A native of Kyiv became one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century
Serge Lifar, or Sergei Lifar, is an outstanding dancer, choreographer and director of Ukrainian origin, who at one time revived French ballet. He became famous throughout the world for his creativity. And no matter how the Russians tried to appropriate his figure for themselves, he always felt like a Ukrainian.
On the occasion of a birthday (according to one version, this date falls on April 15. – Ed .), “Telegraph” decided to recall several pages of his life.
Had Cossack roots
The future ballet reformer was born in 1905 in the village of Pirogovo in the suburbs of Kyiv. His father was an official. And the mother’s family, despite the fact that it was a peasant family, was able to become wealthy landowners. It is also known that Sergei had deep Cossack roots.
Since childhood, the boy was endowed with a subtle musical sense. He was a singer in the church choir, learned to play the violin and attended piano class at the Kyiv Conservatory. However, his meeting with the ballerina Bronislava Nezhinskaya, who opened the world of dance for the young man, was fateful.. It was with the ballet studio “School of Movement”, headed by Bronislava, that the path to success of the then 17-year-old Sergei began.
The beginning of social life in Paris
In 1922, Nezhinskaya emigrated to Paris and began collaborating with Sergei Diaghilev , who created the Russian ballet there.
A year later, Bronislava invited her best students to the troupe, among whom was Lifar. And so began his rapid career in a foreign land.
It is precisely because of Diaghilev’s work in the Russian ballet that Russians attribute Lifar to themselves. However, Serge often stated that he was from Kiev. Despite the fact that he was a Parisian star, and newspapers reported on his every move, the man refused French citizenship.
” I am sincerely grateful, Mr. President, for your offer. But I have never been and will never be French, because I am Ukrainian and my homeland is Ukraine,” Lifar said at one time.
From the memoirs of the writer Grigory Tyutyunnik, who communicated with Serge in Paris in the 1960s, it is known that the dancer not only spoke Ukrainian, but emphasized his belonging to Ukraine. Once he even greeted guests in Ukrainian folk costume. With all that, while living abroad, Sergei Lifar visited his native Kyiv only once – in 1961.
Was Diaghilev's lover
Collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev brought Serge Lifar worldwide recognition. Over time, their relationship became very close. Autumn 1925. they prayed together at the grave of St. Anthony of Padua. From that day on, their relationship was sanctified. They began to live together in hotel rooms, and Diaghilev gave Lifar his outstanding collection. There were numerous portraits, theatrical rarities, musical scores, autographs and books.
Diaghilev's death was a heavy blow for him. Every year on the teacher’s memorial day, Lifar visited his grave. And in 1966, he even achieved the naming of one of the squares in Paris after Diaghilev.
The fact that Serge Lifar was openly gay is, in particular, described in his books by Henri Guidel (a famous contemporary French writer, art historian, passionate fan and theater expert. – Ed .).
However, Lifar also had relationships with women. In particular, a difficult relationship with the ballerina Olga Spesivtseva, who went crazy after learning about his homosexuality. Subsequently, his wife was the Swedish Countess Lilian Ahlefeldt Lauring.
Among geniuses. Collaboration with Picasso, Dali and others
After Diaghilev's death, 24-year-old Serge Lifar was asked to take up a leadership position in the ballet company of the Paris Grand Opéra, also known as the Paris Opera.. Paris Opera). He devoted more than three decades to this theater, performing as a soloist, choreographer and teacher.. He actually revived French ballet, becoming the founder of a new direction – neoclassicism.
Contemporaries admired his talent, calling him “the god of dance” and “the good genius of ballet of the 20th century”. Over the years of fruitful work at the Opera, Lifar trained a whole constellation of ballet stars – eleven outstanding dancers.
He gained fame and recognition, which opened the doors for him to the cream of Parisian society. Serge worked closely with many outstanding artists of the time: composers, artists and designers. Among them are Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Coco Chanel, Marc Chagall and Jean Cocteau. Their collaboration produced fruitful results – sophisticated and provocative ballet performances.
Accusation of collaboration
In 1940, when the Second World War was already raging with all its might, Serge Lifar decided to remain in Nazi-occupied Paris.. Despite the war, he continued to lead the Grand Opéra, stage his best ballet performances and save French ballet from decline. The artist quite consciously agreed to cooperate with the occupation authorities, guided primarily by his own ambitions and thirst for fame.. At that moment, he did not think about the brutal policies of the Nazi regime.
While the Germans occupied Kyiv and the world was experiencing the horrors of war, Paris retained its status as the cultural capital of Europe, its “showcase”. This is exactly how Adolf Hitler wanted to see the French capital.
Lifar repeatedly performed ballet performances at the German embassy. And he even maintained friendly relations with Ambassador Otto Abetz, who was directly responsible for the first anti-Semitic measures and repressions against Jews in the occupied territories of France.
After the liberation of Paris, a turning point occurred in Serge's life and career. Members of the French Resistance Movement who fought against the occupiers brought accusations against the famous choreographer of collaboration and cooperation with the enemy. Lifar was sentenced to death. To save his life, he had no choice but to leave France.
Only thanks to his many fans and influential acquaintances did he manage to avoid a death sentence and subsequently return to the stage of his native Grand Opera.
From stage to easel
After triumphant years on stage, Serge Lifar was not going to stop there. He sought to share his knowledge and experience with the next generations of dancers.
In 1947, Serge Lifar founded the Institute of Choreography at the Grand Opera in Paris.. His authority in the world of dance was undeniable. Subsequently, he began teaching a course on the history and theory of dance at the Sorbonne, was rector of the University of Dance and professor at the Higher School of Music. In addition, Lifar served as honorary president of the National Dance Council of UNESCO.
During his life, Serge Lifar was awarded numerous awards from different countries.. He was a holder of the highest French orders – the Legion of Honor and Literature and Art. In addition, he received the prestigious Golden Slipper Award and an Oscar Award.
At the same time, Lifar was not always happy with his fees. His salary was one of the highest in Paris – 39 thousand. francs, but he believed that he deserved an even larger amount – 59 thousand. francs
But then came a dark streak. In 1958, Lifar was fired from the theater. For a master in love with his work, this was a blow. The dismissal pushed him to pick up a brush and become an artist. Lifar's creative potential resulted in hundreds of original paintings and drawings. His works carried the emotional charge he experienced on stage.
last years of life
Studying his biography, we can safely say that he was a fan of dance.. In his memoirs, Lifar wrote about himself: “I never take revenge, because my revenge is my achievements.”
Serge Lifar lived the last years of his life in Lausanne (Switzerland) where he died on December 15, 1986 from cancer. Nowadays, a monument has appeared in Lausanne, a gift from the people of Kiev: Icarus, with raised arms and wings, seems to be striving to fly into the sky. It is “Icarus” that is one of the most famous ballet performances of that time by Serge Lifar.
This is how the famous theater critic of that time, Pleshcheev, responded to this image: “And then there was a flap of wings, and an unprecedented miracle bird flew onto the stage… Bird – Lifar. This is not dance, not plastic surgery – this is magic. I will be reproached that this is not criticism. Criticism ends where charm begins. “Icarus” is an era, it is a synthesis of all his work, it is, as it were, the limit.
On the pedestal there is a modest inscription: “Serg Lifar de Kiev” – “Serge Lifar from Kyiv.”
Lifar's grave is located in the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery in Paris.