Azerbaijani ballet () 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 en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

History

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

Afrasiyab Badalbeyli Afrasiyab Badal bey oghlu Badalbeyli () (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 Abbas Mirza), conductor and music critic, autho ...

. 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 (5 May 1919 – 19 September 1974) was an Azerbaijani and Soviet composer. He was awarded the People's Artist of the USSR on 26 July 1973.

was the second ballet staged successfully at the

Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater () is an opera house in Baku, Azerbaijan. Formerly known as the Mailov Theatre (), was built in 1911 by Armenian architect Nikolai Bayev.

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

Gara Garayev Gara Abulfaz oghlu Garayev (February 5, 1918May 13, 1982) was a prominent Soviet Azerbaijani composer. Garayev wrote nearly 110 musical pieces,Azad Sharifov"Remembering Gara Garayev: A Legend in His Own Time - 80th Jubilee" in Azerbaijan Inter ...

: ''

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

'' and '' The Path of Thunder''. Dancers such as Gamar Almaszadeh, Leyla Vakilova, 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 (; 20 August 1912 – 2 August 1984) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani conductor and composer. People's Artist of the USSR (1959) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1982). Early life Niyazi was born on August 20, ...

, 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

San Diego Civic Theatre The San Diego Civic Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown San Diego, California. It opened in 1965. It is the performing home of the San Diego Opera The San Diego Opera (SDO) is a professional opera company based in San Diego, California ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 ''Layla and Majnun'' ( "Layla's Mad Lover"; ) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Arabian poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his lover Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya). "The Layla-Majnun theme passed from ...

'' by Gara Garayev * ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

'' by

Fikret Amirov Fikret Mashadi Jamil oghlu Amirov (November 22, 1922February 20, 1984) was a prominent Soviet and Azerbaijani composer. Biography Early life and education Originally from Shusha, Fikret Amirov was born on November 22, 1922, in the family of ...

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

The Legend of Love The Legend of Love (牛郎織女) is a 20 episode drama by TVB, filmed in 2002 and released overseas in June 2003. It was re-aired in 2004 on BTV, and in 2005 and 2007 on TVB channels. It is an adaptation of the story of The Cowherd and the Wea ...

'' 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 Agshin Aligulu Alizade (; May 22, 1937 in Baku – May 3, 2014 in Baku) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani composer, People's Artist of the Azerbaijani SSR (1987). Alizade made a significant contribution to the development of the Azerbaijani ballet. H ...

* Journey to the Caucasus by

* ''Whites and Blacks'' by Khayyam Mirzezadeh * ''Love and Death'' by

Polad Bülbüloğlu Polad Bulbuloghlu (; 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 songs with heavy Azerbaijani folk influences in Azer ...

Notable dancers

* Rafiga Akhundova * Madina Aliyeva * Gamar Almaszadeh * Chimnaz Babayeva * Gulaghasy Mirzayev * Tamilla Shiraliyeva * Leyla Vakilova * Khumar Zulfugarova

References

{{Ballet History of ballet