When was Nikolai Tsiskaridze born? Personal life of Nikolai Tsiskaridze
The most interesting people are strong people. Those who go forward despite any obstacles and intrigues, those who constantly work on themselves, honing their skills. And such an interesting person is Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who at a meeting in the Central House of Journalists in the project "One on one" famous TV presenter Vladimir Glazunov told about himself, about some secrets behind the scenes, about journalists, about many things.
01.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze"" I promised my teacher Pyotr Antonovich Pestov, it was June 5, 1992, I was awarded a diploma, and I promised him that I would dance for 21 years. And suddenly, exactly 21 years later, I come to the schedule and see that I was staged a performance, and it turned out to be the last one under the contract. I saw that it was June 5th. I rejoiced, because I knew that everything. I never advertised it much anywhere. And when I danced the performance, I said to the make-up artist: "I'm done!" She didn't believe me. But I kept my promise and more in the role in which I usually went out to amuse the audience, I don’t do this.
02. Nikolai Tsiskaridze and Vladimir Glazunov 
"Grandfather was talking to someone. But my mother was such an active woman, big and in charge of everything. And when grandfather came, she became very soft and inconspicuous. It amazed me as a child, because it was impossible to talk to her. Usually, when I behaved badly, she said: "Nika, we need to talk." I went to the bathroom and had to sit waiting for her. She could come in right away, she could come in an hour. Anyway, I had to wait quietly there. The conversation could end badly for And somehow she was talking, and grandfather, he was a very tall man, and she interrupted him and said: "Daddy, it seems to me ..." He said without turning his head: "Lamara, in general, who asked you your opinion. A woman's place is in the kitchen." And my mother disappeared just like that. I thought: "How good!" And over time, when I already began to earn money, I told my mother: "Honey, now everything has changed
03.
“I had to enter the choreographic school, and my mother had the documents. Imagine how hard it was to get them. She didn’t consider it a profession. Like, on stage in pantyhose. Mom didn’t understand this. theater, but, of course, she did not perceive it as a profession for her child.
04.
“My nanny was a simple Ukrainian woman. She didn’t have a higher education. She spoke excellent Russian, but when we were alone, she spoke Surzhik. ", I spoke the same way. I spoke Russian, but with a strong Ukrainian accent and sometimes just switched to Ukrainian. She cooked superbly. For me, the most delicious thing is everything from Ukrainian cuisine, everything that was made by the nanny."
05.
About Stalin: "He wrote good poetry. Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin was a child prodigy. They began to publish him when he was 15 years old. Ilya Chavchavadze was looking for young poets. He chose Joseph Dzhugashvili, who was at that moment a student at the Gori Seminary. And thanks to this grant, he was transferred to Tiflis Seminary. Only children of clergy and princely families could study at the Tiflis Seminary. Children of commoners did not study there. An exception was made for Stalin, because he was an outstanding child. And we taught his poems at school in childhood. There, Joseph Dzhugashvili is still studied to this day at school because he was recognized before he became chief."
Nikolai Tsiskaridze reads Stalin's poem
“I immediately became a very revered student like that. Pestov put on an aria from Don Carlos and said: “It’s important for me now that you don’t say what it is. It is clear that you do not know this. But at least you determined the nationality of the composer. Is it a German opera or is it an Italian opera. What period is it? 19th century or 18th century?" The aria ended. He says: "Well, who's to say?" And he had favorites. And I was a newbie in the class. Everyone was talking some kind of heresy. no one will answer, I raise my hand so quietly. He says: Well, Tzadrytsa, can you tell me?" I told him: "Verdi. Don Carlos. Aria of the Princess" And he simply falls down and says: "Sit down, Tsitsadra. Five!". And from that moment on, I was a favorite student, because I knew the opera. "In general, I was a Tsesarochka, a Heron, everything in C."
06.
About the Bolshoi Theater: "It was very difficult for many to survive the fact that a lady at a respectable age chooses a boy and starts working with him. And in fact, for the last two or three years, Ulanova had a bad relationship at the Bolshoi Theater. She survived very seriously. All the ballerinas with whom I danced, we were Ulanova's students. Here I must make a reservation. The Bolshoi Theater is beautiful, I adore it. But the place is difficult. Everything is standing in a plague cemetery. There are many undercurrents. Galina Sergeevna survived. And they survived very cruelly. She was not allowed to work. She came all the time, asked for new students. And then it turned out that one of my teachers died, and the other went to the hospital. I had no one to rehearse with. And we just talked to her in the corridor. I say that's how so-and-so. She told me: "Kolya, let me help you." Imagine, the door opened and the Lord God says to you: "Let me help you." I say: "Come on." I began to take rehearsals. But so that we shit, we were given rehearsals at the most inconvenient time for Ulanovo th time. She was an authoritarian lady and for many years accustomed to living in certain conditions. Rehearsals, basically, she had at twelve. And they put her rehearsals in four or five days. It was not normal for her. And we did that all the time. And she came. And many could not reconcile. Well, how is it? Again he was lucky. Not only have her legs grown so much, Ulanova is also coming. I only worked with her for two seasons."
07.
“Now, when I cross the threshold of the Bolshoi Theater, I don’t feel any sensations. For me, it was a farewell to the theater when it was demolished in 2005. Now it has nothing to do with the Bolshoi Theater. You dance, but you don’t recognize anything. No smell, no aura. Unfortunately. It's very sad to say, but it's a fact. And I think all the old artists will say that."
08.
"You can become a minister of culture, but what to do with this position, who will explain to me? This is the most difficult position. I'm dying in the place of the rector."
09.
About the program "Big Ballet" and the TV channel "Culture"“I don’t watch the Big Ballet program on the Kultura TV channel. I refused to participate in it. I immediately said, either I will be the host of this program or I won’t be in any role. I was told that they don’t want to see the host. And I can't give an assessment, because I'll tell the truth. Before the program, I knew who would win. Because they signed everything. I said such a thing, I'm not ashamed of it. There is such a program "Dancing with the Stars." This is a show "This is on a channel that is not specifically dedicated to culture. And this is the Culture channel. And this is a conversation about my profession, to which I gave my life. Let everyone think whatever they like, how I served in this profession, but I served honestly. And to say some Pupkina, who is the favorite of someone who has already paid her the first place, that you are so heavenly good, the way you danced, I immediately saw a Leningrad back in you. I do not want this and I will never say it. I am the first that I will say that, baby, you should be ashamed to enter this hall. and go on stage in a pack, you have crooked legs. I'll say it. After that, everyone will say that I am a bastard, a reptile and I hate youth. Therefore, I deliberately refused to do so. When the first broadcast was made, Angelina and Denis were supposed to be filming, they were supposed to represent the Bolshoi Theater. But, because there was a favorite of a certain person, they were thrown out. I don't understand such things. This is very unpleasant for me, because the Kultura TV channel should not make a show. He must be responsible for those whom he shows. But I enjoy the show. I'll play whatever you want there."
10.
About journalists : "Gentlemen, when I read articles, I learn so much about myself. I am very often amazed at the tactlessness of people who represent this profession, because they misrepresent the facts regularly. But when they attribute their mistakes to the person they write about, then this is also very unpleasant. Many have seen the film "Big Babylon". I was persuaded to act in this film for a very long time. I set the condition that until I review my material, I will not allow myself to be inserted. I set this condition after I was contacted several people who are related to the political elite of our country. This film was political from the very beginning. Now the authors of this film are giving interviews and saying that supposedly this is not a political story. So I want everyone not to believe in this. Because if I was contacted by people related to politics, then politics was involved in this matter.I set the condition that I would talk about the Bolshoi Theater as a phenomenon, and I don’t want to talk about any scandals . I finished all this rubbish, I don't want to think about it. The phrases were put in there anyway, they were so cut up that it got political over and over all the time. And I forbade them to use it. They put me in anyway, pulling me from various other interviews. This is on their conscience. But now the authors who give interviews that it was so-and-so. This is so untrue, it's all so unpleasant for one simple reason: because when the author himself says at the beginning in an interview that the film is without politics, that it is made about the people of the theater. And there sit some flabby fat people whom no one knows, who do not serve in the theater either as artists, or singers, or employees of the choir, or employees of the artistic and production department and give comments on what is happening in the theater, and then he says that they filmed an interview with Grigorovich and it was not included in them. Do you understand? They found a place for this flabby man in an hour and a half film, but they did not find a place for Grigorovich's interview, even for thirty seconds. When he immediately tells that an interview was filmed with a woman who has been working in the artistic and production department for 52 years and also did not fit. Then what kind of people are we talking about? Therefore, all this dirt is so unpleasant to me, it is unpleasant to me, as it is presented, because in fact, lately my home has been overwhelmed by some kind of utter muck and blackness. But it has nothing to do with what I served and what my teachers and my senior colleagues served. We served in another Bolshoi Theatre. We belonged to a different culture. We built our lives differently."
11.
Question from beautiful atlanta_s - I voiced the ballerinas of the Bolshoi Theater, since she had a performance at that time and she could not come to the meeting: "Nikolai Maksimovich, you graduated from the Moscow choreographic school - the Moscow school. Now he is the rector of the St. Petersburg school. It has always been believed that the Moscow and St. Petersburg schools different, one might even say they are antagonists. What school do you consider yourself to be at the moment?"
12.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze": "Good! All my teachers who taught me, they are all Leningraders. Since 1934, the whole country has studied from one book by Vaganova: "Fundamentals of classical dance. The program that we use to this day. No difference. There is a difference in the timing."
Answer by Nikolai Tsiskaridze about the difference between St. Petersburg and Moscow ballet schools.
"A ballet dancer must have the consciousness of a killer, because the performance leads to a stir. No matter how prepared you are, your body is in adrenaline. If you can't cope with it, then you won't do everything you need. Therefore, if you don't coolly approach the fouette, you will simply fall face down on the floor. Because you are tired, you are suffocated. You have to turn everything in one place. Consciousness must be sober."
13.
About the putsch of 1991"In 1991, during the putsch, we were in the United States. We were immediately offered American citizenship. We were locked in the hotel for days. We wake up, and the hotel is surrounded by correspondents. There was just a legion of correspondents who all tried to get into the hotel to find out something from us "And we don't even know what happened there. If Golovkina found out, she was told that there was a coup in Russia, then no one even told us. We didn't know English. We turn on the TV, they show the Kremlin. What's going on in the Kremlin?" How do we know? It was a terrible day. We were not allowed to go anywhere. We wanted to go to the pool, we wanted to take a walk, but we sat in the building. Then we were all put on a bus, taken to Denver, from Denver right there to New York, from New York on the plane. And we got on the plane, and then Panam was flying. The plane was huge. There were about fifty of us and no one else. The whole plane was empty. And the flight attendants, realizing that they were taking us to prison, fed us. They we were all given a bag, there is Coca-Cola, chips. And they almost kissed us. They say that this is the end, that's all, in prison. We landed, there were tanks next to the strip. We are leaving, no one is at Sheremetyevo. Tanks and no one. And there is only Uncle Gena Khazanov, because Alice was my classmate and he met his daughter. Suitcases were given to us in a second. We are on the bus and going. No one in Leningradka. The city is quiet. We were brought to Frunzenskaya in this bus. A police car drove ahead of us. When we already saw our parents on Frunzenskaya, we then found out what had happened."
14. Vladimir Glazunov reads Kipling's poem "If" translated by S. Marshak
Nikolai Maksimovich Tsiskaridze (December 31, 1973) is a Russian artist, soloist of the Bolshoi Ballet, winner of many awards in the field of culture and art. Since 2001 - People's Artist of Russia.
Childhood
Nikolai Maksimovich Tsiskaridze was born on December 31 in the city of Tbilisi and was a late child. His mother gave birth to him at the age of 43, and during her pregnancy she often heard doctors' warnings that the child might be born sick and weak. However, the baby who was born was absolutely healthy and cheerful, which instilled confidence in parents who began to doubt.
Nikolai's mother worked almost all her life at a nuclear power plant, and only at the pre-retirement age, when her health no longer allowed her to make serious calculations, she got a job at a school not far from home, where she began to teach physics and mathematics. Tsiskaridze Sr. was a famous violinist and, due to his profession, rarely appeared at home, constantly touring and performing in different cities and countries.
Since both parents were busy almost the whole day, the child was raised by the paternal grandmother and a hired nurse. The first taught the child to write and forced to listen to classical works, and the nanny sought to teach the boy to read. It was she who instilled in him a love of literature.
“I read Shakespeare for the first time at the age of 6. Even today I meet a widespread opinion that this age is not suitable for such works. But I can’t agree with this - I understood the essence of the play and I really liked it very much.
In parallel, Kolya's talent is manifested easily and naturally in front of a large audience. He often staged performances and staged skits at school, went with his mother and grandmother to theater performances with pleasure, and even spoke to his neighbors a couple of times, reading short poems and showing his talent.
Youth
In 1984, Nikolai decides to enter the Tbilisi Choreographic School. There he continues to improve his talent and at the same time participate in productions. However, the young guy understands that this is far from the ultimate dream. Enlisting the support of the school administration, he is transferred to the Moscow Choreographic School. It is here that he meets his first and, as Tsiskaridze himself later admits, Pestov's best teacher. Despite the fact that the teacher is famous in the school for his firm and sometimes even cruel teaching methods, he becomes a real idol and idol for a young guy.
“I think that every teacher should be like this. He taught me not only to move on stage, but also to fight, to fight to the last. I can say with confidence that, even being almost killed during the performance, I can finish my role and leave the stage with dignity on my own.
By the way, in the school Tsiskaridze receives not only invaluable experience, but also makes his first successes. Pestov immediately notices talent and huge potential in him, and after six months Nikolai becomes the best student on the course, performs solo parts and even several times acts as a young teacher for newly arrived talents.
Career
In 1992, Nikolai Tsiskaridze graduated from college with honors and long after that came to visit old friends and the teaching staff. With the help of connections (at one of the performances at the school, Tsiskaridze is noticed by the chairman of the examination committee of the Bolshoi Theater Grigorovich), he becomes a corps de ballet dancer and works for him for a year. However, the chairman immediately notices the incredible talent, artistic abilities and excellent physical fitness of the young man, so after six months Tsiskaridze plays solo roles in many theatrical productions, the most popular and famous of which are The Golden Age, Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker .
After this, Nikolai's colossal career rise on the theater stage begins. In just a few months, he becomes the performer of almost all male roles in productions, playing in such performances as "Cipollino", "Chopiniana", "Narcissus", "La Sylphide", "Vision of the Rose", etc. At the same time, productions help him get acquainted with such famous personalities like Maria Alexandrova, Roman Simachev, Svetlana Ulanova, Boris Fadeechev, who become not only teachers and mentors of Tsiskaridze. From them he learns from experience. They become reliable friends, always helping the dancer in everything.
Conflict in the theater
In November 2011, Nikolai Tsiskaridze gains negative popularity in the media after an interview in which he openly criticizes the restoration of the Bolshoi Theater. According to him, the theater no longer looks like what it should have been. At the moment, it is more like a cheap Turkish hotel than a place where people come to relax culturally. It all starts with the fact that Tsiskaridze becomes the first person who is allowed onto the restored historical stage, which amazes the dancer.
Instead of beautiful old stucco, which was supposed to be a key element of the design, Nikolai sees only pieces of poorly glued papier-mâché, which he cannot but tell the chief architect about. But he only refers to the director of the Bolshoi Theater Iksanov - they say that we were ordered, we did. Deciding that it is impossible to keep silent about this violation, Tsiskaridze first tries to talk with the director himself, and then gives an interview to one of the magazines, accusing the local administration of absolute incompetence and at the same time promoting his candidacy for the post of director of the Bolshoi Theater.
After 2 years, Nikolai is involved in another scandal called "acid attack", where the main victim is the artistic director of the ballet of the same theater, Sergei Filin. During one of his interviews, a guy runs out of the crowd and pours acid into the man's face, after which he is taken away by an ambulance. All suspicions fall on Tsiskaridze, since at one time Sergey refused to put the dancer on one of the main roles of the production, offering only an episodic one. However, after interrogations, it becomes clear that the famous dancer was not involved in this. However, Nikolai's relationship with the Bolshoi Theater deteriorated sharply.
Personal life
Like many of his other stage colleagues, Nikolai Tsiskaridze very often became the protagonist of many rumors. He was credited with numerous novels with actresses and even fans. Once suspected of non-traditional sexual orientation. However, the dancer is in no hurry to refute anything, firmly believing that he has no excuses to anyone and nothing. But, according to him, he still does not have a serious relationship and family for several reasons that Nikolai prefers to remain silent about.
Born December 31, 1973 in Tbilisi. Father - Tsiskaridze Maxim Nikolaevich, violinist. Mother - Tsiskaridze Lamara Nikolaevna, teacher of mathematics and physics in high school.
Dancer N.M. Tsiskaridze is the premiere of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, one of the leading artists of the troupe, performing the main parts of almost the entire ballet repertoire. From early childhood, the future artist was fond of performing arts, especially puppetry. An irresistible impression was made on him by the tour of the S.V. Obraztsov in Tbilisi, after which he himself began to make dolls, and as an adult, he retained his love for them and amassed a large collection. But all other interests were overshadowed by the boy's love for dancing.
In 1984 he was sent to the Tbilisi Choreographic School. The successes were such that it became clear: it was necessary to take him to Moscow. In 1987, the young man entered the Moscow Academic Choreographic School, which he graduated in 1992 in the class of a wonderful teacher, Professor P.A. Pestov.
Immediately after graduating from the Tsiskaridze College, at the invitation of Yu.N. Grigorovich was accepted into the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. Somewhat earlier in the same year, he became a scholarship holder of the New Names International Charitable Program, which celebrated the most talented young talents in all forms of art.
In 1996 he graduated from the Moscow State Choreographic Institute.
At the Bolshoi Theater, Tsiskaridze at first, as befits novice artists, danced almost the entire corps de ballet repertoire, and then began to perform small, but already quite complex parts: the French doll in The Nutcracker, the Entertainer in the Golden Age, the Young Man in Chopiniana, The blue bird in "Sleeping Beauty" and others. Soon he was entrusted with leading roles in all the main performances of the classical repertoire: in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, in Raymond and La Bayadère, in La Sylphide and Giselle, as well as in modern ballets: "Love for Love", "Paganini", "Symphony in C", "The Queen of Spades" and others.
In addition, Tsiskaridze's repertoire includes small one-act ballets and dance numbers, which he successfully performs both on the stage of the theater and in concerts and on tour: "The Vision of the Rose" directed by M. Fokine, "Narcissus" directed by K. Goleizovsky , "Classical pas de deux" to the music of L. Aubert, pas de deux from the ballets "Le Corsaire", "Flower Festival in Genzano" and others.
In 1995, Tsiskaridze received a silver medal at the VII International Ballet Competition in Osaka (Japan), and in 1997 - the first prize and a gold medal at the VIII Moscow International Ballet Competition, in addition, at the same competition, the personal prize of Peter van der Sloot "For the preservation of the traditions of Russian classical ballet". They not only started talking about the young dancer and began to write in the press, but the audience began to specially go to performances with his participation, he had fans.
Best of the day
The successes of Tsiskaridze were marked by a number of awards: the prize of the magazine "Ballet" - "The Soul of Dance" in the nomination "Rising Star" (1995), the diploma "Best Dancer of the Year" of the society "Silfida" (1997), three times the national award "Golden Mask" in the nomination "Best Actor" (1999, 2000, 2003) with the Benois de la Danse prize in the nomination "Best Dancer of the Year" (1999), the Prize of the Moscow Mayor's Office in the field of literature and art (2000) and, finally, the State Prize of the Russian Federation ( 2001) for the performance of the main roles in the performances of The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, La Bayadère, Raymonda, The Pharaoh's Daughter. All these awards and merit awards celebrated the contribution made by a talented artist to the art of choreography.
Tsiskaridze has unique natural gifts, thanks to which he was able to reach the heights of dance art: tall, slender figure, attractive appearance, he is plastic and musical by nature. But all these are only prerequisites for the creation of genuine art. In order for them to turn into an artistic result, it is necessary to go through the school of classical dance, which Tsiskaridze mastered to the highest degree. His dance is technically impeccable, distinguished by the purity of lines and the perfection of the classical school with its aesthetics of beauty and joyful light flight movements.
But even this is not enough to create high art. There is also a need for the spiritual filling of each role, the knowledge of its essence, its human and figurative meaning, the combination of dance and acting skills. Then the dance becomes emotional, exciting, infecting the viewer with its inner content.
Spirituality is inherent in Tsiskaridze's dance, it is distinguished by strength, but without any "pressure", lyrics, but without sentimentality, emotionality, but without pretense. Tsiskaridze dances with great feeling, but without excessive affectation. In his art there is that measure of internal tension and external restraint, which creates the majestic beauty of plasticity.
All these properties are polished and improved in his work in the theater under the supervision of outstanding tutors. He began to prepare his first roles with G.S. Ulanova and N.R. Simachev, and then studied with M.T. Semenova and N.B. Fadeechev. They helped him along the way to perfection.
What has been said about Tsiskaridze's dance refers primarily to his roles in the classical repertoire, for which he received most of his prizes and awards, including the State Prize. In these roles, Tsiskaridze had many predecessors. He seemed to have absorbed all their experience, but transformed it in accordance with his own individuality. Therefore, his performance of the leading roles in classical ballets can be called a reference.
In "Swan Lake" P.I. Tchaikovsky directed by Yu.N. Grigorovich (2001) Tsiskaridze performs alternately both main male roles: Prince Siegfried and the Evil Genius. Although this is a classical ballet, Yu.N. Grigorovich created in it a completely new figurative and philosophical concept, while retaining the best of the old choreography. For the first time, Prince Siegfried with his divided, restless soul became the main character of this performance. And Tsiskaridze perfectly conveys his elegance and noble aristocracy, as well as his romantic daydreaming - but at the same time his drama, committed as a result of a fatal mistake. Particularly interesting is Tsiskaridze in the role of the Evil Genius. In the play Yu.N. Grigorovich is fate that weighs on the Prince, and at the same time his double or that dark part of his soul, because of which he betrayed his love and remained alone at the end of the performance. The evil genius of Tsiskaridze is sinister and demonic. He dominates Siegfried and Odette, and Tsiskaridze's dance here is assertive and energetic, combined with expressive pantomime. His Evil Genius constantly accompanies Siegfried and Odette, watching them, seeking to destroy them. The dance and acting sides of the role are in perfect balance.
In "Legend of Love" by A. Melikov directed by Yu.N. Grigorovich (2002) Tsiskaridze plays the central role of Ferhad, an artist divided between a sense of love and a sense of duty. His Ferhad is soft, insinuating in an oriental way. The actor emphasizes not so much his heroism as a love drama. The image develops from joyful carelessness at the beginning through emotional conflicts and difficult experiences to a hopeless tragic end.
Quite different was Tsiskaridze in the play "The Queen of Spades" (to the music of the Sixth Symphony by P.I. Tchaikovsky), staged at the Bolshoi Theater in 2002 by the French choreographer Roland Petit.
R. Petit said about Tsiskaridze: "I found Herman on the very first day." The choreographer created a technically complex and dramatic part of the protagonist. Tsiskaridze's dance as Herman is nervous, impetuous and passionate. His duets with the Countess are tense and dramatic. And both characters perish from their evil passions.
Tsiskaridze's talent is multifaceted. He equally succeeds in images in classical and modern performances, extended parts and small miniatures. He is a worthy successor of high art, alien to naked technicalism and external showiness, emotional and figurative art, organically combining dance and acting skills. It should also be noted that Tsiskaridze was the first performer of the part of the King in "Swan Lake" by V. Vasilyev (1996), Taora in "The Pharaoh's Daughter" by P. Lakotte and Herman in "The Queen of Spades" by R. Petit.
In 2003, R. Petit staged the ballet "Notre Dame Cathedral" on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater (music by M. Jappa, libretto by the choreographer himself based on the novel of the same name by V. Hugo). The role of Quasimodo was played by Tsiskaridze. This character in the performance has neither a fake hump nor a disfigured face - his ugliness is conveyed only by grotesque plasticity. At the same time, the choreography was composed by the choreographer in such a way that it not only depicts the appearance of the hero, but also makes it possible to express mental states and psychological development of the image. Tsiskaridze in this role showed extraordinary dramatic skill, extraordinary expression, while in a complex, sometimes virtuoso dance part, he created an artistically convincing, truly tragic image. His art has risen to a new level here.
The artist treats the preparation of each of his roles very responsibly, thinks about the character of the hero, listens to the music, polishes the movements with tutors, participates in the creation of the costumes of his heroes, finding interesting and winning details for them. Obviously, the artist has gone only part of his way, he is in the prime of his creative powers and he has new roles, performances and achievements ahead of him.
Of course, in the life of Tsiskaridze, dance art comes first. But he loves music very much, is fond of opera, has collected a significant record library. He especially appreciates singers who combine excellent vocal abilities with outstanding acting skills, such as Maria Callas, Tito Gobi and others.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze is sociable, participates in a number of television programs. He loves books, travel, expanding horizons and enriching the inner world.
In Tbilisi (Georgia) in the family of a violinist and a school teacher.
In 1984-1987 he studied at the Tbilisi Choreographic School.
In 1992 he graduated from the Moscow Choreographic School (class of Pyotr Pestov), in 1996 he graduated from the Pedagogical Faculty of the Choreographic Institute (now the school and the institute are merged into the Moscow State Academy of Choreography). In 2012 he entered the master's program at the Moscow State Law Academy.
He started with the corps de ballet repertoire, then began to perform solo parts: Entertainer in the "Golden Age" by Dmitry Shostakovich (1992), French Doll in "The Nutcracker" (1993) and Prince Fortune in "Sleeping Beauty" (1993) by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Mercutio in "Romeo" and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofiev (1993).
Since 1995, he has performed the main roles in the ballets The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, La Bayadère by Ludwig Minkus, Paganini to music by Sergei Rachmaninov, Pharaoh's Daughter by Caesar Pugni and others
In 2001, Tsiskaridze was the first performer of the Evil Genius in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake (second version by Yuri Grigorovich), Hermann in The Queen of Spades (staged by Roland Petit). First performer at the Bolshoi Theater as Quasimodo in Notre Dame de Paris by Maurice Jarre (staged by Roland Petit) in 2003, as Theseus (Oberon) in A Midsummer Night's Dream to music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and György Ligeti (staged by John Neumeier) in 2004.
In early June 2013, it became known that the Bolshoi Theater decided not to renew contracts with Tsiskaridze as an artist and teacher-tutor, which expired on June 30, 2013.
The conflict between the theater management and the artist became public in 2011, when Tsiskaridze publicly criticized the administration of the Bolshoi Theater for the quality of the reconstruction of the historical stage. Subsequently, the artist more than once allowed himself open critical statements about the theater administration. For this, he received several reprimands, some of which.
On October 28, 2013, Nikolai Tsiskaridze was appointed acting rector of the A.Ya. Vaganova in St. Petersburg.
In 2006-2009, Tsiskaridze was a participant in the first three programs of the dance project "Kings of the Dance" (Kings of the Dance). As a permanent member of the jury of the dance competition, he participates in the television show "Dancing with the Stars" on the Rossiya TV channel. He is a permanent host of the program "Masterpieces of the World Musical Theater" on the TV channel "Culture".
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Away show "Odnoklassniki" "In touch!" visited the People's Artist of Russia Nikolai Tsiskaridze.
On whether a ballet dancer needs long legs
It is important to have good proportions. In my case it was successful. And despite the fact that I am not very tall compared to my colleagues, I always seemed longer than them. On stage, everything changes due to the size of the head, the length of the arms, the length of the legs. There was a very funny incident. I had a lot of complexes in adolescence, like all children, and I still have a lot of them, but then it was generally. Since I studied at the choreographic school, we had such a subject - fine arts. And we were taught by a very good teacher, he is now an expert on Russian painting, he is the main expert at many auctions. And one day he entered the classroom and said: “Today we will study proportions. Now we will put Tsiskaridze on the chair and prove that this happens in life. And there was such a Talmud, which said that the finger should fit in the hand so many times, the face so many times in the body, and so on. And in everything I had a 99% hit. And after that I felt something special in myself.
Ballet - life?
I just wanted to be on stage. I was shown the theater from all sides - puppetry, ballet, and drama. It’s just that they flew in ballet, there were transformations, imagine what it’s like to see a child at 3.5 years old. No one flies like this in real life. In addition, I liked the music, some sentimentality.
About admission
I entered the Tbilisi Choreographic School, and my mother was categorically against it. Still, in Georgia, boys are not very active in ballet. They accepted everyone, and my mother believed that they accepted me simply because the boy came. And she was told that there was something non-standard in the child, that he should be taken to Moscow, to St. Petersburg, but she resisted for a long time. Until the last day, until I finished school, she convinced me, they say, maybe we’ll quit, leave, and do normal business. She didn't like it. She adored the theatre, she adored ballet, but as a spectator. And she did not want such a fate for me. I did it in spite of everyone, but from the first day I had the conviction that I was some kind of exceptional, no one could convince me. Rewinding, I swear to you, I do not understand why I was sure.
About Baryshnikov
I belong to a generation that perceived that culture through television. When I finished school, he no longer danced. We have seen it all through video. I can't say that I had a favorite artist. For one role, he was one, and for another - another. The artist for me was like Chomolungma, and if I took on this role, I wanted to jump over.
About Petipa
Everyone who practices ballet should be grateful to him. All the classics that exist today are his performances, which scattered around the world and became the basis of the classical repertoire of all theaters. I worked a lot at the Paris Opera, and on the other side of it, which faces the Lafayette Gallery, there is a square named after Diaghilev. And it's very touching. In the city center there is a place dedicated to a Russian cultural figure, but we have nothing in honor of the founder of classical ballet. And since we have many nuances to which I would like to draw the opinion of the state, our high officials, I came up with the idea that the bicentennial anniversary must be celebrated solemnly. I wrote a letter to the governor of St. Petersburg, Georgy Sergeevich Poltavchenko, saying that let's turn above. He wrote to Putin, and Vladimir Vladimirovich signed a decree that 2018 would be dedicated to Petipa. And I also made sure that a memorial plaque appeared on the street of the architect Rossi, where our academy is located. It was very pleasant that Oleg Vinogradov, a very famous ballet master and a man who had directed the Mariinsky Ballet for more than 20 years, came to the opening. He said: "I have not been able to do in 30 years what Kolya has been able to do in the last two years." I fought for this board for two years, breaking through not only paper, but also financial issues. And when we opened the blackboard, a very elderly lady came up to me, such a real Petersburger, pulled my sleeve and said: “You have immortalized yourself with this act.” I thought that if after 200 years someone remembers me, I will be very pleased.
About the dress code at the Vaganova Academy
The school has a school uniform, and I follow this very strictly. In general, I believe that self-discipline is the greatest victory of a person over his character and that is what distinguishes us from the animal world. Although there is also a very serious discipline. See flocks of birds or watch elephants. I do not accept laxity and dishonesty. Having served for 21 years as a premier at the Bolshoi Theater, I never once allowed myself to come to the hall dressed slovenly or slovenly. They don't spit in their bread.
About the results of the rectorship
It's never too late to draw conclusions. The fish rots from the head, and it is immediately clear when you enter the entrance, what kind of owner is in this building, what kind of inner world does he have. And if you go into the restrooms, you will understand what it is like. I am the head of everything, and I am responsible for it.
About which teacher
In art, the whip is the best gingerbread. When no one pays attention to you, it means that you are not needed. Sometimes I speak with humor, sometimes I have to raise my voice.
I had an experience when I performed at the Shadow Theatre. There was a wonderful performance. There were little dolls playing and my feet. I was a giant. They offered me to play several performances for the children. And they arranged it all in the yard and showed it to the children. And one of the directors began to ask the children what I am, how I behave. And the children said that it's not scary when I scream, it's scary when I joke.
A person must be accustomed to the fact that we are working for the viewer. We bring laughter and joy to people. We have to make a fairy tale out of this. Not a set of tricks, movements, when you stink, show how uncomfortable you are. When I see a person suffering on stage, I don't want to see or hear him.
About football players
When we had some exercises, I did with them, and during the stretching they gave me a massage, and they stretched and cried. At the same time, they were 16-20 years old, and I was already 30. At the same time, I looked younger than they were. And they resented me for not stretching until the doctor showed them how I could. It hurt them to even look at it. Of course, I felt sorry for them, but when we started running, they felt sorry for me.
Favorite ballet
My favorite performance is Sleeping Beauty, in all respects. It's just a fairy tale, music of insane beauty, a wonderful plot, and besides, this is one of the few performances where I live to the end and happily married. In all roles, I ran after a dream and died. Or the main character died, and I suffered further.
How did you get to the Bolshoi Theater
I immediately said that if they did not take me to the Bolshoi Theater, I would not dance anywhere else. This profession was not interesting to me in another version. I was also invited abroad, to other theaters. I grew up at a time when they explained to us that it was wrong to leave the Motherland. And then, when such thoughts began to visit me, I couldn’t leave. I am the most titled dancer in Russia.
How to keep fit
Catastrophe. I lose weight constantly. I left the stage with a waist of 68 centimeters and a size of 48. Now it’s already 52. When I now see my costumes at exhibitions, I can only say: “How can you fit into this?” I eat like a locomotive. I even had to limit myself and not eat after 16.