Soviet and Russian ballet dancer Valentina Morozova is known as Eifman's first ballerina. For the talented performer, the renowned choreographer has created several striking female images.
Boris Eifman's performances became famous in no small measure thanks to the magnificent dancers participating in them. The name of Valentina Nikolaevna is associated with the best works of the choreographer. The ballerina collaborated with the famous master from the first years of the troupe's existence.
The path to the heights of excellence
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1953. The girl was born in Leningrad on February 15.
In 1971 she received her professional education at the Vaganova Choreographic School. After graduation, the graduate worked at the Kuibyshev Theater. Her repertoire included only classical parts. In 1978 she was invited to join the Eifman Theater "New Ballet". The choreographer was just beginning his career.
By her own admission, the artist never regretted her choice. She is sure that there is absolutely no point in watching productions that do not evoke personal empathy, that do not emotionally affect the viewer. To the ballerina's surprise, the traditional repertoire remained unclaimed. The innovative solutions were unusual, but very soon Valentina realized that classical ballet had faded into the background.
Morozova began with lyrical parts. However, she gradually shifted to an extremely tragic role, which is a huge rarity in ballet.
With the advent of a new troupe, artists who have already become famous came to it. Against the background of Alla Osipenko and John Markovsky, who were shining at the Mariinsky Theater, the young soloist felt insecure. She was oppressed by the burden of enormous responsibility and timidity in front of the luminaries of the stage.
Star roles
The first to make the name of Valentina Nikolaevna famous was the ballet The Idiot. Morozovoy Eifman offered the role of Aglaya. Her idols, Markovsky and Osipenko, danced with her. The soloist was very shy about working on the image presented in the work of the classic.
Boris Yakovlevich did not give any concessions to anyone during rehearsals. He was not afraid to use both the carrot method and the stick method. Often Valentina went home completely broken and confident that she would not succeed. And it was very difficult to do everything the way the master wanted. However, Valentina was always offended only by herself.
With the departure from the troupe of Osipenko, the role of Nastasya Filippovna passed to Morozova. Her path began to reveal the uniqueness of her talent “her images”. Despite the fact that it was Aglaya who was staged for the ballerina, Nastasya Filippovna became her favorite part. The reason for this recognition was the drama. The young performer felt her heroine great. And she had enough of her own experience.
She later said in an interview that on stage she was pouring out accumulated experiences. At the same time, Morozova is sure that the role was completely unsuitable for a graduate who had just come from school: she has absolutely nothing to say to the viewer because of her lack of understanding of the tragedy of Dostoevsky's heroines due to her age.
Oddly enough, but Eifman's plastic was much more suitable for Valentina. Acting dedication made her a true ballerina of his theater. And more experienced colleagues noted precisely her interpretation of the image. They saw Valentina as an already established artist, with a completely revealed tragic talent.
Confession
Both the artists and the audience were also amazed by the role of the Mother in Requiem, where the artist perfectly demonstrated her mastery of Eifman's plasticity. And in the image of Margarita in the ballet of the same name to the music of Andrei Petrov, the change of the restrained nobility of the heroine at the beginning to a completely different witch's hypostasis during the ball at Woland's was stunned. This contrast was shown with masterly skill.
With the help of sharp and even screaming plastics, the artist splashed out into the audience the jubilant energy radiated by each step. Her every movement seemed to be improvisation, not a rehearsed step. The performer on stage has become a full-fledged co-author of the choreographer. The ballerina has proven that her real vocation is a soulful dance.
According to critics, Margarita, as read by the soloist, is outwardly almost ordinary, she is distinguished from others only by the fire flaring up in her soul. The loneliness of her heroine becomes clear from the very first moments of her appearance on the stage. The very first meeting with the soul that was originally close to her. Master, gives her hope. The whole life of Margarita will pass in the struggle for her. She appears before the public not only as a friend, but also as a student and companion of her beloved. True skill was called the role where the expressiveness of the satchels, the emotional performer and her acting talent were revealed, the role of Teresa Raken in the production of "The Assassin" based on the work of Zola. Eifman used the music of Mahler, Bach and Schnittke in the performance. Morozova turned into a real bundle of nerves from the first scene with her sick husband until her last appearance, where Laurent and Teresa, tormented by their guilt, decide to die.
Family and theater
Morozova, with the help of plastics, looks and gestures, skillfully conveyed the despair and pain of the heroine with all the nuances of her experiences. The ballerina has an image of tremendous tragic power. This production was taped for television.
After playing the role of Morozova, Eifman did not resume it on stage with other soloists: Teresa was impossible without spirituality and the ability to convey, with external restraint, all the intensity of emotions to the audience.
The renowned choreographer also took part in arranging the personal life of his muse. He and Valentina Nikolaevna became husband and wife. A child appeared in the family in 1995, a son, Alexander.
After his birth, Morozova left ballet, starting work as a teacher-tutor in the theater. The son chose a creative profession. He graduated from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the State University of St. Petersburg.
On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the ballerina's creative activity, the Mayakovsky Central City Public Library hosted an exhibition "Life at the tip of pointe shoes." It was organized jointly with the Boris Eifman Ballet Theater.
