Makhmud Alisultanovich Esambayev (russian: Махмуд Алисултанович Эсамбаев; 15 July 1924 – 7 January 2000) was a Soviet and Chechen dancer, ballet master,

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

. Makhmud was regarded as one of the most famous dancers of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

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 significa ...

(1974) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1984).

Biography

Makhmud was born in Starye Atagi,

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

to a Chechen family. When he was a child, his father would take him to village weddings where he would perform dances. At the age of fifteen, Makhmud joined the Checheno-Ingush Song and Dance Company, and at nineteen, he joined the operetta theater of

Pyatigorsk Pyatigorsk (russian: Пятиго́рск; Circassian: Псыхуабэ, ''Psıxwabæ'') is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia located on the Podkumok River, about from the town of Mineralnye Vody where there is an international airport and about ...

, where he would give concerts to

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

troops fighting in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In 1944, he was deported along with other Chechen people during the

Deportation of the Chechens and Ingush The deportation of the Chechens and Ingush ( ce, До́хадар, Махках дахар, inh, Мехках дахар), or Ardakhar Genocide ( ce, Ардахар Махках), and also known as Operation Lentil (russian: Чечевица ...

, an ethnic cleansing of Chechen and Ingush people by the Soviet forces. Years later, Makhmud joined the

Kyrgyz Kyrgyz, Kirghiz or Kyrgyzstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kyrgyzstan *Kyrgyz people * Kyrgyz national games *Kyrgyz language *Kyrgyz culture *Kyrgyz cuisine *Yenisei Kirghiz *The Fuyü Gïrgïs language in Northeastern China ...

theater of opera and ballet as a soloist, where he played the lead role in productions of ''

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 ...

'' (playing the part of Von Rothbart), ''

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 ...

'' and '' The Sleeping Beauty''. After the rehabilitation of the Chechen people and gaining the right of return, Makhmud was elected more than once to the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USS ...

of the

Checheno-Ingush ASSR The Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; inh, Нохч-ГӀалгӀай Автономе Советий Социализма Республика, Noxç-Ġalġay Avtonome Sovetiy Socializma Respublika; russian: Чече́но-И ...

, the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

, and the

. Makhmud was known for always wearing his

papakha Papakha (; , ; ; ce, холхазан-куй, holhazan-kuy; , ; ) is a wool hat worn by men throughout the Caucasus and also in uniformed regiments in the region and beyond. The word ''papakha'' is of Turkic origin (''papakh)''. Styles Ther ...

hat, calling it "my crown" and not even removing it when meeting with a

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state (polity), state#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international p ...

. His papakha made an unparalleled and very conspicuous presence on the floor of the Soviet legislature. On noticing it, the Soviet leader

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and ...

would murmur that "Makhmud is here, it's time to call the session open." He died of natural causes on 7 January 2000. He was a recipient of the Hero of Socialist Labour and

awards.

Honours and awards

* Hero of Socialist Labour (13 July 1984) - for outstanding contributions to the development of Soviet choreography *

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by ...

, 3rd class (15 July 1999) - for outstanding contribution to the art of dance *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...

(20 July 1994) - for outstanding achievement in the arts of dance and productive social activities *

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisa ...

, 2nd class (11 March 1985) *

Honored Artist of the RSFSR Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...

(1957) *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orches ...

(1966) *

(1974) * A minor planet, 4195 Esambaev, is named after him * The former "Central street" in Starye Atagi was renamed after Esambayev in 2011. * Nairamdal Medal of the

Mongolian People's Republic The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It w ...

(1977) , - ! colspan="3" style="background: red;" ,

Ovation The ovation ( la, ovatio from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, p ...

, - , -

Filmography

*''I Will Dance'' (1963) *''Swan Lake'' (1968) *''

The Land of Sannikov ''The Land of Sannikov'' (russian: Земля Санникова, Zemlya Sannikova) is a Soviet 1974 adventure film about the fictional Sannikov Land loosely based on the 1924 novel of the same name by Vladimir Obruchev. Plot The exiled settler ...

'' (1973) *'' Upright Magic'' (1975) *''At the World's Limit International'' (1974) *''Upright Magic'' (1975) *''Rip'' (1994)

References

External links

Chechnya Free.ru Article on Makhmud Esambayev
*
Kinox.ru Biographical Data
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esambayev, Makhmud 1924 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Russian ballet dancers 20th-century Russian male actors People from Groznensky District Tenth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Eleventh convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Chechen dances Chechen people Heroes of Socialist Labour Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian people of Chechen descent Kyrgyzstani ballet dancers Russian choreographers Russian male actors Russian male ballet dancers Russian male dancers Soviet choreographers Soviet male actors Soviet male ballet dancers Soviet male dancers

Biography

Honours and awards

Filmography

See also

References

External links