Bernara Rakhimovna Karieva (russian: Бернара Рахимовна Кариева; uz, Bernora Qoriyeva; born 28 January 1936) is a Soviet and Uzbekistani former ballet dancer, prima ballerina, choreographer and politician. She was prima ballerina of the Navoi Theater from 1956 to 1996 and its artistic director between 1994 and 2002. Karieva ran the Youth Ballet of Uzbekistan community from 1979 to 1983 and chaired both the Union of Theater Workerds and the Coordinating Council for South-East Asian theaters. She was an elected deputy of the

Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union The Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union (russian: Съезд народных депутатов СССР, ''Sʺezd narodnykh deputatov SSSR'') was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991. Backg ...

from 1989 to 1991 and was on the Committee of the Commission of the Council of Nationalities on the Development of Culture, Language, National and International Traditions, Protection of Historical Heritage. Karieva has received various state awards such as 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 ...

, the

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 ...

, the

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...

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 ...

Early life

She was born on 28 January 1936, in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Uzbekistan (, ) is the common English name for the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR; uz, Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси, Oʻzbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi, in Russian: Уз� ...

. She is the daughter of the former director of the

Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre The Perm Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre is an opera and ballet theatre in the city of Perm in Russia. It is one of the oldest theatres in the country, and it has remained a major musical centre during its history, in which many significant a ...

and she was brought to view his productions. Karieva had her stage debut in the ballet Ak-belyak although her mother opposed her daughter being on stage. From 1947 to 1951, she studied at the Uzbek Choreographic School (today the Tashkent State Higher School of National Dance and Choreography). Karieva is a 1955 graduate of the Moscow Choreographic School (today the

Moscow State Academy of Choreography The Moscow State Academy of Choreography (russian: Московская государственная академия хореографии), commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of ball ...

) and was taught by . This came after she was recommended to the school by the dancer

Raisa Struchkova Raisa Stepanovna Struchkova (russian: Раиса Степановна Стручкова) (5 October 19252 May 2005) was a Russian dancer and People's Artist of the USSR. Biography Struchkova was born on 5 October 1925 in Moscow to a factory wo ...

and Karieva lived away from her parents.

Career

Following graduation, Karieva was accepted into the Navoi Uzbek Theater of Opera and Ballet in Tashkent. She had rejected offers to remain in Moscow, and she was

prima ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

between 1956 and 1996 before going on to be artistic director from 1994 to 2002. Karieva opened the Youth Ballet of Uzbekistan community in 1979, which she ran until 1983. She combined classical choreography and Uzbek folk dance, allowing choreographers to create their own compositions. Karieva established the private choreographic school called "Style and Dance from Bernarda Karieva" in Tashkent in 2004. She was artistic director rof the opera and choreographic project "Prince Igor. Polovtsian Camp" that was set to

Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin ( rus, link=no, Александр Порфирьевич Бородин, Aleksandr Porfir’yevich Borodin , p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr pɐrˈfʲi rʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bərɐˈdʲin, a=RU-Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin.ogg, ...

's music and held at the Navoi Theater in 2021. Karieva is the Professor of the Department of Choreography of the State Academy of Choreography of Uzbekistan. She persuaded the Uzbek government to establish the Union of Theater Workers that she was chair of and was also chair of the Coordinating Council for South-East Asian theaters. Karieva has performed the roles of Odette-Odile in

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's ''

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 ...

'', Maria in ''

The Fountain of Bakhchisarai ''The Fountain of Bakhchisaray'' (russian: «Бахчисарайский фонтан», ''Bakhchisaraiskiy fontan'') is a poem by Alexander Pushkin, written during the years 1821 to 1823. Pushkin began writing ''The Fountain of Bakhchisa ...

'' by Asafyev, the title role in ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...

'' by Shchedrin, Mekhri in Leviev's ''Sukhail' and Mekhri'', and Sonni in Ashrafi's ''The Amulet of Love''. She was also a performer as Phrygia in ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising ...

'', Parasha in ''

The Bronze Horseman The ''Bronze Horseman'' (russian: link=no, Медный всадник, literally "copper horseman") is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was opened to the public on 7 (18) August ...

'', Nina in the ''

Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

'', the title role in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', Semurg in ''Semurg'', Rano in ''Tanovar'',

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

in ''

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 ...

'',

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in ...

in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', Desdemona in ''

The Moor's Pavane ''The Moor's Pavane'' is a 20-minute ballet based upon the tragedy ''Othello'' by William Shakespeare. The ballet was choreographed by José Limón in 1949 to music from Henry Purcell's ''Abdelazer'', ''The Gordion Knot Untied'', and the pavane fr ...

'', the title role in ''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities ...

'', Maryamkhon in ''The Poisoned Life'', the Stranger in ''The Stranger'' and the heroine in ''Elegy'' among others. Karieva has performed in more than 55 ballet productions. In 1967, Karieva became a member of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

. She was chair of the board of the Union of Theater Workers of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic/Republic of Uzbekistan from 1985 to 1998. Between 1989 and 1991, Karieva was an elected deputy of the USSR in the

. She was on the committee of the Commission of the Council of Nationalities on the Development of Culture, Language, National and International Traditions, Protection of Historical Heritage. Karieva has advised the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan on issues relating to theatre since 2002. She lobbied Uzbek authorities to give the Russian language state status in 2019, and is a representative of the theatres in all four

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

republics.

Personal life

Karieva has been twice married and has two children. Daughters: one is a musician, the other is a doctor.

Awards

She has been the recipient of various state awards. She was the recipient of a silver medal at the Moscow Choreographic School in 1957, and in 1959, Karieva was awarded the

, named in 1964, the in 1970. She was made a

in 1973. In 1982, Karieva was awarded the

in the literature, art and architecture field and the

four years later. She was given the by President

Islam Karimov Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov ( uz, Islom Abdugʻaniyevich Karimov / Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов, italics=no; russian: link=no, Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов; 30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was t ...

in 1992. Two years later, Karieva was given the , from President

Askar Akayev Askar Akayevich Akayev ( ky, Аскар Акаевич (Акай уулу) Акаев, translit=Askar Akayevich (Akay Uulu) Akayev ; ; born 10 November 1944) is a Kyrgyz politician who served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until being ov ...

in 1996 and the Fidokorona Hizmatlari Uchun in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karieva, Bernara 1936 births 20th-century ballet dancers 20th-century Uzbekistani women 21st-century Uzbekistani women Living people Dancers from Tashkent Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union Moscow State Academy of Choreography alumni People's Artists of Uzbekistan People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the USSR State Prize Prima ballerinas Soviet ballerinas Soviet choreographers Uzbekistani dancers Uzbekistani female dancers Uzbekistani women choreographers Recipients of Order of Friendship of Uzbekistan