Igor Belsky
Igor Dmitrievich Belsky (
Biography
Belsky got his passion to ballet from his parents, famous vaudeville dancers. While still studying at the Vaganova Academy, in 1942, he was allowed to perform with the
In 1959, while still dancing, he choreographed the two-act The Coast of Hope at the Kirov Ballet. This work was characterized by a simple and clear style, lacking a clutter of props characteristic of the time; it became a great success, launching his directing career. Shortly after becoming chief choreographer of Maly Theatre in Saint Petersburg he retired from dancing. At Maly he choreographed The Hump-Backed Horse (1963, scored by Rodion Shchedrin), Swan Lake (1965), Eleventh Symphony (1966, scored by Dmitri Shostakovich), The Gadfly (1967) and The Nutcracker (1969).[1][2]
Disappointed with the Maly's preference for lyrical-comedy ballets, he returned to Kirov Ballet to focus on more epic themes. In 1973 he became artistic director and in 1974 choreographed Icarus. After briefly heading the Cairo Ballet in 1977–78 he worked as the chief ballet master at the
In parallel, Belsky had a long career as a teacher, which started with character dance in 1946 at the Vaganova School and continued from 1966 at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He died of a stroke, aged 74. He was survived by his wife, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, a solo dancer from the Kirov Ballet, and a son Nikita.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Nadine Meisner (17 July 1999) Obituary: Igor Belsky. The Independent.
- ^ a b Jennifer Dunning (12 July 1999) Igor Belsky, 74, Dancer, Choreographer and Former Director of Kirov. The New York Times.
- ^ Igor Belsky. oxfordindex.oup.com