Aleksey Nikolayevich Yermolayev (Russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Ермола́ев; 12 December 1975) was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher. He played an important role in the development of Russian ballet between 1950 and 1975, and he was considered an outstanding actor.

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

(1970).

Education

Aleksey Yermolayev was born in

Tver Governorate Tver Governorate (russian: Тверская губерния, ''Tverskaya guberniya'') was an administrative division (a ''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 ...

(

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

according to different sources) in 1910. At the Leningrad Choreographic School he completed the required eight years of training in only five years, graduating in 1926, aged only 16; his teacher there was Vladimir Ponomaryov. He spent four years in the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

in Leningrad, and made his name in modern roles. He spent the years 1930–1938 as Principal Dancer at the

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it came to internatio ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Career

Yermolayev demonstrated impressive athletic strength, and a vivid personality in his acting. His roles included the God of the Wind (''

The Talisman A talisman is an object which is purported to possess certain magical properties. Talisman may also refer to: Art and entertainment Fictional characters * Talisman (comics), a superhero from Marvel Comics who was a member of Alpha Flight * Tali ...

''), Basilio (''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

''), Albert (''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

''), Siegfried (''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

''), Abderakhman (''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky ...

''), Ripafratta (''

Mirandolina ''Mirandolina'' ( H. 346) is a comic opera in three acts by Bohuslav Martinů, with a libretto (in Italian) by the composer after Carlo Goldoni's 1751 comedy ''La locandiera'' (''The Mistress of the Inn''). Salieri had an opera (''dramma giocoso ...

''), and Gireï ('' La Fontaine de Bakhchissaraï'').Dansomanie
(in French) He created roles in: *Lopukhov's '' The Ice-Maiden'' (1927) *Lopukhov, Ponomaryov, and Leontiev's ''

The Red Poppy ''The Red Poppy'' (russian: Красный мак, Krasniy mak) or sometimes ''The Red Flower'' (russian: Красный цветок, Krasniy tsvetok) is a ballet in three acts and eight tableaux with an apotheosis, with a score written by Rein ...

'' (1929) *Jerome in Vainonen's Moscow version of the ''

Flames of Paris ''Flames of Paris'' or ''The Flames of Paris'' (russian: Пла́мя Пари́жа) is a full-length ballet in four acts, choreographed by Vasily Vainonen with the stage director Sergei Radlov to music by Boris Asafyev based on songs of the F ...

'' (1933) *Ripafrata in Vainonen's ''Mirandolina'' (1949) *Tybalt in Lavrovsky's Moscow version of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' (1946) *Yevgeny in Zakharov's ''The Bronze Horseman'' (1949) *Severyan in

Leonid Lavrovsky Leonid Mikhailovich Lavrovsky (1905–1967) was a Russian ballet choreographer, most famous for choreographing the first full version of Sergei Prokofiev's ''Romeo and Juliet''. Early life Lavrovsky was born in 1905 in St. Petersburg, the son ...

's '' The Tale of the Stone Flower'' (1954). In 1951 he created ''Piece Will Win War'' at the Belarusian National Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre. He arranged the music and performed all the roles. In the 1955 Soviet film of the ''

'' ballet, Yermolayev danced Tybalt, the role he created in 1946. Among his choreographies were: *''

Nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

'' (the first Belarusian ballet; 1939, with Lopukhov; mus. M. Kroshner; for the Byelorussian Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Minsk), and *''Burning Hearts'' (or ''Fiery Hearts'') (1955; mus. V. Zolotarev).

Later life

He became a teacher and coach at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1960, remaining there until his death in 1975. From 1968 to 1972 he was also artistic director of the Moscow Choreographic School. Among his pupils were

Alexander Godunov Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, Vladimir Vasiliev, Māris Liepa, U. Vladimirov and M. Lavrovsky. He was a People's Artist of the USSR and Belarus, laureate of three Stalin Prizes in 1946, 1947 and 1950, and the

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

and the

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

. He died in

in 1975, aged 65.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yermolayev, Aleksey 1910 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Russian ballet dancers People from Tver Governorate Mariinsky Ballet dancers Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Ballet choreographers Ballet teachers Russian choreographers Russian male ballet dancers Soviet choreographers Soviet male ballet dancers Burials at Vvedenskoye Cemetery

Education

Career

Later life

See also

References