Natalia Dudinskaya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Natalia Dudinskaya
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Natalia M. Dudinskaya as Söyembikä in the Jakobson/Yarullin Shuraleh, Leningrad, c. 1935
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Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya
8 August 1912 |
| Died | January 29, 2003 (aged 90) |
Natalia Mikhailovna Dudinskaya (born August 21, 1912, in Kharkiv – died January 29, 2003, in Saint Petersburg) was a very famous Russian ballerina. She was known as a "prima ballerina," which means she was a top dancer. Natalia Dudinskaya was a leading star at the Kirov Ballet from the 1930s to the 1950s.
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Early Life and Training
Natalia Dudinskaya was born in Kharkiv, a city that was part of the Russian Empire. Her mother, Natalia Tagliori, was also a ballerina. Her mother was taught by a famous ballet teacher named Enrico Cecchetti.
Natalia Dudinskaya began her ballet training with Agrippina Vaganova. Vaganova was a very important teacher who developed a special way of teaching ballet. Natalia finished her training in 1931.
A Star on Stage
After her training, Natalia Dudinskaya joined the Kirov Theatre. She quickly became a star. She danced the main roles in many classic ballets. These included the lead part in Cinderella.
She also created new main roles in ballets like Boris Asafyev's Flames of Paris and Taras Bulba. She was especially famous for her performances in Bayadere, Don Quixote, and the main role in Laurencia.
Famous Dance Partners
Natalia Dudinskaya often danced with her husband, Konstantin Sergeyev. He was also a very talented dancer. She also performed with the famous Georgian dancer Vakhtang Chabukiani.
Towards the end of her dancing career, she chose a young dancer named Rudolf Nureyev to be her partner. He was only 21 years old at the time. They danced together in Laurencia.
Later Career and Teaching
Natalia Dudinskaya had to stop dancing in 1961 because of her health. However, she still appeared in a film version of Sleeping Beauty in 1964. In this movie, made by her husband, she played the role of Carabosse.
During her career, she won four Stalin Prizes. These were important awards in the Soviet Union. In 1957, she was given the title of People's Artist of the USSR. This was a very high honor for artists.
Becoming a Teacher
After retiring from dancing, Natalia Dudinskaya became a ballet mistress for the Kirov Ballet. This meant she helped train and guide the dancers. She also became one of the most famous teachers at the Vaganova Institute. This school is known for training some of the best ballet dancers in the world.
Natalia Dudinskaya continued to teach many young dancers. Some of her last students included Anastasia Volochkova and Ulyana Lopatkina. She also helped her husband stage his ballet shows in other countries. For example, she worked with the Boston Ballet in the 1980s and 1990s. She helped them with famous ballets like Giselle, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, and Le Corsaire.
Natalia Dudinskaya passed away in 2003 when she was 90 years old. She is remembered as one of the most important figures in Russian ballet.
