there was victory in two categories, gold medals, and tears of happiness from relatives. Daughter Stella Esambaeva described that moment best of all: “I was little, and my mother, I remember, hearing on the radio that dad received three medals, won first place, shouted: “Stellochka, our dad got everything!” And so I remember this moment, I perceived that moment as a child, but I was also very happy, and my mother simply cried with joy. In fact, somehow throughout her life she understood him very well and always contributed to his growth. I was incredibly happy about his success, that is, she was just a true friend to him and an extraordinary mother for me.
At the festival, Makhmud Esambaev received the most flattering reviews and honors. Read what the great Galina Ulanova said about him:
“People like Makhmud Esambaev meet, I don’t even know how many years ago, maybe once. It has unique data. He is, in essence, so flexible, so musical and so expressive, and the most remarkable thing is that with his own efforts he found a form of expression for his art, the art of his people. It seems to me that his dances, everything he performs, no one else could do like him. Even with physical abilities that only a few people have, not every ballet dancer will be able to do what Mahmud can do. In addition, he began to engage in the art of our classical ballet quite late. Maybe it’s even better that he didn’t start dancing in childhood classical school, maybe he would have lost a lot then. And so he still had nationality, nationality in every sense of the word. And that's great"
After the festival, Esambaev decides to expand his repertoire and begins to learn various dances of the peoples of the world. The most difficult thing here is that it is not enough to perform the dance technically, you need to feel it so that people look at it and recognize it as their own. Here's how he describes his decision to switch to the genre folk dances Makhmud Esambaev himself:
"Leaving academic opera, I set out on a difficult and full of surprises path. Difficult because the traditions of solo dance performance different nationalities we did not exist, and because the work of a dancer on the concert stage is no easier than the work of a performer of a large part in a play. There he has three or four acts at his disposal, during which he gradually shows the formation and development of character. There he is surrounded by his colleagues, who form the live environment of the performance. Here, on the stage, the act takes from a minute to a quarter of an hour. The dancer is alone with the audience. And he must, combining the performer, director, and stage manager, convincingly and consistently tell about the life of his hero and fit this life into a few minutes of the performance. Such brevity of the story requires special precision in preserving the dance pattern, impeccable logic acting work, an absolute sense of proportion and, most importantly, an attitude towards dance as a story of human character. The dance of any nation expresses its most characteristic, highest and most beautiful features. So I know that vocational school not enough for a dancer. Life itself should be his school.”
In this field, Esambaev’s talent revealed itself in new colors. No one other than himself can tell you about all the dances that Mahmud performed. Therefore, I suggest you watch a unique film in which Makhmud Esambaev himself talks about his life and work:
Here I would like to say that each anniversary of Mahmud was celebrated with great scope and pomp. No, he didn’t want this himself, it’s just that his friends and comrades organized grandiose events in his honor every time. On his 50th birthday in 1974, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR; on his 60th birthday in 1984, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. At the age of 70 he was awarded the Order of Friendship for outstanding achievements in the art of dance and fruitful social activities, and at the age of 75 he receives the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree.
Attitude to war and one's people
Once upon a time in Bolshoi Theater At a buffet reception in the presence of the former mayor of Moscow Luzhkov and many government ministers, Esambaev uttered the following words: “Let everyone who started the war in Chechnya die!” Everyone was simply discouraged, but no one dared to say a word to him. brought great suffering to Esambaev. He saw and felt the pain of his people. The experiences were also intensified because all his life he had tried to help people, but here he was powerless. Mahmud tried to shout and reach out to the Government and the world community, but no one heard him.
Every time he was asked about his condition, the answer was: “These are all little things, my relatives are dying there - and this is the worst thing.” Close people began to see how Mahmud began to fade before their eyes. This is what I dreamed of great dancer V last years life: “Whenever I came back from a tour, I walked around Grozny and admired every newly built house. He himself helped build the airport, the theater, and the building of the Republican Committee. Now it's all destroyed. No, I won’t be able to see everything that they did there, I’ll immediately fall and die.” He said with tears in his eyes: “Only once again I would like to see my poplars, which I planted in my native village of Starye Atagi. But, apparently, this is not destined to come true.”
Indeed, within two Chechen companies irreparable damage was caused to the culture of not only the Chechen people, but also. Look what Esambaweva's daughter writes about his experiences at that time:
“Our house in Chechnya was mercilessly burned down. Mahmud's unique costumes disappeared, books disappeared, Mahmud's entire archive disappeared. It was a good house, kind and beautiful. It was called the “Chechen Hermitage”. There were originals by great artists. People simply came, as if to a museum: to sit in a room and look. Indira Gandhi, for example, gave him a suit embroidered with diamonds and other precious stones. The loss of his home was for my uncle great tragedy. He subsequently began each of his concerts with the Chechen dance “Legend”, which tells about tragic fate a mountaineer whose family had to leave their homeland. He was very worried that he had to leave Chechnya. It was incredibly painful for him that blood was being shed on Chechen soil, and he hoped that he would live to see the day when those who started this war would be judged.”
Unfortunately, Makhmud Esambaev did not live to see this day. December 7, 2000 passed away great son Caucasus, and with it - greatest era. This day was marked by a tragedy not only for everyone, but for the whole world. According to tradition, he should have been buried in his native village on Chechen soil, but the flames of war did not allow Mahmud’s last wish to be fulfilled. He was buried in Moscow at the Danilovsky Muslim Cemetery.
There is no doubt that the war in Chechnya hastened the death of the master. Today a monument has been erected in his honor in Grozny. His work is continued by his nephews Said-Abdul and Said-Magomed Esambaev, as well as his daughter Stella Esambaeva. The World Charitable Foundation and the ensemble named after M. Esambaev have been created and are successfully functioning. Also, asteroid 4195 (Esambaev) is named after him.
Makhmud Esambaev will forever remain in our hearts as a man who loved and praised people. He has become a citizen of the world and will always be one! For us, Mahmud will always be alive! In conclusion, I want to show you a short report about him:
