March 1st would have become the 70th anniversary of Anatoly Berdyshev, the legend of Novosibirsk ballet. Anatoly Berdyshev was born March 1st 1947, in Dmitrievka village, Altaysky region. Right after his graduation from Novosibirsk choreographic school in 1966 he entered NOVAT. At first, he used to dance in corps-de-ballet, then he became a solo performer, then principal dancer, and in this manner he worked in the theatre till 1990.
His professional competence, outstanding appearance, extraordinary artistic talent allowed him to perform brilliantly almost all the main parts of the classical repertoire on Novosibirsk stage: Siegfried (Swan Lake), Solor (Bayadere), Albert (Giselle), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Crassus (Spartacus), Ferhad (The Legend of Love) and many more. Due to his outstanding talent Anatoly Berdyshev became an idol for several generations of Novosibirsk spectators.
He’s been frequently invited to dance on metropolitan stages: in Bolshoy theatre, in the Kremlin palace of congresses, The Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theatre (Mariinsky Theater). The best ballerinas of his time danced in pair with Anatoly Berdyshev: for several years he was a partner for Maya Plisetskaya, who highly rated Anatoly Berdyshev as a sensitive and talented partner.
However, the main partner of Anatoly on stage and in life was an outstanding ballerina, the honoured artist of Russia, Lyubov Gershunova. The duet of Berdyshev and Gershunova was a real treasure of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre and the whole Novosibirsk culture. This glorious couple starred on stage for almost quarter-century, a period, which was lately called the golden age of Siberian ballet. No matter how long were their tours through the world’s main stages, disregard how many invitations they received from metropolitan theatres, the Novosibirsk stars kept their loyalty to Siberian stage and their hometown.
In 1983 Anatoly becomes a teacher in his local\native dance school. Since 1988 he tries his hand as a choreographer, and in 1989 he establishes Chamber Theatre of Modern and Classical Ballet "Ballet-Novosibirsk", where he becomes an artistic director and a solo performer. He used to say: I lived the life of ballet, live now and will live.
Anatoly Berdyshev passed away April 28th 2015, but he left his mark in the history of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre and whole native culture as an unforgettable unique artist, the glory and pride of the Siberian and Russian ballet.
