Lyubov Gershunova – born to dance

Lyubov Gershuvona, the brightest star of the Novosibirsk ballet, National Artist of RSFSR, awardee of State RSFSR prize would have turned 70 years on 5th August. Some unforgettable chapters of history of the Novosibirsk theatre and Russian ballet art in general are connected to the name of an outstanding ballerina, and regarding her connection with another brilliant dancer Anatoly Berdyshev, her partner on the stage and in private life, Lyubov Gershunova has become one of the main symbols of the Siberian ballet.

“Using an inconceivable sixth feeling she was able to figure out the best way to show her amazing skills, to find a suitable angle turning an unhandy movement into a summit of grace — wrote a theatre historian Valery Romm about the ballerina — Her very first performances defined her unique ability to fill the long, fluent and sometimes simple motions with sense, enduing them with poetry and sacred significance. It felt like she was speaking to the audience with her heart”.

Lyubov Gershunova and Anatoly Berdyshev belong to the first generation of the Novosibirsk choreographic school graduates and the first disciples of the Siberian ballet institution to become the International Ballet competition winners and the National Artists of RSFSR. Lyubov Gershunova’s unique gift revealed itself from her very first lead role as Syuimbike of F.Yarullin’s “Syuimbike, the bird of happiness” at the Novosibirsk theatre in 1968.

The combination of these qualities made her famous as one of the best ballerinas of her time. At the Novosibirsk stage she managed to create unforgettable images, capturing the audience and professionals with exquisite honesty and subtlety of her dance: Odette-Odile (“Swan Lake”), Giselle (“Giselle”), Marie (“Nutcracker”), Phrygia (“Spartacus”), Nikia (“La Bayadère”); Lady Macbeth (“Macbeth”), Conchita (“Juno and Avos”), Sylphide (“La Sylphide”), Fraschesca (“Francesca da Rimini”) and other. Her dancing talent especially revealed itself in lyric-tragic characters — Giselle, Juliet, Nikia.

At the same time Gershunova was called the greatest tragic ballet artist and many ballets were created for Gershunova exclusively. “At first sight she seems to be a fragile teenager that you fear to break by setting a disabling burden of her weak shoulders — recalled later the outstanding choreographers Nataly Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov, who staged their own version of „Romeo and Juliet„ specially built for Gershunova’s personality — but the work begins and you notice how much strength is hidden behind this evanescence, childish delicacy. You also find out the amazing amount of self-discipline inside her very talent. Gershunova was born to dance“.

Lyubov Gershunove used to take part in performances at the Big Theatre of USSR — „Giselle“, „Spartacus“, toured across more than 30 countries of the world: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Japan, France, Argentine and other. The foreign media wrote about Gershunova: “Her technical skills left us stunned with a feeling that it was the best „dying swan„ ever seen, though we have seen an all-time artist Margot Fonteyn. She felt less real and consequently, more charming“.

“People like Lyubov appear once in 30-50 years. There probably were ballerinas technically more skilled, but no one could create an image of a character better than she did — told Alexander Savin, director of a popular in the 1990s chamber theatre „Ballet — Novosibirsk — 100„, where the lead soloists of the Siberian ballet including Lyubov Gershunova and Anatoly Berdyshev used to dance — I remember how I fell in love with ballet after seeing Gershunova playing Giselle. The scene of madness made my hair curl. This is probably why she had never become a good tutor — this is something one cannot learn, you need to be blessed by God!“