Malika Abdurakhimovna Sabirova (Tajik. Malika Abdura_monovna Sobirova; 1942, Stalinabad – 1982, Dushanbe) – Soviet, Tajik ballerina, dancer, ballet teacher. People’s Artist of the USSR (1974).

Biography

Malika Sabirova was born on May 22, 1942 in Stalinabad (now Dushanbe, Tajikistan).

Since childhood, she was fond of ballet, attended the opera house with her father.

In June 1952, the teachers of the Leningrad Choreographic School (now the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet) N.P. Bazarova and V.P. Mei, who were recruiting a Tajik group, were recommended for admission to the school. In the autumn of the same year, she left for Leningrad to study. At the school her teachers were N.P. Bazarova, V.S.Kostrovitskaya, A.N.Blatova, E.V. Shiripina and B.V.Shavrov. Female student dancing party Masha girls (1954) and Masha princesses (1960) in PI Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker at the Kirov Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater.

Since 1961, after graduating from the school, she was a ballerina of the Tajik Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. Aini (Dushanbe), where she made her debut on September 16 at a reporting concert of the Tajik group of graduates of the Leningrad Choreographic School. In the first season of work, she began to perform solo and leading roles.

In May 1964, she passed the qualifying round before the first International Competition of Ballet Dancers in Varna. Preparations for the competition took place at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, where A. M. Messerer and G. S. Ulanova began to work with her. Cooperation with them continued after the competition – Malika repeatedly came to Moscow for rehearsals.

In 1965 she toured with the Bolshoi Theater troupe in Great Britain and Ireland, where her partners were V. Vasiliev, B. Khokhlov and V. Tikhonov. In 1966 with a group of soloists of the Bolshoi Theater and the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov – in India and Japan (partner – N. Dolgushin). Later she performed with her constant partner M. Burkhanov. She repeatedly toured in Moscow with the Tajik Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. Aini and with recitals, and also took part in gala concerts of ballet stars. She also performed on the stages of theaters in Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Czechoslovakia, Cuba, Norway, Bulgaria, Hungary, Australia, France, Latin America.

She has raised a whole galaxy of young ballet dancers, raising the theater troupe to a high level.

Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR of the 8th convocation.

She died on the morning of February 27 (according to other sources – February 28), 1982 from lung cancer in Dushanbe. Buried in a suit Giselle at the memorial cemetery „Luchob".

Family


Father was a Tajik from Bukhara. Father – Abdurahim Jalilovich Sabirov (Tajik by nationality), a master of repairing national musical instruments, flutist, who served in the orchestras of the Tajik Philharmonic Society and the S. Aini Theater of Opera and Ballet.

Mother – Madina Georgievna (Ossetian by nationality), worked as a registrar in a polyclinic.

Husband – Muzaffar Burkhanov (b. 1941), ballet soloist of the Tajik Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. Aini


Titles and awards


Laureate of the International Ballet Competition in Varna (II prize, 1964)

Laureate of the International Competition of Ballet Dancers and Choreographers in Moscow (1 prize, 1969)

Honored Artist of the Tajik SSR (1964)

People’s Artist of the Tajik SSR (1969)

People’s Artist of the USSR (1974)

Lenin Komsomol Prize (1970)

Prize of the Lenin Komsomol of the Tajik SSR (1966)

State Prize of the Tajik SSR named after Rudaki (1967)

Order of the Badge of Honor (1965)

Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1971)


Party


1961 – „Giselle" by A. Adam, edited by N. Konus – Giselle

1961 – „Big Waltz" to music by I. Strauss, choreographer N. Tregubov – Girl (creator of the role)

1961 – „Choreographic Compositions" („Petrel" to music by S. Rachmaninoff, „Autumn", „Satyr and Nymphs" to music by C. Debussy, „Song of the Black Swan" to music by E. Vila-Lobos, „Cupid and Psyche"), choreographer M. Berkut (creator of the role)

1962 – Chopiniana to music by F. Chopin, choreography by M. Fokine – Sylph

1962 – dance „Farandola" in the opera „Carmen" by J. Bizet

1962 – „Shurale" by F. Yarullin, choreographer B. Zavyalov – Syuimbike (creator of the role)

1962 – „Swan Lake" by P. Tchaikovsky, edited by V. Kormilin – Odette-Odile

1963 – „Doctor Aibolit" by I. Morozov, choreographer B. Zavyalov – Tanechka (creator of the role)

1963 – „Peter and the Wolf" to music by S. Prokofiev, choreographer B. Zavyalov – Little bird (creator of the role)

1963 – „In the Path of Thunder" by A. Karaev, choreographer N. Konyus – Sari (creator of the role)

1964 – „Mountain Legend" by Y. Ter-Osipov, choreographer N. Koryagin – Zarrina (creator of the role)

1965 – „Buratino" by N. Sabitov, choreographer H. Safiullin – Malvina (creator of the role)

1966 – „Romeo and Juliet" by S. Prokofiev, choreographer L. Serebrovskaya – Juliet (creator of the role)

1967 – dance in the painting „Polish Ball" in the opera „Ivan Susanin" by M. Glinka

1967 – „Son of the Motherland" by Y. Ter-Osipov, choreographer L. Serebrovskaya – Saodat (creator of the role)

1968 – „Egyptian Nights" by A. Arensky, choreographer L. Serebrovskaya – Berenice (creator of the role)

1969 – „Daphnis and Chloe" by M. Ravel, choreographer L. Serebrovskaya – Chloe (creator of the role)

1969 – „Don Quixote" by L. Minkus, revised by G. Ledyakh – Kitri (creator of the role)

1969 – „Love is a Sorceress" by M. de Falla, choreographer L. Serebrovskaya – Candelas (creator of the role)

1970 – „Layli and Majnun" by S. Balasanyan, choreographer N. Konyus – Leili (creator of the role)

1972 – „Timur Malik" M. Ashrafi, choreographer M. Burkhanov – Zarrina

1972 – „Class-concert" to music by A. Glazunov, A. Lyadov, A. Rubinstein, D. Shostakovich in the musical composition by A. Zeitlin, choreographer A. Messerer – Soloist (creator of the role)

1973 – „Cinderella" by S. Prokofiev, choreographer S. Burkhanov – Cinderella

1974 – „La Bayadere" by L. Minkus, edition by N. Konus – Nikiya (creator of the role)

1974 – Grand Pas from the ballet „Raymonda" by A. Glazunov, staged by K. Sergeev and N. Dudinskaya – Soloist (creator of the role)

1975 – „The Sleeping Beauty" by P. Tchaikovsky, edited by V. P_ri – Aurora (creator of the role)

1977 – „Esmeralda" by C. Puni, edited by V. P_ri – Esmeralda

1980 – „Don Quixote" by L. Minkus, new edition – Kitri

1980 – An Evening of Old Choreography, staged by E. Kacharov: Dance of the Hours from the opera La Gioconda by A. Ponchielli, choreography by M. Petipa, The Torment of Love and The Joy of Love, choreography by A. Gorsky – Soloist (creator of the role)

Le Corsaire to music by A. Adam, L. Delibes, R. Drigo, C. Pugni, choreography by M. Petipa – Medora

Choreographic picture „Walpurgis Night" from the opera Faust by Ch. Gounod, choreography by L. Lavrovsky – Bacchante


Concert repertoire


Bacchanalia from the opera Samson and Delilah by C. Saint-Saens, choreography by A. Gorsky, production by E. Kacharov

„Spanish Suite" to music by I. Albeniz, choreography by E. Geltser, production by E. Kacharov

Pas de deux from the ballet La Sylphide by G. Levenskold, choreography by F. Taglioni, production by E. Kacharov

Pas de deux from the ballet „Satanilla, or Love and Hell" N.-A. Ribs and F. Benois, choreography by M. Petipa, production by E. Kacharov

Pas de deux from the ballet „The Flames of Paris" by B. Asafiev, choreography by V. Vainonen

Pas de deux from the ballet Le Corsaire to music by A. Adam, L. Delibes, R. Drigo, C. Pugni, choreography by M. Petipa

Adagio from the ballet Legend of Love by A. Melikov, choreography by Y. Grigorovich

„Bird and the Hunter" miniature to music by E. Grieg, choreography by L. Yakobson

Dreams to music by R. Schumann, choreography by G. Valamat-zade

Dedication to Chopin, choreography by V. Chabukiani

Melody to music by K. Gluck, choreography by V. Chabukiani

Miniature „Spring Waters" to music by S.V. Rachmaninoff, choreography by A. Messerer

Suite „Spring Tajikistan" by T. Shahidi, choreography by A. Messerer


Touring performances


1973 – „Giselle" by A. Adam – Giselle – Tehran Opera and Ballet Theater (Iran)

1973 – „La Bayadere" L. Minkus – Nikiya – Tehran Opera and Ballet Theater (Iran)

1976 – „Giselle" by A. Adam – Giselle – Theater Wielki (Warsaw, Poland)

1976 – „Don Quixote" by L. Minkus – Kitri – Theater Wielki (Warsaw, Poland)

1976 – „Swan Lake" by P.I. Tchaikovsky – Odette-Odile – Theater Wielki (Warsaw, Poland)

1978 – „Giselle" by A. Adam – Giselle – Sofia folk opera

1978 – „Swan Lake" by P. Tchaikovsky – Odette-Odile – Sofia folk opera

1979 – „Swan Lake" by P. Tchaikovsky – Odette-Odile – National Ballet of Cuba (Spanish. Ballet nacional de cuba)

1979 – „Giselle" A. Adam – Giselle – National Ballet of Cuba


Filmography


1964 – „Soviet Tajikistan No. 5" (newsreel) – fragment from the ballet „In the Path of Thunder"

1965 – „1002nd Night" (musical film)

1969 – „Young Ballet of the World" (documentary)

1971 – „Adagio" (documentary)

1972 – „Eastern Legend" (film-ballet) – Princess

1980 – „Rubai Khayyam" (film-ballet, director Elizaveta Kimyagarova) – Sitora-muse

1980 – „Bacchanalia" (film-ballet) – Bacchante

1983 – „Our Malika" (documentary)


Publications


Sabirova M. I am a ballerina // Komsomolskaya Pravda: newspaper. – M., 1970. – No. 1 January.

Sabirova M. Art knows no boundaries // Komsomolets of Tajikistan: newspaper. – Dushanbe, 1971. – No. 28 March.

Sabirova M. My dream is to dance like Galina Ulanova // Stars of the first magnitude. – Collection. – M., 1973 .– S. 31.

Sabirova M. Petals of white cherries // Komsomolets of Kyrgyzstan: newspaper. – Frunze, 1974. – No. 8 June.

Sabirova M. Ballet is my life // Communist of Tajikistan: newspaper. – Dushanbe, 1975. – February 2.

Sabirova M. Every month – a tour // Komsomolets of Tajikistan: newspaper. – Dushanbe, 1977. – No. 7 January.


Memory


A gravestone was installed on the ballerina’s grave at the Luchob memorial cemetery in Tajikistan (architect R. Karimov, sculptor K. Zhumagazin)

On November 6, 1982, at the house number 66 on Lenin Avenue in Dushanbe, where the ballerina lived, a memorial plaque was installed (sculptor I. Milashevich) (demolished in 2021)

Annually, from 1983 to 1987, on the stage of the Tajik State Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. Aini held evenings in memory of the ballerina with the participation of Russian ballet stars

In 1989, a regional competition for young ballet dancers was held in Dushanbe for the first time and was dedicated to the memory of M. Sabirova. In 1991, the competition acquired international status and was also dedicated to the memory of the ballerina

In 2001, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of the ballerina, art critic Nizam Nurjanov published the book „Malika Sabirova", and in 2010 – the book „Opera and Ballet of Tajikistan" about the S. Aini Theater of Opera and Ballet and the ballerina’s contribution to choreography

On May 17, 2013, an evening in memory of M. Sabirova took place at the Mino gallery in Dushanbe.