Artistic Activities of Bibisara Beishenaliev. The History of Kyrgyz Folk Dance. Part 8
Promoter of Professional Classical Ballet in the Republic Bibisara Beishenalieva
The twentieth century brought ballroom dance, enriched with new forms and sharp rhythms, which undeniably experienced the influence of numerous folk musical and dance cultures. Tango, foxtrot (slow and fast), Charleston, and rumba gained immense popularity. By the mid-twentieth century, the most fashionable dances became "rock and roll" and "twist," which literally flooded dance floors and became idols for the youth.
This brief excursion into the history of ballroom dance is necessary to show that the Soviet school of ballroom dance arose on a solid foundation of creative achievements of world dance culture, with a broad and fruitful appeal to folk dance art. The bold use of national traditions, reliance on modern musical rhythms, reference to the best examples of the compositional creativity of our multinational country, and the desire to convey the spiritual world of contemporaries and the sense of beauty define and characterize the performing style and aesthetics of Soviet ballroom choreography. Among such examples of modern ballroom art are "Russian Lyric," "Russian Patterns," "Polyanka," which develop the traditions of the Russian lyrical round dance, Ukrainian dances "Yatranochka" and "Slavutanka," Georgian "Kartuli," Moldovan "Beloved Hora," Buryat dance "Buyana," and other dance compositions.
In this line of choreographic searches are the Kyrgyz ballroom dances "Zhashtyk" ("Youth") and "Ballroom Dance," created by the People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the State Prize of the Kyrgyz SSR named after Toktogul Satylganov, Bibisara Beishenalieva.
The outstanding Soviet Kyrgyz ballerina Beishenalieva was one of the first promoters of professional classical ballet in the republic. A graduate of the Leningrad State Academic Choreographic School, she created a whole gallery of remarkable images on the stage of the Kyrgyz theater in national, classical, and modern ballets. Bibisara Beishenalieva was rightly recognized as a magnificent master of dance and a talented actress.
Undoubtedly, the main sphere of her activity was performing arts. She performed with shows and concerts on renowned stages in our country, at the Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR and the Leningrad Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after S. M. Kirov, and on many foreign stages. But it is essential to note a distinctive feature of the dance artist Bibisara Beishenalieva — she was truly a people's artist, known and loved by the Kyrgyz people for her remarkably generous, unique talent.
The magic of her inspired art was so great that even the initial acquaintance with her dances made people interested in the art of choreography, and many became ardent admirers of the art of Terpsichore.
The artistic activity of Bibisara Beishenalieva can be defined as high missionary work. A poet accurately said about her: "She glorified her native people with her amazing art."
With concert performances, she traveled all over her highland republic. Often these performances took place on stages unsuitable for dance, or even simply on the street, in a glade among the audience closely surrounding the artist. Such a performance face-to-face with the audience requires special authenticity, realism, and clarity of execution. According to Bibisara Beishenalieva herself, the practice of these concerts led her to the idea of creating dance compositions that reflect the folk character. Bibisara included in her concert programs the dance compositions she created, "Kiyiz" and the humorous, playful dance "Kyz Djigit" ("Girl-Djigit").
It was precisely the desire to expand the horizons of Kyrgyz choreography and introduce modern national ballroom dances that prompted Bibisara Beishenalieva to compose the Kyrgyz "Ballroom Dance," which is presented in this book.
Modern Ballroom Dance. The History of Kyrgyz Folk Dance. Part 7
