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Vakhtang Chabukiani
Vakhtang Mikheilis dze Chabukiani[a] (March 12, 1910 – April 6, 1992) was a Soviet and Georgian ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher. He is considered to be one of the most influential male ballet dancers of the 20th century, and is noted for creating the choreography of several of the most famous male variations of the classical ballet repertory, for example in Le Corsaire, La Bayadère, and Swan Lake. He is also noted for his and Vladimir Ponomaryov's 1941 revival of La Bayadère for the Kirov Ballet, which is still retained in the company's repertory and has served as the basis for many subsequent productions in Russia and abroad. Early life and careerBorn in Tbilisi to a Georgian father and a Latvian mother, Chabukiani graduated from the local Maria Perini Ballet Studio in 1924. He continued his studies at the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute (today the Vaganova Academy) between 1926 and 1929. He debuted at the Kirov State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (today the Marrinsky Ballet) in Leningrad in 1929, and took part in the first Soviet ballets tours in Italy and the United States in the 1930s. He quickly established himself as a skillful artist and became a leading soloist with the Kirov. LeningradChabukiani's rise to prominence in the 1930s enabled him to combine classic ballet with Georgian folk dance traditions to create a form of dance that is uniquely Georgian. Heroism and romanticism were characteristics of his style both as dancer and choreographer. He also regularly challenged the refined delicacy of ballet and gave male dancers an active leading role in the work.[1] On 16 May 1930, Chabukiani performed as Siegfried in Swan Lake. Galina Ulanova, famous for her performances in the role of Odette, wrote: "Such a partner as Konstantin Sergeyev provides my dancing interpretation with more lyricism, while, on the other hand - Chabukiani adds more temperament". He also performed in Don Quixote on 16 November 1930. He became renowned not only in Leningrad, but also around the whole USSR. When tenor Leonid Sobinov first saw him, he exclaimed: "This is a miracle of nature". The Soviet press wrote:
In her book Soviet Ballet (1945), English writer and journalist Iris Morley wrote:
Before his American tour, Chabukiani and his partner Tatyana Vecheslova gave concerts in Latvia and Estonia, where they performed pas de deux from Flames of Paris, Le Corsaire and Don Quixote. In 1938, the Kirov performed Chabukiani's own ballet The Heart of the Mountains, to music by Andria Balanchivadze (brother of George Balanchine). In 1939, Chabukiani created the ballet Laurencia, based on the play Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega and music by Alexander Krein. In this performance, Chabukiani attempted to combine the principles of choreodramy and virtuosic classical dance. When a reporter asked Maya Plisetskaya what marked the beginning of the Soviet ballet, she answered: "the ballets of Chabukiani…"[2][3][4] In 1941, Chabukiani and Vladimir Ponomaryov produced a revival of La Bayadère at the Kirov, which is still retained in the company's repertory. It has served as the basis for many productions in Russia and abroad, including Rudolf Nureyev's and Natalia Makarova's. Eviction from the KirovAt the start of World War II, the Soviet government demanded works supporting the policy of the USSR. One such ballet was Taras Bulba, adapted by Rostislav Zakharov from the short story Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol. The premiere took place on 12 December 1940 at the Kirov. Chabukiani performed as Andriy, the negative character. He played the role so well that his negative character began to be perceived as positive. Communist leaders accused him of playing incorrectly; the affair became political, and Chabukiani was expelled from the company and transferred to Tbilisi. Return to TbilisiIn 1941, Chabukiani returned to Georgia and served as the chief dancer and choreographer at the Tbilisi Theatre of Opera and Ballet until 1973, when he took charge of the Tbilisi Choreographic School. He played a major role in developing ballet in Georgia and in the training of a new generation of dancers. Among Chabukiani's students were Vladimir Djouloukhadze, Irina Jandieri, Nino (Nina) Ananiashvili, Irma Nioradze, Nikolay Tsiskaridze and Igor Zelensky, as well as David Makhateli, Elena Glurjidze, Lali Kandelaki, and Zakharia Amonashvili. "My principles remain unchanged", he argued, "Georgian Classic Ballet must be established on the national basis, folklore elements must be organically confluent with the classic ones, but the proportions must be carefully distributed and strictly defined…". In his documentary The Wizard of Dance: Vakhtang Chabukiani, Kote Makharadze recalls about the Tbilisi premiere of the ballet The Heart of the Mountains: "Georgian folk dance of the warriors "Khorumi" from the third act, enriched by unexpected passages, chords and cascades of ballet steps, had been ending with a fiery dance "Mtiuluri (Mountain Dance)" performing by Chabukiani in a duet with the outstanding folk dancer, founder of National Ballet, Iliko Sukhishvili. And when the two great masters, having different plastics, crossed their arms on the stage of art, used to become the real firework of dance… Just that dance became the first stone of building in excitable Georgian National Ballet…" Chabukiani also worked on several films and staged ballets throughout the world: Glory of the Kirov (1940), Stars of the Russian Ballet (1953), Masters of the Georgian Ballet (1955), and The Moor of Venice: Othello '1960). In 1958 in Moscow, his ballet The Moor of Venice: Othello, with music by Aleksandr Machavariani and a stage design by Simon Virsaladze, premiered on the occasion of Georgian Art Decade; the leading roles were performed by himself, Vera Tsignadze, and Zurab Kikaleishvili. He was awarded the Lenin Prize, the second ballet artist after Galina Ulanova in 1957. Maya Plisetskaya wrote: "The Moor personalized by Vakhtang Chabukiani is incomparable. His Othello represents the simplicity, plainness, wisdom and child naivety. This is a glory of people who created this unforgettable masterpiece". The Kirov premiere of Othello was noted by the press as truly "Chaliapin's performance". Howard Thompson, in a New York Times review of a 1960 film version, described it as "Shakespeare with electricity". Chabukiani invited Mikhail Dudko to perform the role of Brabantio in the film version, although his career had been ended by the Soviet regime. In 1961, Chabukiani choreographed Maurice Ravel's Boléro; in 1967, a new ballet Sunrise/განთიადი, to a score by F. Glonti; and in 1980, the one-act ballet Appassionata, to music Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23. Throughout his career, Chabukiani received numerous awards and titles, including Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1939), Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR (1943), People's Artist of the USSR (1950), Stalin Prize (1941, 1948, 1951) and Lenin Prize (1958).[5][6][7] Personal lifeChabukiani is thought to have been homosexual and has at one point been persecuted by Soviet Georgian political leadership, in part, due to his sexuality.[8] Some have used Chabukuani as an example of Georgian tolerance for homosexuals, in contrast with the challenges facing LGBT rights in the country.[9] Film The Moor of Venice - Othello 1960Film-Ballet from William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello[10] Director and Choreographer : Vakhtang Chabukiani
Variations
Excerpts from articlesNew York Times Jan. 13, 1934 - "Took New York by Storm in MOST SENSATIONAL SUCCESS of the SEASON!"
References
NotesExternal links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vakhtang Chabukiani.
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