National Artist of RSFSR Tatyana Anatolyevna Zimina is turning 90 on January 17th. An outstanding ballerina, a tutor, she had been the principal dancer for 23 years (1947 - 1970) with the Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre, her repertoire consists of 44 parts. Today Tatyana Anatolyevna Zimina works as a coach with the Mikhailovsky theatre (St. - Petersburg).
After graduating from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography in 1947, the future stars of Siberian ballet Tatyana Zimina, Lidiya Krupenina and seven other graduates applied for a job at a young company of the Novosibirsk opera and ballet theatre. There were no professional dancers with the ballet company of that time, so the young newbies Tatyana Zimina, Lidiya Krupenina and Sergey Ivanov were immediately charged with an important item, a classic pas-de-deux from the first act of Tchaikovsky’s “The Swan Lake” staged by M. F. Moiseyev and K. I. Salnikova. During her first year with the theatre Tatyana Zimina had performed about seventeen different parts and in the end of the season she performed her first leading part, Raymonda in Glazunov’s ballet of the same name, staged by M. Moiseyev; then the next season, December 1948 she performed the part of Odette/Odile for the first time. Her technical excellence kept growing as well as the importance and the scale of her roles. The vast repertoire of the Novosibirsk theatre provided incredible opportunities for the young dancers: Tatyana Zimina took part in classic ballet performances, productions of soviet directors, works of various genres. The Novosibirsk theatre was lucky - outstanding ballet masters, pioneers of the soviet ballet school used to work with the theatre in different periods of time: V. I. Vaynonen, P. A. Gusev, O. M. Vinogradov started here as a choreographer, Y. N. Grigorovich used to stage his masterpieces in the theatre.
In 1955, the theatre’s tenth anniversary, she went touring for the Bolshoi theatre of the USSR. Tatyana Zimina performed Odette in “The Swan Lake” (Odile was to be performed by another dancer according to Satunovsky’s rendition). “Young talented artists of the Novosibirsk ballet – T. Zimina, G. Ryhlov and other – captured the attention of the Moscow audience with deeply emotional performance and flawless skill” – wrote E. Grosheva in her review of the Novosibirsk Company performance. The same year Tatyana’s artistic achievements were highly appreciated: in March 1955 she was awarded with a title Honored Artist of the RSFSR, and then in August 1955 she was called National Artist of RSFSR.
Two years later, the ballet company and the symphonic orchestra went touring in People’s Republic of China and again Tatyana Zimina won the audience with her performance in “The Swan Lake” and then Giselle. Director of Shanghai Theatre Academy Xiong Fosi spoke of Tatyana Zimina in his interview: “Zimina is an outstanding artist; images she create provide us with deep aesthetic pleasure”.
After the Chinese tour in 1959, the Novosibirsk theatre was the first company in USSR to stage a Chinese ballet “Precious Lotus Lantern” composed by Zhang Xiao-Hu. Siberian artists had to master the classic Chinese dance, acrobatic stunts, martial arts. Tatyana Zimina, a delicate young lady, performed the part of San Sheng Mu, the Holy Mother who fell in love with a young man from Earth and fought for her love with two swords in her hands.
The ballerina toured a lot with the theatre across the former USSR and abroad. She managed to visit Vietnam, Denmark, China, Romania, Syria, Bulgaria, Australia and other. In different periods of time she used to partner with principal ballet dancers S. Ivanov, G. Yanson, G. Ryhlov, S. Savkov, N. Dolgushin and other.
During her rich artistic life this ballerina of brilliant skill and outstanding acting talent managed to assemble the whole exposition of unforgettable characters. The most exceptional part of her vast repertoire are the following: “Odette-Odile (“The Swan Lake”), Giselle (“Giselle”), The Mistress of the Copper Mountain (“The Tale of the Stone Flower”), Aurora (“The Sleeping Beauty”), Masha (“The Nutcracker”), Kitri (“Don Quixote”), Parasha (“The Bronze Horseman”), Mekhmeneh Bahnu (“The Legend of Love”).
The Mekhmeneh Bahnu part in Melikov’s ballet “The Legend of Love” with the famous choreography by Yury Grigorovich became the last part for Tatyana Zimina. Her versatile talent revealed itself at most especially in his choreography. Her famous partner Nikita Dolgushin wrote about her: “She was familiar with a dance psychology of innovative choreographer. As an actress of deep lyric and dramatic matters, she had become an ally and a sensitive interpreter of artistic grounds for the creators of famous productions”.
From 1965 to 1970 a National Artist of RSFSR Tatyana Zimina had been working as a tutor and artistic director of the Novosibirsk choreographic school; then from 1971 to 1991 she had been a ballet-master and a tutor with the Leningrad music hall. Since 1992 and up to this day Tatyana Anatolyevna Zimina has been a coach of the Mikhailovsky Ballet (St.-Petersburg).
NOVAT congratulates one of the brightest stars of Siberian ballet on her remarkable anniversary.
Watch a video report on the ballerina’s 90th anniversary by “Saint - Petersburg” TV channel
