The Performance “Memory” in the Context of the Creative Searches of the Soviet Ballet Theater of the 1960s—1970s

Abstract

The period of the 1960s—1970s was the heyday of the Soviet ballet theater. At that historical stage, a whole generation of innovative choreographers worked in many theaters of the USSR, and their work was based on loyalty to traditions and willingness to present their own vision of the ballet theater development. The article addresses the past of the Soviet ballet theater and examines the early period of creativity of G.G. Malkhasyants (1937—2008), one of the choreographers of the sixties. The author reconstructs the ballet “Memory” — one of his early performances, staged at the Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theater in 1973. The performance was the opener of the One-Act Ballet Evening. The second performance was “Carmen Suite” by G. Bizet — R. Shchedrin, and the final of the Evening was “Naughty Ditties” by R. Shchedrin. The purpose of the reconstruction of the ballet, which has left the stage and does not have a video recording, is to determine the context of the era during which the performance was staged, and to recreate the very image of the performance.G.G. Malkhasyants’ creativity has hardly been studied; scientific work in this direction has just begun. For the first time, the article uses materials from the choreographer’s family archive — newspaper reviews, pre-premiere and premiere reports, photos from rehearsals and performances, handbills and announcements of performances. The relevance of their introduction into scientific circulation lies in the need to analyze the works of innovative choreographers of the second half of the 20th century, in particular — to reconstruct performances that have left the stage and do not have a video recording.In the 1970s, G.G. Malkhasyants put into practice his own idea and understanding of the staging process in choreography and developed various choreographic techniques and directing principles. His work reflects the continuity of the generation of choreographers of the 1960s in relation to the ballet theater of the 19th — first half of the 20th century and proves the need to rely on traditions and achievements of choreographers of the past. Considering G.G. Malkhasyants’ creative searches and experiments, it is possible to trace the main trends in the development of the Russian ballet theater of the second half of the 20th century. The study helps to understand the prospects for the modern choreographic art development.