Dancer Makhmud Esambaev biography. Life on stage

Makhmud Alisultanovich Esambaev Occupation: ballet dancer, pop dancer Date of birth: July 15, 1924 ... Wikipedia

Genus. 1924, d. 2000. Ballet dancer, famous performer dances of the peoples of the world (since 1957). He danced on the stage of the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater (1944-56). Among dance numbers many unique ones. National artist USSR (1974). Hero... ... Big biographical encyclopedia

- (b. 1924) Russian artist ballet, People's Artist of the USSR (1974), Hero of Socialist Labor (1984). In 1944 56 at the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater. Since 1957, performer of dances of the peoples of the world... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (b. 15. 7. 1924, village of Starye Atagi, Urus, Martanovsky district, Checheno Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), Soviet artist ballet, pop dancer, People's Artist of the USSR (1974). In 1939-1941 he studied at the Grozny Choreographic School, in 1944-56 he was a soloist... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia

- (1924 2000), ballet dancer, People's Artist of the USSR (1974), Hero of Socialist Labor (1984). In 1944 56 at the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater; among the parties: Rothbart and the fairy Carabosse (“ Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" by P. I. Tchaikovsky), Giray... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Esambaev Makhmud Alisultanovich- (born 1924 99) dancer. Studied choreography. school in Grozny (1939 41). In 1944 56 artist Frunz. theater of opera and ballet. Among his roles: Ataman (Cholpon), Fairy Carabosse (Sleeping Beauty), Rothbart (Swan Lake), Taras Bulba (Taras Bulba) ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Occupation: ballet dancer, pop dancer Date of birth: July 15, 1924 ... Wikipedia

- People's Artist of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor, outstanding performer of dances of the peoples of the world. The great son of the Caucasus, the future great king of dance, was born on July 15, 1924 in the village of Starye Atagi in the family of the Chechen Alisultan, who belonged to the Ishkhoy teip. Already in early childhood Makhmud Esambaev amazed those around him with his virtuoso dance performances at weddings, where his parents often took him with them. True, hardly anyone could have imagined then that the future brilliant performer of dances of the peoples of the world was performing before them. At the age of eight, Mahmud begins touring as part of one of the nomadic circuses in Chechnya. They say that in 1934 Lyubov Orlova met the young genius while on tour in Chechnya. Orlova noted Mahmud’s enormous talent and predicted a great future for him. Esambaev’s father, who wanted to see his son as a shepherd, categorically opposed his tour; he believed that the dancer would never be able to feed his family in the future. Despite his father's objections, Makhmud Esambaev entered the choreographic school in Grozny, where he studied from 1939 to 1941.

At the age of 15 he became a soloist of the Chechen-Ingush Song and Dance Ensemble, and at the age of 19 he danced at the Pyatigorsk Musical Comedy Theater. During the Great Patriotic War, the genius dancer performs with concerts both on the front line and in the rear - in military hospitals, on the construction of defense structures. During one of his performances on the front stage, the artist was wounded in the leg. The field hospital doctor told Esambaev that he would not be able to dance in the future. Despite this sentence, Esambaev intensively practices gymnastics and gradually begins to recover in order to dance again.

In February 1944, new trouble struck. According to the order of the USSR government, all Chechens are forcibly deported to Central Asia. The Esambaev family was also deported to Kyrgyzstan, and Makhmud Esambaev soon arrived in Frunze after his relatives. Unfortunately, he no longer found his mother alive. To support his family, Esambaev leads a folk dance club and also teaches ballroom dancing lessons in the small Kyrgyz village of Ak-Tyuz. In 1945, Esambaev married an Armenian woman, Nina Khanumyants, and in 1946 they had a daughter, Stella. From 1946 to 1956, Makhmud Esambaev was the leading soloist of the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater. He brilliantly performs the main roles in Swan Lake, as well as in the ballets Bakhchisarai fountain", "Sleeping Beauty". By the way, here and today Esambaev is revered as one of the founders of the Kyrgyz ballet. And it was here that the father changed his mind and completely agreed with his son’s choice. Here, for the first time, Esambaev was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Kirghiz SSR; later, seven more union republics would award him this honorary title.

In 1957, Makhmud Esambaev spoke at World Festival youth, where he won two gold medals and was awarded the most flattering praises and honors from many celebrities. Soon Esambaev moved to Moscow with his family. After the festival, he performs in Moscow with his program; later he was included in the Stars of Soviet Ballet troupe, with which he performed with great success in France and South America. The artist strives to expand his repertoire and studies the dance techniques of the peoples of the world. The most important thing for the artist was to convey in dance the most characteristic and most beautiful features of the people whose dance he was going to perform. For this, as Esambaev claims, the dancer needs only vocational school, life should be a school for him. Esambaev is the creator of the first solo program in the USSR, “Dances of the Peoples of the World.” The world saw a wide variety of dances performed by this unique dancer. Among them: famous spanish dance“La Corrida”, the Tajik “Dance with Knives”, “Fire Dance” created to the music of de Falla, the Indian “Golden God”, the inimitable Caucasian Lezginka, the Chechen-Ingush “Shepherd” and many others. For his outstanding achievements, Makhmud Esambaev received a unique suit embroidered with precious stones and diamonds. There were 1,200 diamonds alone. Unfortunately, this and other unique costumes, valuable books, originals of great artists and other valuable things were destroyed during Chechen war, when the Esambaevs’ house in Chechnya was completely burned down.

The artist was very worried that his native land blood is being shed and that he was forced to leave Chechnya. He dreamed of the day when this senseless war would end and peace would come. Unfortunately, Makhmud Esambaev, the great son of the Caucasus, greatest genius dance, didn't live to see it have a bright day. He died on December 7, 2000, at the age of 75, and was buried in Moscow. The work of the great master is continued by his daughter and nephews. The Caucasian Ensemble named after was created and is successfully operating. Makhmud Esambaev, World Charitable Foundation. An avenue in the Chechen capital and even asteroid 4195, which was discovered on September 19, 1982, are named after him.

God of dance, great son of the Caucasus, he loved to repeat: “I have a pair of wings - Chechnya and Russia.” And he became a citizen of the whole world, devoting his destiny to serving beauty and selflessly helping the people. And his stepmother, whom the dancer himself always considered his second, his Jewish mother, played a huge role in his development.

Against my father's will

From the age of seven, the boy delighted those around him with his talent, flexibility and enthusiasm. Then no one could have imagined that the young dancer would soon become famous throughout the world.

During that period North Caucasus traveling circus troupes traveled. At the age of 8, Mahmud joined one of these circuses and began traveling around the region. Esambaev's father was angry - he believed that choreography was entertainment, and not a man's occupation that could feed his family. But even then, the future king of dance, against the will of his father, decided to become a real artist.

It seems that fate itself indicated to Mahmud the right path. In 1934, actress Lyubov Orlova visited Chechnya, who, having seen the dance of a talented young man, predicted a stellar future for him, which further strengthened his decision in choosing a profession. In 1939, he decides to enter the Grozny Choreography School and soon becomes a soloist of the Chechen dance group.

Not a stepmother, but a mother

It was during that period that Esambaev was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR. And later it became “people’s” in seven more republics.

Front brigades

Soon the dancer was offered several roles simultaneously at the Pyatigorsk Opera and Ballet Theater. And later Esambaev was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree.

After the festival

After the festival, the new ballet star decides to expand her repertoire and begins to professionally study dances of the peoples of the world. He understands that such a dance must be felt, and only then performed technically. Put the soul of the people into a few minutes of movement. And in this field, the maestro’s talent sparkled with new facets.

More than once Makhmud Esambaev performed successfully abroad. He was the first in the USSR to found his own group with a solo program “Dances of the Peoples of the World”. He headed the International Society of Pop Art Leaders and was an honorary academician of the International Dance Academy. Thanks to him, buildings were erected in Grozny new circus and drama theatre.

On his 50th birthday, Mahmud Alisultanovich was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, and ten years later - Hero of Socialist Labor. On his 70th birthday, he received the Order of Friendship, and then the star “For Services to the Fatherland”, III degree.

However, the share of the patriarch of choreography is not marked by the number of awards, but by the love and recognition of grateful spectators, whose lives he made beautiful and sublime, and this made him happier... And about his second mother in his memoirs, he wrote: "She was very kind person. She and I lived a wonderful life. Never needed my father. She replaced me my own mother. If they were both alive now, I wouldn’t know who to go to hug first.”

In this video there are several of the most bright images, which were created by Makhmud Esambaev on stage.

Looking into the stellar archives, it is very interesting to see.

People's Artist of the USSR (1974)
Hero of Socialist Labor (1984)
People's Artist of the Kirghiz SSR (1969)
Knight of the Order of Lenin
Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (1999, for outstanding contribution to the development of the art of dance)
Knight of the Order of Friendship (1994, for outstanding achievements in the art of dance and fruitful social activities)
Knight of the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree (1985)

“People like Makhmud Esambaev have been dating for I don’t even know how many years. He is essentially so flexible, so musical and so expressive... that everything he does, no one else could do.” Galina Ulanova.

He only completed six grades high school, and already at the age of 7 amused guests at Chechen weddings, twirling in fast dance. He began his dance with a lightning-fast pirouette on his fingers right leg, simultaneously touching your head with your left foot. And he did it with such skill that no one doubted that the boy had a real calling for dancing. Which did not at all please the strict and stern Ali-Sultan, the father of the large Esambaev family. He hid clothes from Mahmud and locked him at home. And when he found out that his son was performing his act, moving around the nearest villages with a small nomadic circus, he was simply furious. “If you go to shepherds, there will be more benefits“, - the head of the family decided the boy’s fate. The brothers also laughed at Mahmud’s hobby.

Mahmud said about his childhood: “My father is Chechen and my mother is Chechen. My father lived to be 106 years old and married 11 times. For his second marriage, he married a Jewish woman from Odessa, Sofya Mikhailovna. She and only her I always call mom. She called me Moishe.

We lived in Frunze. I spent all my days with the boys in the yard.

Moishe! - she shouted.

Come here.

What mom?

Come here, I'll tell you why you're so skinny. Because you never see the bottom of the plate. Go and finish the soup. And then you'll go.

Moisha has a good mixture, they said in the yard, mother is a Jew, father is a Nazi.

The exiled Chechens there were considered fascists. Mom didn’t eat herself, but gave everything to me. She went to visit her friends from Odessa, Fira Markovna, Maya Isaakovna - they lived richer than us - and brought me a piece of strudel or something else.

Moishe, this is for you.

Mom, have you eaten?

I don't want.

I started leading a club at the meat processing plant, teaching ballroom and Western dancing. For this I received a bag of horse bones. Mom tore off pieces of meat from them and made cutlets in half with bread, and the bones were used for broth. At night I threw the bones away from the house so that they would not know that they were ours. She knew how to cook a delicious dinner out of nothing. When I started earning a lot, she cooked chicken necks, tzimmes, she cooked herring so that you could go crazy. My friends at the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater still remember: “Misha! How your mother fed us all!” But at first we lived very poorly. Mom said: “Tomorrow we are going to the Melomeds’ wedding. There we will eat gefilte fish, goose cracklings. We don't have this at home. Just don’t be shy, eat more.” I already danced well and sang “Varnechkes”. This was my mother's favorite song. She listened to it like a hymn Soviet Union. And she loved Tamara Khanum because she sang “Varnechkes”. Mom said: “At the wedding you will be asked to dance. Dance, then rest, then sing. When you sing, don't move your neck. You are not a giraffe. Don't look at everyone. Stand against me and sing for your mommy, the rest will listen.” I saw the rebbe, the bride and groom under the chuppah at a wedding. Then everyone sat down at the table. Music played and dancing began. Mommy said: “Now Moishe will dance.” I danced five or six times. Then she said: “Moishe, now sing.” I stood opposite her and began: “You are nemt men, woo nemt men, woo nemt men?..” Mom said: “See what a talent this is!” And they told her: “Thank you, Sofya Mikhailovna, for raising one Jewish boy correctly. Others, like Russians, don’t know anything in Jewish.

My stepmother was also a gypsy. She taught me to tell fortunes and steal from the market. I was very good at stealing. She said: “Little little girl, come here, we’ll sing.” I was accepted into the troupe of the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater. Mom attended all my performances. Mom asked me:

Moishe, tell me: are Russians a people?

Yes mom.

Are the Spaniards people too?

People, mom.

And the Indians?

Are Jews not a people?

Why, mom, people too.

And if these are the people, then why don’t you dance the Jewish dance? In “Eugene Onegin” you dance a Russian dance, in “Lakme” you dance a Hindu dance.

Mom, who will show me Jewish dance?

I'll show you.

She was very heavy, probably weighed 150 kilograms.

How will you show?

With your hands.

What about your legs?

You can figure it out yourself.

She hummed and showed me “Freylekhs”, also called “Seven Forty”. At 7.40 the train left from Odessa to Chisinau. And at the station everyone was dancing. I revered Sholom Aleichem and made myself the “A Junger Schneider” dance. The suit was made, as it were, from scraps of material that remain with the tailor. The trousers are short, the back is made of a different material. I played it all out in dance. This dance became my encore. For an encore I repeated it three or four times. Mom said: “Baby, do you think I want you to dance a Jewish dance because I’m Jewish? No. The Jews will talk about you: have you seen him dance the Brazilian dance? Or Spanish dance? They won't talk about Jewish things. But they will love you for your Jewish dance.” In Belarusian cities in those years when Jewish art was not very encouraged, Jewish spectators asked me: “How were you allowed to do Jewish dance?” I answered: “I allowed myself.”

Against the will of his father, Mahmud entered the choreographic school of Grozny, and already at the age of 15, the future great dancer performed in the Chechen-Ingush state ensemble song and dance.

He was 16 years old when the Great War began Patriotic War. As part of a front-line concert brigade, Esambaev repeatedly visited the front line, performed at the construction of defensive structures and in military hospitals. During one of these performances, Esambaev was wounded in the leg after a shell exploded near the stage where Mahmud was speaking to the soldiers. A shrapnel hit him in the leg. Esambaev finished dancing and fell backstage, losing consciousness. He underwent surgery at the field hospital. According to the memoirs of Esambaev’s daughter Stella, it is known that the surgeon told Mahmud: “I saved your leg, but you won’t be able to dance.” But the doctor was mistaken - the young man had iron willpower, and he absolutely could not imagine his life without dancing.

Front-line brigade of Chechen-Ingush artists. Makhmud Esambaev is sitting first on the left.

In 1943, in liberated Pyatigorsk, the 19-year-old dancer instantly charmed the administration of the local operetta theater with his gift, and he was immediately offered several roles from the repertoire that professional actors were working on - “Rose-Marie”, “The Serf” and “The Sea Spreads Wide” . Despite Esambaev’s youth, none of the actors doubted his undeniable talent. Moreover, Mahmud was exiled by the commandant to the village for disobedience, where for some time he had to float timber down a mountain river and was saved from certain death by fans and the theater administration.

In February 1944, Chechens and Ingush, according to Beria’s “Lentil” plan, began to be resettled in Central Asia - because of a handful of bandits running through the mountains. According to some estimates, only half a percent of the population of Checheno-Ingushetia united into formations that sought to change the current system and were waiting for the Nazis, while there were many more young people who sought to go to the front to defend the country. Mahmud's mother did not survive the resettlement, and his father became seriously ill. Grief brought father and son closer together. As daughter Stella Esambaeva later wrote, Mahmud’s father, who lived with him in those years, saw his son’s tenacity and perseverance, the hard work with which he prepared for performances. “Forgive the old man, son,” he once told Mahmud, “only now I understand how stupid I was.”

But Esambaev’s creative biography was not interrupted. From 1944 to 1957 he danced at the Kyrgyz theater. At the age of 20, he became a soloist at the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater, where Esambaev was entrusted with the main roles in the ballets “Swan Lake”, “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray”, and “The Sleeping Beauty”. He also stood at the origins of Kyrgyz choreography, danced the main roles in the first national ballet performances.

“When I saw Makhmud Esambaev for the first time at a rehearsal,” I.K. Kovtunov wrote in his memoirs, chief choreographer theater - I was delighted with this priceless nugget, the rarest gift of nature, the melodiousness of every part of the body created by God for dance.” Later, he became convinced of the enormous hard work, determination and discipline of this extraordinary young man. To the young artist he lacked choreographic education, he decided. Having mastered the theoretical program of the ballet school in an accelerated version, Mahmud immediately put it into practice. An international team helped him in this. Soon, to the applause of the audience, he began to perform not only character and folk dances, but also the main roles in classical Russian and other ballet performances: in “Swan Lake” - the evil genius Rothbart, “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai” - Khan Giray, “The Sleeping Beauty” - Carabosse , “Taras Bulbe” - Taras. He played in the premiere Kyrgyz national ballet performances - “Cholpon”, “Anar”, “Spring in Ala-Too”.

Spanish dance from the ballet “Swan Lake” performed by M. Esambaev and B. Beishenalieva. Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater.

Theater director V.Sh. Shakhrai described his impressions of the play “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”: “At the very end, Girey appeared - Makhmud Esambaev - and the stage was enlivened by a highly gifted person.” In just 13 years of work, Esambaev created dozens of unforgettable images in the theater, including in Kyrgyz national ballet performances. Makhmud Esambaev spoke about this period of his life: “Mom had her own place in the theater. They said: “Misha’s mother is sitting here.” Mom asks me:

Moishe, you dance the best, they clap for you the most, but why does everyone bring flowers, but not you?

Mom, I say, we have no relatives.

Isn’t that what people wear?

No. Relatives. Then I come home. We had one room, an iron bed stood opposite the door. I see my mother with her head under the bed and shuffling something around there. I speak:

Mom, get out immediately, I’ll get what you need.

Moishe,” she says from under the bed. - I see your legs, so make sure I don’t see them. Get out. I walked away, but I saw everything. She pulled out a bag, from it she took out a darned old felt boot, from it - a rag, in the rag there was a wad of money, tied with string.

Mom, I say, where do we get this kind of money?

Son, I collected it so that you don’t have to run around and look for something to bury your mommy with. Okay, they'll bury it that way. In the evening I dance in “Raymond” by Abdurakhman. In the first act, I fly onto the stage in a luxurious cape, in gold, and in a turban. Raymonda plays the lute. We meet eyes. We look at each other in fascination. The curtain is coming. I actually haven’t danced yet, I just jumped on stage. After the first act, the administrator gives me a luxurious bouquet. The flowers were handed over to the administrator and told who to give them to. After the second act they give me a bouquet again. After the third - too. I already realized that all this is mommy. The play was performed in four acts. This means that after the fourth there will be flowers. I gave the administrator all three bouquets and asked in the finale to give me four at once. He did just that. At the theater they said: think about it, they threw flowers at Esambaev. The next day, mommy removed the withered flowers, there were three bouquets, then two, then one. Then she bought flowers again. One day my mother got sick and was in bed. And they give me flowers. I bring flowers home and say:

Mom, why did you get up? You need to lie down.

Moishe,” she says. - I didn’t get up. I can not get up.

Where do the flowers come from?

People realized that you deserve flowers. Now they carry it for you themselves.

I became the leading artist of the Kyrgyz theater and received all the awards there. I love Kyrgyzstan as my homeland. They treated me there like to a loved one. Shortly before Stalin's death, my mother learned from her friend Esther Markovna that preparations were being made for the eviction of all Jews. She came home and told me:

Well, Moishe, like Chechens we were deported here, like Jews we are being deported even further. Barracks are already being built there.

Mom,” I say, “you and I have already learned to drive.” Wherever they send us, we will go there, the main thing is for us to be together. I will not leave you.

Esambaev’s wife was an Armenian doctor by profession, Nina Arkadyevna Khanumyants. Esambaev met her when he was 17 years old. Later they had a daughter, Stella. Esambaev said: “When Stalin died, she said: “Now it will be better.” She wanted me to marry a Jewish woman, the daughter of an Odessa resident Pakhman. And I was courting an Armenian woman. Mom said:

Tell me, Moishe, does she feed you? (This was back during the war years).

No, I say, he doesn’t feed.

But if you were caring for Pakhman's daughter...

Mom, she has skinny legs.

And what a beautiful face, and his hair... Just think, he needs legs.

When I married Nina, I cannot say that friendship arose between her and my mother. I started teaching dance at the Ministry of Internal Affairs school, and money appeared. I bought my mother a gold watch with a chain, and I bought Nina a white metal watch. Wife says:

You bought them for your mom with a gold chain instead of buying them for me, I’m young, and my mom could wear simple ones.

Nina, I say, shame on you. What good did mom see in this life? Let her at least be glad that she has such a watch.

They stopped talking, but never fought with each other. Only once, when Nina, having swept the floor, came out with the trash, her mother said: “By the way, Moishe, you could have married better.” This is the only thing she said to her.

My daughter was born. Mom took her in her arms, placed her between her large breasts, and caressed her. The daughter loved her grandmother very much. Then Nina and her mother sorted it out themselves. And my mother says to me: “Moishe, I’m looking after Nina, she’s not bad. And the fact that you didn’t marry Pakhman’s daughter is also good, she’s spoiled. She wouldn’t be able to do everything like that for you.” She and Nina began to live together. During this time, my father had already changed several wives. He lived not far from us. Mom says: “Moishe, your father brought a new Nikaiva. Come take a look.” I was walking.

Mom, I say, she’s so scary!

It serves him right.

She died when she was 91 years old. It happened like this. She had a sister, Mira. She lived in Vilnius. She came to us in Frunze. She began to invite her mother to stay with her: “Sofa, come. Misha already family man. He won’t be lost for a month or two without you.” How I tried to dissuade her: “The climate is different there. At your age you can’t!” She says: “Moishe, I’ll stay a little and come back.” She went and never came back. She was a very kind person. She and I lived a wonderful life. Never needed my father. She replaced my own mother. If they were both alive now, I wouldn’t know who to go to hug first.”

Stella Esambaeva talked about the relationship between her parents: “You know, in fact, she played a huge role in his formation, since she also had very great willpower. And seeing that he was talented, she contributed to this all her life. She seemed to be in the shadows. It’s embarrassing for me to say, it’s mom, but she always led very modestly, and she followed dad. That is, he, of course, was a wonderful family man, an extraordinary husband, it was easy to be with him. And when even dad was asked: “Don’t you ever swear?”, and he said: “This is an abnormal family where they don’t swear. So everything is very bad in this family.” Anything could happen, but basically he saw his mother as a very big support, great friend, which will support him at any time in any of his endeavors. And when I started thinking about a new dance. He made sure to tell his mother about him. And they speculated about what kind of dance it would be, who would choreograph it, what kind of costume he would wear. That is, mom understood that the moment he had an idea about this dance, he was obsessed with this dance, and he didn’t want to hear or see anything else. And she constantly seemed to contribute to his, one cannot say growth, but to his fantasies of how he wanted to do this dance, she complemented him - maybe you’ll do it like this? Mom was a very great friend to him; she was too, one might say, selfless in everything. She received his guests, but he loved guests madly. She cooked very well, and managed to be a wonderful mother and grandmother. That is, she was also universal in making sure that his home was warm, well, she said: “You need to create a lot of comfort for dad, so that he feels comfortable, because he gets very tired.” I remember when I was little, my dad came home so he could really rest. And then, when he performed his new dances, she was always present. Then she made comments to him. Although she was far from art by profession, she was well versed in art. And she told him: “You know, you better do it this way here, but here the light should be like this.” That is, she was like a professional with him.”

In the mid-1950s, at the time of the restoration of the Chi ASSR, Esambaev decided to move to the pop stage to perform dances of the peoples of the world. To do this, he had accumulated vast experience and had limitless technical and professional capabilities. Igor Moiseev and Galina Ulanova said that when they first saw Makhmud Esambaev, they immediately realized that they were in front of a rare nugget and invited him to perform at his first international competition, where he took first place and received a gold medal.

Esambaev collected his dance novellas not only in his native Checheno-Ingushetia, but also in Moscow, India, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, France and many other countries of the world where he had a chance to go on tour .

M. Esambaev - Bob. R. Samgina - Bianca. Ballet “Under the Italian Sky”.

Esambaev created a unique monotheater of dance miniatures. “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,” noted enthusiastically famous choreographer Yuri Grigorovich.

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Esambaev had fans and admirers everywhere - state leaders considered it an honor to be with him. His friends were Joseph Kobzon, Alla Bayanova, Edita Piekha and many ordinary people. Makhmud Esambaev called Joseph Kobzon “beloved younger brother" Joseph Kobzon said: “I came to see him backstage at a concert. It was 1962. He looked at me: “And I know you, you are a singer, I saw you on TV.” And by that time I was twice in “ Blue lights" showed. “So you’re not such a fool for coming to the ballet.” I often came on tour to Grozny, and Mahmud always met me. We always went to the market, and there was a crowd behind us, about 200-300 people. In Chechnya, Mahmud was idolized. “Iosik, you should definitely try our flatbreads!” - “Okay, Mamudo!” And they approached everyone. “How much are your scones?” - Mahmud asked the young Chechen woman. That one's legs were already weak from such buyers. “Help yourself, everything is free!” Esambaev spent a long time figuring out the price. “Fifty kopecks,” she finally gave up. What started here! “How can you! Shame on you! You have to plow the land, sow the grain, reap the harvest, grind the flour, make a cake, and you - fifty kopecks?” And let's scold her in Chechen. “For twenty-five rubles, go home and feed the children.” I remember how he and his uncle vied with each other to invite me to visit. And his uncle, Vakha Tataev, was the Minister of Culture of Chechnya. And so I, as a guest, invited them to my place. Uncle says a toast, and Mahmud sits, frowning. “Get up, I’m your uncle!” - Vakha Akhmetovich does not calm down. He's sitting. “Besides, I’m the Minister of Culture!” - “You are my minister of culture. You have all the culture - Makhmud Esambaev.” And it was true."

Writer Ch. Aitmatov, film director S. Bondarchuk, M. Esambaev and M. Fomenko.

He was expected in the republics, where he was known not only as a great dancer, but also as an excellent tactful interlocutor and a vivid storyteller. Esambaev did not boast of his numerous titles, awards and regalia. Thus, when on tour in North Ossetia, Esambaev almost never stayed at a hotel - he was always a dear guest in the house of the Kochisovs, with whom he was connected by family ties. “Some kind of force pulled people to him,” said Zinaida Kochisova. – Once you were next to him, it was as if you were entering a special dimension in which you felt wonderful. He was an amazing person!”

Makhmud Esambaev among his fellow countrymen in the village of Starye Atagi.

The hallmark of the new round of Esambaev’s life and work was the Indian temple ritual dance of the Baharat Natyam style “Golden God,” staged in 1957 by Eleonora Grikurova.

"Golden God"

The dance told how, having woken up, the god Shiva looked with a keen eye at all the events taking place on the land of India from sunrise to sunset. Dancing Esambaev portrayed the sun god. His dance began with Mahmoud squatting on the floor. In ballet this is called a full plie. From this position the dancer needed to rise slowly and smoothly, like the sun rising from the edge of the earth in the morning, to rise imperceptibly to the eye in one and a half minutes. full height. In this position the dance continued for six minutes. After this, also unnoticed, in a minute and a half it was necessary to return to the original ritual position. The hardest part was getting up and down correctly. If the dancer’s legs trembled a little or allowed a barely noticeable abrupt movement, the sensitive bells attached to the dancer’s ankles would instantly ring, and the entire impression of the dance would be ruined. The entire dance lasted 9 minutes. This dance was learned by Esambaev in 20 days, although Indian experts claimed that it was impossible to do this in less than 8 years.

For the first time in the USSR, Esambaev performed “The Golden God” in 1957 in Moscow in the P.I. Tchaikovsky Hall. On the All-Union art competition and the World Youth Festival, Mahmud Esambaev was awarded a gold medal for his performance of “The Golden God”, and for the “Tajik War Dance with Knives” staged People's Artist RSFSR Tamara Seifert and the Spanish dance with castanets “Bulerias” - silver medals.

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But few people know that, despite his creative successes, prosperity did not immediately come to the family of Makhmud Esambaev. His daughter Stella said: “We lived very poorly financially. Dad came from rehearsal and said: “Nina, what should I do? I just found out that there will be a world festival in Moscow, and I really want to go, try myself, maybe I’ll get at least something.” But my mother, somehow without hesitation, says: “If you want, let’s do it.” “Why, we have nothing. What will I leave you, what will I go for?” She says: “Yes, I have a sewing machine and a carpet, I will sell it, and you will go.” And when dad left, she, of course, sold it, and they quickly bought it from her. He says: “Nina, what will I leave you?” “Don’t worry (she was a doctor by profession), don’t worry. I’ll go get injections and we’ll somehow feed ourselves.” And dad left. And then, of course, I was little, and my mother, I remember hearing on the radio that dad received three medals, won first places, she shouts: “Stellochka, our dad got everything!” And so I remember this moment, I I understood him like a child, but I was also very happy, and my mother simply cried with joy. That is, in fact, somehow in 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.”

Wherever Makhmud Esambaev finds himself, his concert program he started with Chechen (or rather, Chechen-Ingush) dance. Esambaev himself interpreted the style of Chechen dances as follows: “What should amaze you is not external tricks, rotations on the knees, not a demonstration of feigned, ostentatious temperament, no, but purposefulness, elegance, grace, nobility of posture, perfect mastery of your plasticity.” Esambaev, as a choreographer and brilliant performer, created several new types of pop plot Chechen dances. Gentle and at the same time temperamental, cheerful Chechen-Ingush dance captivated the audience with its lyricism. The artist himself composed and performed the dance drama “Love for the Motherland.”

During its many years of fruitful creative biography Mahmud Esambaev performed about 100 ballet parts, dance novels, dance legends, and choreographic miniatures in ballet performances, on stage, and in films. Among them were such masterpieces as the Brazilian ritual dance “Macumba”, “Melodies of Spain”, the Uzbek dance “Shepherd”, the Russian “Emigrant”, the Mongolian “Eagle and the Hunter”, the Jewish “Tailor”, the Peruvian “Peacock”, the Bashkir gypsy, which brought great joy to viewers from different countries.

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Makhmud Esambaev devoted a lot of time to rehearsals. His daughter Stella Esambaeva said: “His art was so international, it united peoples. And as if the meaning of his art lay in this. He knew that dance always brings people together. Through dance, people expressed both their sad and joyful thoughts. That is, he knew that he, his art, brings in addition to joy - it unites people. This was his main goal in life - to unite people. He said: “The main thing is that people are united, so that they do not say who is of what nationality. We didn’t think about it.” This was the goal of his art. He was a fan, a workaholic, he could work in the rehearsal room for eight hours. In the morning he had a light breakfast, since he didn't eat much, and then he went out and worked. If it was a concert, then he rehearsed for four hours before the concert, he tried to rehearse every day to keep himself in shape. Quietly for eight hours, ten hours could be in the rehearsal room. The man was simply obsessed with his art, and he could not imagine himself outside of work. If he didn't rehearse, and if he didn't have a concert, then he had to go around all day to help people whom he could help. That is, he was always busy, nevertheless, he always found time to devote to everyone, like me and his grandchildren. He nurtured all the dances for a very long time; he did not have such spontaneous performances. I just know that if he started to hatch a dance, that dance would appear after three years, some after five years. But it seems to me that one of his favorite dances was Lezginka, then “Makumba” - “Golden God”. You know, in general it’s difficult to say which is your favorite dance. Dance-spell. There is such a text that the sorcerer cuts up a white chicken, applies magic spots to himself and begins his slow, ritual dance in order to free people from evil. And then he takes it all in negative energy and in the end he dies. And you know, it was actually a dance that was amazing. He gave so much of himself in this dance, he entered into this role so much that there was even such an incident: a nail entered his leg on stage, and he finished dancing this dance and fell unconscious. That is, he entered into this image. Yes, this dance is very strong impression left with the viewer. I just know the reviews about “Makumba”, the dance itself was so masterfully choreographed and here, one might say, it is embodied in the role. That is, there were cases when they brought their sick children and asked him to heal after this dance. That is, they believed so much that he was actually a sorcerer.”

Often Esambaev's art was rooted in the distant past. Thus, in Indian dances, ritual dance was not separated from pantomime and facial expressions. And Esambaev’s work had many similarities with both ancient Indian and ancient Greek dances. IN choreographic art Esambaev can be seen as a reflection of the creativity of modern civilizations and ancient ones. Choreographer Grigory Chapkis said: “Colleagues did not even try to repeat the movements that Mahmud performed with ease. His versatility in choreography knew no bounds. Esambaev was an amazing dancer! He performed classical, folk, Ossetian, and Indian dances simply and masterfully. He had no equal. Moreover, he was easily given both male and female roles, and this is an absolutely unique phenomenon. In the 1950s of the last century, Esambaev was almost the only dancer who could easily give a sold-out solo concert at the Ukraine Palace. It was impossible to buy a ticket for his performance.”

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The brilliant performer of a number of leading ballet roles attracted the attention of film directors. Makhmud Esambaev's film debut in 1961 took place not only as an actor, but also as a screenwriter. He wrote the script for the television play, the film-ballet “In the World of Dance”, and soon followed the main role Ishkoeva in the film “I will dance”. In the film adaptation of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet, in the film-ballet "Swan Lake" staged by directors Apollinary Dudko and Konstantin Sergeev, Esambaev performed one of the main roles.

M. Esambaev - Khan Girey in the ballet “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”. Still from the film “In the World of Dance”.

Directors Albert Mkrtchyan and Leonid Popov invited Makhmud Esambaev to play one of the main roles in the adventure-romantic drama “Sannikov Land” based on the script by Mark Zakharov. In this film, Makhmud Esambaev played the Black Shaman, who with his mesmerizing dances scared away the escaped convict Ilyin, played by Vladislav Dvorzhetsky, the exiled settler Krestovsky, played by Oleg Dahl, and the adventurer Gubin, played by Yuri Nazarov.

In the film "Sannikov's Land".

The dance maestro’s professional victory in cinema was the role of the court Musician “The Incomparable” Iga-Nash-Tush directed by Gennady Vasiliev in the musical fairy tale film about the magical City of Merry Workers “While the Clock Strikes.” The restless “Fire” in Yuri Pobedonostsev’s fairy tale “Honest Magic” was also very convincing in Esambaev’s performance. Directors adored Esambaev for his talent; they were captivated by the actor’s inner power. Elizaveta Kimyagarova invited the dancer to play the role of the treasurer in “The Adventures of Little Muk” based on the work of Gauff, and Esambaev was also excellent in this unusual role.

Was filmed in 1976 documentary"Makhmud Esambaev is dancing."

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Director Georgy Bazarov cast the actor in the role of the strictly Teacher in the political drama “Report from the Abyss,” which told the story of a military coup in a small Asian country in the late 1970s. In 1995, Esambaev starred in the role of Great Turan in an international film project. The film “Call of the Ancestors” became a joint film project between Algeria and Uzbekistan.

M. Esambaev in the role of " Evil Genius" Film "Swan Lake".

His figure and posture could be envied. One of the capital’s newspapers once wrote that models from the best fashion houses in Paris would dream of having a height of over 180 centimeters, a waist of 47 centimeters, like Mahmud Esambaev. Already in old age Mahmoud joked: “This is my physique now, but in my youth I had body subtraction.”

Esambaev was elected to the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, and the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was president of the International Union of Pop Artists. With his active support, new buildings were built in Grozny drama theater and the circus. Stella Esambaeva said: “Dad was a deputy for 35 years. And since his whole life was devoted to doing good to people, he always tried to do it, even when he was not a deputy. But having become a deputy, I simply remember such moments when he had a meeting with voters, one of the journalists asked him the following question: “Mahmud, please tell me, what is your platform?” He answered: “The platform is at the station. My platform is to do good to people all the time. I will do as much as I can, even if you don’t elect me.” Remembering that for all the time, since he was 35 years old - this is a huge period of time, as long as he was a deputy, he did so much, he canceled concerts, if he needed to fly somewhere, do something for someone. That is, he did not think about the fact that he was standing idle and his musicians were sitting, he was thinking about the person. I don’t even remember the moment when he could refuse someone. That is, he tried to fulfill all requests. In fact, I saw that he was a servant of the people, because they said: a deputy is a servant of the people. This was actually true, he was a servant. There has never been a refusal to turn anyone down. When he was on the “Motherhood and Childhood” commission, he generally loved children madly, and he wanted so much to help children, to help single mothers. I also remember that once a mother from Krasnoyarsk called, and he had a very serious tour that he could not leave, he dropped everything and flew there for two days, did everything for her. That is, he devoted himself completely to his deputy work, in addition to the fact that there were such loads on stage, he managed to do it all. He had this motto: do good and never think about how much you have done. Never expect gratitude, but do good. And he was happy when he did it. And his motto was “beauty will save the world,” and he said “kindness will save the world.” And he said: why should a person smile, kind eyes? He wanted to warm everyone with his warmth. And we have always seen that having done something to someone, he is simply happy. One might say, he did good all the time, constantly, he did not spare himself. Despite his busy schedule, rehearsals, concerts, and then very long trips, he tried to do good in every corner. And so he taught us, me and the children, that do good, and the more, the better. That is, it was the motto of his life - to do more good».

With his wife Nina and daughter Stella.

He experienced the events of 1995 very painfully. There was a war in Chechnya, while Esambaev spent his whole life preaching the idea of ​​unity of people of different faiths, different views and different nationalities. His art reconciled, united and elevated. He was a man of Peace.

Moscow. Kremlin Palace of Congresses. From left to right: Chief of Civil Defense of the USSR, Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Army General A.T. Altunin, M. Esambaev, USSR pilot-cosmonaut A.A. Leonov.

People's Artists of the USSR Makhmud Esambaev and Arkady Raikin.

Makhmud Esambaev and writer Sergei Mikhalkov.

Eyewitnesses spoke about an incident that occurred after a performance at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow at a buffet table, where there were many high-ranking officials. Makhmud Esambaev was not like himself - usually so cheerful and friendly. He was smart and neat, wearing his famous hat and tie. But there was such pain hidden in the eyes. At the table, Esambaev, perhaps the most famous Chechen at that time, was given the floor. "Tell!" - they pushed him. And he said rather rude, unusual, but clear words: “Let everyone who started the war die!” He exhaled and continued: “And everyone who doesn’t drink to it.” And everyone drank.

The war in his native Chechnya is a pain with which he could not live for long. And the point is not at all that during the Chechen war his family lost a fortune, which, as he joked, could have been used to build an entire street in Moscow. Esambaev's house was destroyed, his collection of paintings and expensive unique costumes were lost. But when they began to sympathize with him about this, he replied: “It’s all nonsense, people are dying there - that’s the worst thing.”

After these events, the Moscow mayor's office offered the dancer a choice of apartments in Moscow, and he settled on Novy Arbat. The nephew of the “king of dances” Abdulla Esambaev said: “When the war began in Chechnya, Uncle Mahmud told our father that we had to leave. He himself settled in Moscow, and we in the Odintsovo district. Our house in Chechnya was soon 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.”

About completion creative career Mahmud was told by his daughter Stella: “Despite the fact that he was a fan of art, when he left the stage, even my mother and I didn’t know about it that he would leave the stage. There is a “farewell concert of Makhmud Esambaev”, no, that didn’t happen. It was just the last concert, we thought that after some time the tour would start again. And he stopped his tours. But despite this fact that he left the stage, I don’t remember a single free minute he had, that is, his life was also seething, he was also constantly busy with something, constantly helping people. I went to evenings, meetings, talked to a lot of people. His life continued the same way. And my mother and I thought that when he quits the stage. This would be terribly difficult for him mentally, but it didn’t happen, or he prepared himself internally, but we never found out about it. That is, it did not affect the family, like many artists, when they leave their craft, they suffer, it affects the family, no, we didn’t even feel the transition from the stage to his Everyday life, it was very useless. He said that the main thing is to leave the stage in time to leave good impression. And you don’t need to walk around the stage. This was his main thing - you must leave the stage still strong, leave a good impression. He had no successors. He really wanted someone to dance the dances of the peoples of the world, and to see his follower. But I didn’t find it. Unfortunately, he had no followers. Lots of subtleties. Folk dance, in general, the art of dance is very complex, and even more so folk dance because it is the soul of the people. A person can technically dance, but to dance with such soul and dedication is very difficult. That’s why he didn’t seem to see a student, a follower, unfortunately. I just remember when he had an idea to stage a dance, he could carry it for a very long time. In order to know the soul of the people, dance in such a way that the people say: yes - this is our Bashkir dance or - this is our Indian dance. People remember Mahmud, many call me and talk about him with tears. I know that he loved his people very much. Recently I was informed that one of the streets there was named after him. His memory is alive."

Makhmud Esambaev passed away on January 7, 2000. But he left a huge legacy. “A representative of a proud people,” wrote Igor Moiseev on the pages of the Izvestia newspaper in connection with the death of Makhmud Esambaev, “dedicated himself to serving the people. It is no coincidence that his repertoire consisted of dances different nations. Friendship, kindness, beauty were the goal of his work, the basis of his views. With Esambaev's departure, we became poorer. But let’s say thank you to him for the enduring legacy that he left in art and human relations... The departure of a person like Makhmud Esmabaev is irreplaceable for art, for culture.”

Makhmud Esambaev was buried at the Danilovskoye Muslim Cemetery in Moscow. In 2001, a monument to Mahmud Esambaev by sculptors A. and N. Kovalchukov was inaugurated at the Danilovsky cemetery. It represents a granite pedestal on which a crescent moon and an Arabic prayer were engraved, and the figure of the artist himself with his hand raised up in a well-known, characteristic gesture for him.

A monument to Esambaev was erected in Grozny in 2008, and an avenue was named after him in 2009 ( former avenue Revolutions). There is a World Charitable Foundation named after Makhmud Esambaev.

A television program from the series “Life of Remarkable People” was filmed about Makhmud Esambaev.

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Text prepared by Andrey Goncharov

Used materials:

Materials from the site www.esambaev.ru
Materials from the site www.zamok.druzya.org
Materials from the site www.rusactors.ru
Materials from the site www.sv-scena.ru
Text of the article “Makhmud Esambaev: “Let everyone who started the war die,” author A. Vlazneva
Text of the article “Makhmud Esambaev: “As an awl gets out of a bag, so I jumped out of my people. It turned out I had talent...", author E. Maetnaya
Text of the interview “The Great Dancer Makhmud Esambaev”, author O. Kuskov
Text of the interview “Abdulla Esambaev: “It was impossible not to love him”, author O. Semenova

Filmography:

1961 - “In the World of Dance”
1962 - I will dance - Makhmud Ishkhoev
1968 - Swan Lake - Rothbart
1972 - “Dandelion Wine”
1973 - Sannikov Land - Shaman
1975 - To the ends of the world
1976 - While the clock strikes - court violinist Igi Nagi Tugi
1976 - Honest Magic - Fire
1983 - The Adventures of Little Muk - Treasurer
1984 - “Report from the Abyss”
1988 - Road to Hell
1994 - Overture
1995 - “Call of the Wild”

This is Rudolph NURIEV(or NUREYEV - the exact spelling of the surname is unknown, since his grandfather was illiterate). This famous dancer remained abroad during the Kirov Theater tour in Paris in June 1961.

As far as I know, this famous Soviet dancer's name was Rudolf Nureyev. By the way, he emigrated from the USSR back in 1961, and died on January 6, 1993 in France from various complications caused by acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

As a dancer he may be brilliant (the Soviet ballet school was the best in the world, no one argues with that), but as a person and personality he evokes nothing but pity and condescension, like another master of the stage Godunov (more late period). And NURIEV simply spat in the face of those who allowed his talent to blossom!

Rudolf Nureyev ( 1938-1993) Soviet and British ballet dancer, choreographer, conductor. Soloist of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov. After not returning to the USSR (1961), he became a star of the Royal Ballet in London, was the director of the ballet troupe of the Paris Grand Opera, acted in many films, staged classical ballets, has performed all over the world.

He was buried in a Russian cemetery near Paris.

Bashkir state theater opera and ballet and the Bashkir Choreographic College bear his name. Ballet festivals are held in his honor in Ufa and Kazan.

Many books have been published about the work and life of Nuriev, and his autobiographical notes have been published.

If you want to know more, then at least read this book. Very popularly written. There is also information about his personal life and his work over the years.



Most likely, we are talking about the truly great dancer of Soviet and world ballet, Rudolf Nureyev. Rudolf Nureyev was a soloist of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater, and after the Royal Ballet in London.

Rudolf Nureyev glorified Soviet ballet not only within the Soviet Union, but throughout the world. But, unfortunately, his homosexuality was not accepted in his homeland and he had to stay in Europe, which he did not regret. Only in 1987, as I remember from art history, was he allowed to visit Ufa for a short time. At this time, his mother was dying and he comes to say goodbye to her. And in 1993 he dies of AIDS.

Great dancer, choreographer and conductor RUDOLF NUREYEV emigrated in 1961, he did not return to the USSR after his foreign tour. Having started working at the Royal Ballet, he quickly became a world celebrity.

The great Soviet dancer who did not return back to the USSR in 1961 after touring in France is Rudolf Nureyev.

Among others interesting facts from his life: born on a train en route to Vladivostok, died as a result of AIDS.

Rudolf Nureyev. That was the name of this famous defector. In principle, I fully support his action (non-return) to live in the USSR creative person It was oh, how difficult it was, a closed country, a de-whiteized population.

The outstanding dancer, star of Soviet ballet Rudolf Nureyev glorified Russian ballet throughout the world. One of the many defectors of that time. A truly extraordinary and scandalous personality. Rudolf Nureyev was one of the first Soviet men to publicly admit his non-traditional orientation. And his love affair with Eric Brown one of the most passionate in history.