Azerbaijani ballet ( az, Azərbaycan baleti) is the training methods and aesthetic qualities seen in

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

History

The Azerbaijani ballet originated in 1940, with the creation of the '' Maiden Tower'' ballet by

Afrasiyab Badalbeyli Afrasiyab Badal bey oghlu Badalbeyli ( az, Əfrasiyab Bədəl bəy oğlu Bədəlbəyli) (19 April 1907, in Baku – 6 January 1976, in Baku) was a Soviet Azerbaijani composer, with noble Iranian origins (he was the descendant of Bahman Mirza and ...

. During that period, ballet was a relatively new genre for Azerbaijani spectators, but ''Maiden Tower'' managed to attract a large audience. It notably featured the first Azerbaijani ballerina, Gamar Almaszadeh, Badalbeyli's wife at the time. The ballet ''Gulshan'' written by

Soltan Hajibeyov Soltan Ismayil oghlu Hajibeyov ( az, Soltan İsmayıl oğlu Hacıbəyov, russian: Солтан Исмаил оглы Гаджибеков, also transliterated as Sultan Gadzhibekov; 5 May 1919 – 19 September 1974), was a Soviet Azerbaijani comp ...

was the second ballet staged successfully at the

Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (Azeri: ''Axundov adına Azərbaycan Dövlət Akademik Opera və Balet Teatrı''), formerly known as the Mailov Theatre

in 1950. Azerbaijani ballet became known outside of Azerbaijan thanks to two ballets by

Gara Garayev Gara Abulfaz oghlu Garayev ( az, Qara Əbülfəz oğlu Qarayev, russian: Кара́ Абульфа́зович Кара́ев (Kara Abulfazovich Karayev), February 5, 1918 – May 13, 1982), also spelled as Qara Qarayev or Kara Karayev, was a pr ...

: ''

Seven Beauties ''Seven Beauties'' ( it, Pasqualino Settebellezze, "Pasqualino Sevenbeauties") is a 1975 Italian language film written and directed by Lina Wertmüller and starring Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, and Shirley Stoler. Written by Wertmüller, the ...

'' and '' The Path of Thunder''. Dancers such as Gamar Almaszadeh,

Leyla Vakilova Leyla Mahad qizi Vakilova ( az, Leyla Vəkilova) (27 January 1927, Baku – 21 February 1999, Baku) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani ballerina and ballet instructor. Career Leyla Vakilova was born in Baku, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet ...

, Konstantin Batashov, Rafiga Akhundova, Vladimir Pletnyov and Chimnaz Babayeva made great contributions to the Azerbaijani ballet. In addition, directors such as Ismayil Hidayetzade, Mehdi Mammadov, Adil Isgandarov, Sultan Dadashov and Firudin Safarov and conductors such as

Niyazi Niyazi Zulfugar oghlu Taghizade Hajibeyov ( az, Niyazi Zülfüqar bəy oğlu Hacıbəyov) (1912–1984) was a prominent Soviet Azerbaijani conductor, and composer of the renowned symphonic mugham "Rast". Early life Niyazi was born on August 2 ...

, Ashraf Hasanov, Ahad Israfilzade, Rauf Abdullayev and Kamal Abdullayev also contributed to the development of Azerbaijani ballet. In 1969, dancers of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater were awarded a diploma by the Paris Dance Academy at the International Dance Festival held at Champs-Élysées theater in Paris. In 2010, the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater celebrated its 100th anniversary. On 13 October 2014, Garayev's ballet ''Seven Beauties'' premiered in

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at the

San Diego Civic Theatre The San Diego Civic Theatre is a 2,967-capacity performing arts venue located in downtown San Diego, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In February 2021, ''Seven Beauties'' premiered in Moscow Provincial Theater.

Notable ballets

The most important ballets in the Azerbaijani repertoire include: * '' Maiden Tower'' by

* ''Smiling Man'' by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli * ''Garaja'' by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli * ''Tarlan'' by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli (children ballet) * ''

'' by

* '' The Path of Thunder'' by Gara Garayev * '' Leyli and Majnun'' by Gara Garayev * ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

'' by

Fikret Amirov Fikret Mashadi Jamil oghlu Amirov ( az, Fikrət Məşədi Cəmil oğlu Əmirov; November 22, 1922, Ganja – February 20, 1984, Baku) was a prominent Soviet and Azerbaijani composer. Biography Fikret Amirov grew up in an atmosphere of Azerba ...

* '' Nizami'' by Fikret Amirov * ''The Legend of Nasimi'' by Fikret Amirov * ''Caspian Conquerors'' by Fikret Amirov * '' The Legend of Love'' by

Arif Malikov Arif Malikov (also Melikov; Baku, 13 September 1933 – Baku, 9 May 2019) was an Azerbaijani composer. He graduated from the Baku Conservatory as a music composer in 1958. He shot to fame in 1961 when his first major composition " Legend of Lov ...

* ''Stronger than Death'' by Arif Malikov * ''Twain'' by Arif Malikov * ''Poem of Two Hearts'' by Arif Malikov * Babek by Agshin Alizadeh * Journey to the Caucasus by Agshin Alizadeh * ''Whites and Blacks'' by Khayyam Mirzezadeh * ''Love and Death'' by

Polad Bülbüloğlu Polad Bulbuloghlu ( az, Polad Bülbüloğlu; born February 4, 1945) is a Soviet and Azerbaijani singer, actor, politician, and diplomat. Bulbuloghlu became famous in the Soviet Union with composing jazz-influenced pop songs which has heavy Azerba ...

Notable dancers

Rafiga Akhundova Rafiga Haji gizi Akhundova ( az, Rəfiqə Hacı qızı Axundova, born 7 August 1931) is an Azerbaijani ballet dancer, ballet master. People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1970). Biography Rafiga Akhundova graduated from Baku Choreography Sch ...

* Madina Aliyeva * Gamar Almaszadeh * Chimnaz Babayeva * Gulaghasy Mirzayev * Tamilla Shiraliyeva *

Khumar Zulfugarova Khumar Rza gizi Zulfugarova ( az, Xumar Rza qızı Zülfüqarova;15 November 1927, Baku – 2 July 2017, Baku) was an Azerbaijani dancer, choreographer, founder of the Azerbaijan State Dance Ensemble. She was awarded the title Honored Artist of th ...

References

{{Ballet History of ballet