The Inner Appearance of the Ballerina Sainat Jokobaeva

“No matter what role I played, I always danced from the heart...”

Artists of the Kyrgyz ballet face the specific challenge of simultaneously working on both national and classical repertoires. This is not easy, but it sharpens all facets of talent, hones the actor's ability to transform, and utilizes all the achievements of Russian and Kyrgyz ballet schools. In this ability lies perhaps the secret of many successes of the Kyrgyz ballet theater.

Saynat Djokobaeva possesses the skill to enrich her performances with a variety of shades of the characters she portrays in both national and classical ballet. She simultaneously performed the roles of Cholpon, Raymonda, and Odette.

In 1953, S. Djokobaeva began working on embodying the image of the main character in “Anar.” As is known, the second edition of this ballet was characterized by a more complex dance technique. Technically prepared, S. Djokobaeva, compared to her predecessors, created a new interpretation of the role based on the heightened culture of dance. Her Anar was truly a ballet role, without concessions to the youth of the national ballet. Saynat demonstrated both great technical mastery and a correct interpretation of the essence of Anar's character. In S. Djokobaeva's performance, Anar appeared as flesh of the flesh of the people—a determined, brave girl who knows how to defend her honor and maintain fidelity in love.

In 1955, the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater staged the ballet by V. Vlasov and V. Fere “Spring in Ala-Too.” For Saynat, participating in this performance had a special meaning: from the very beginning, she worked on the role, alongside B. Beishenaliev and O. Shirai, as one of the first performers of the main part, which found its stage embodiment for the first time.

Speaking of S. Djokobaeva, it is important to emphasize the uniqueness of the ballerina's realistic perception of the role of Sayra. While Anar expressed her feelings somewhat spontaneously, in Sayra, the ballerina highlights the increased level of consciousness of a girl from the people. The main thing is that the ballerina is guided by the ideological content of her part.

Therefore, the conventionality characteristic of ballet seems to recede into the background, giving way to the expressiveness of the presented picture and the clarity of the choreographic design.

This approach to the role contains the basis of a realistic character of performance. Alongside a vivid, meaningful dance, in which the ballerina conveys the enthusiasm and joy of first deep feelings, S. Djokobaeva also resorts to other expressive means, such as facial expressions. This is emphasized in the scene of saving the captured Red Army soldier Bugrov. The face and especially the hands of the ballerina are extremely expressive. Her facial expressions complement what she conveys in graceful fouettés, swift jumps, and various turns.

Especially impressive was Sayra Djokobaeva's dance in the finale. The celebration of victory over the enemy seems to transform into an apotheosis of her own feelings. Smooth, calm movements alternate with energetic, impulsive dancing, expressing the joy of liberation and the sense of freedom that the Kyrgyz woman has gained.

In the same year, 1955, S. Djokobaeva played the role of Fleur de Lis in the classical ballet “Esmeralda.” Portraying the role of a pompous, capricious aristocrat, S. Djokobaeva depicted her manners with sharp features as if she herself had grown up in an aristocratic society.

Subsequent roles of Saynat Djokobaeva differed from such a characteristic role as Fleur de Lis. For example, she played the fairy Lilac in “Sleeping Beauty,” and in “Giselle,” in addition to the title role, Saynat also performed the role of Myrtha and the grand pas de deux of the first act.

To dance the role of the fairy Lilac, it was necessary to completely detach from all perceptions that possessed the ballerina while performing the role of Fleur de Lis. The kindness of the fairy seems to radiate warmth and life. The theme of the fairy Lilac is accompanied in the music by a penetrating sound in E major, carrying within it the essence of goodness and light. The entire appearance of the fairy Lilac, sweet and very delicate in the perceptions of a young girl, was opposed to the evil force embodied in the image of the fairy Karabos.

S. Djokobaeva proved to be sensitive and receptive to the role, which required tender, sometimes unhurried means of external expressiveness.

Perhaps all this also applied to Giselle, whose role was a continuation of the lyrical characterization, inspiredly marked by the ballerina's performance in Tchaikovsky's ballet.

In many performances of the Kyrgyz ballet theater, Saynat Djokobaeva is one of the performers of the main roles. In recent years, her repertoire has been enriched with the roles of Gulnara (“Corsair”), Sari (“On the Path of Thunder”), Fanny and Henrietta (“Grand Waltz”), Maria (“The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”). Each of them is a testament to the strengthening mastery of the talented Kyrgyz dancer. Saynat Djokobaeva's work has been highly appreciated. In 1958, she was awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR.

Once, Saynat said about herself: “No matter what role I played, I always danced from the heart, with joy, giving all my strength to the work.” These words characterize the inner appearance of the ballerina, for whom creativity and hard work are inseparable, equally joyful and necessary for feeling the fullness of stage life.

Saynat Djokobaeva - her life in art