Despite the fact that the court ordered Andris Liepa to pay 25% of his income to raise his minor daughter, journalists found out that the ballet dancer does not do this. He is now listed as a debtor Federal service bailiffs.
ON THE TOPIC
Moreover, in addition to unpaid child support, the famous dancer owes the capital's Petrocommerce Bank eight million 534 thousand rubles. SUPER journalists have obtained photographs of the front door of Andris Liepa's house, on which there are already several summonses to appear before the bailiff. According to the law, according to the documents, if the artist does not take any action from the moment he receives the summons, he faces a ban on traveling abroad.
Earlier in an interview, Liepa’s ex-wife Ekaterina said that for several years Andris only paid for his daughter’s school fees. “For everyone present in the hall, it was a shock. People’s Artist of Russia Andris Liepa said that he was not going to pay any alimony. And the father motivated his decision by the fact that he already helps the mother raise her daughter. So he said: “I am participating enough in child's life. For example, I introduced her to Britney Spears...” said lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky, who defends Catherine’s interests, adding that to confirm his words, Liepa showed a photograph depicting Ksenia and the American pop princess. “Everyone in the hall almost burst out laughing,” noted the eminent lawyer.
Let us remember that Andris Liepa and Ekaterina Katkovskaya met in 1989. Then the artist first came to the Mariinsky Theater to participate in a gala concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Vaslav Nijinsky. It was there that Ekaterina worked as a ballerina. However, at first, the communication between the two artists was based solely on friendly feelings, and only in 1991 did this develop into love. On May 22, 1995, the lovers got married in St. Nicholas Cathedral in St. Petersburg, but got married only in January 1998, shortly before the birth of their daughter Ksenia.
With the famous married couple OK! talked about how to live together for 18 years, and also about what kind of morals reign in modern ballet
Photo: Dmitry Abaza
Thus, on January 15, the premiere of three productions is planned in Florence. Katya, who danced at the Mariinsky Theater for ten years, now also has her own business - a company that organizes social events and charity family evenings “Give Children a Fairy Tale.” To date, she has already collected three million rubles to help children with cancer.
Katya, why do you need to work? You could very well not do this.
Catherine: I am the kind of person that finds it difficult to realize myself at home. At some point, I stopped understanding the point of having entertainment. That is, this in itself is not bad - holidays are also needed in our lives, but I have an inner feeling that we need to do something more. If my name attracts people, if they trust me to raise funds for children, then I must do everything to help the children. And I’m happy that I can apply my skills in this direction. And before that, Andris and I’s business for a long time was the Maris Liepa Foundation. We raised this project from scratch, spent days in the office, and as a result, it is now a large company that organizes events on a huge scale.
With all this going on, have you forgotten what a ballet barre is?
No. Most recently, we worked in Italy and staged the plays “Firebird”, “Petrushka” and “Scheherazade” there. I showed the ballet dancers all their parts, so I had to practice myself. I have my own exercises that I do every morning. In general, a ballet person cannot live without physical activity. So, in addition to everything else, I also do tennis, dancing, swimming...
And you, Andris?
Andris:“I do the machine” every day for forty-five minutes. Otherwise, I would simply feel like a humanoid, out of place. Since childhood, my father taught us to strengthen our backs and abs. Of course, I don’t have enough time to study properly, but it’s impossible for me not to study at all. Even when Ksyusha and Katya and I went on vacation to Egypt, they went to the beach, and I “did the machine” at home, then ran and sweated, just so as not to go crazy from idleness.
Let's go back in time. How did you two meet?
E.: Andris came from New York to Leningrad to dance at the Mariinsky Theater, and I had been dancing there for a year already. That's how we met.
A.: I saw a woman who had amazing Blue eyes. And I really wanted to show her part of the world that I had already discovered for myself by that time! Our first trip together with Katya was to Paris, it was there that we began an affair. But then he was so... platonic. We went to Montmartre, watched the sunrise at Eiffel Tower, Katya ate oysters for the first time. True, she later said that she felt terribly disgusted after that.
They say that most married couples look alike. In my opinion, you only confirm this postulate.
E.: Yes, many people tell us that we are similar. Those who don’t know us well generally think that I am Andris’s sister, and Ilze is his wife. But the similarity between us is only external. By character, Andris and I are absolutely different people. Our family life- this is such patience, humility. I realize more and more how different my husband and I are. Definitely yours common feature- it's strong, strong character.
Does it happen that a scythe finds a stone?
E.: Happens. There are fundamental things that require you to insist on your own. It's good that there aren't many of them. By and large, I am the kind of person that it is easier for me to give in. For me, a bad peace is better than a good quarrel.
Is Andris different?
E.: Yes, he is a Capricorn, stubborn. ( Looks at Andris.) Pretends not to hear! ( Laughs.)
Did the birth of your daughter somehow affect your relationship?
E.: An interesting point: before the appearance of my daughter, I had an understanding that there was some kind of loss of meaning in life. While Ksyusha was away, my husband and I did something together, always went somewhere... And suddenly I realized that there was absolutely no meaning in this, that this was a stupid existence and that the only meaning that could be for me from now on - this is a child. The birth of Ksyusha changed my worldview. There was a complete revaluation of values. The same thing happened with work: I suddenly realized that everything I was doing made no sense. The question arose: what next? What am I living for? This is how the “Charity Evenings” project appeared. I know: what I am doing now is right, timely, this is what both I and others need.
Do you make money from this?
E.: I don’t think we can talk about serious money here at all - rather about salaries for employees and office maintenance costs.
Has your social circle narrowed with the addition of a third family member?
E.: Certainly. You generally cease to belong only to yourself. Suddenly you realize that the child’s wishes are much more important than yours. Both spouses must understand this. After all, it is at this stage that families are most often destroyed.
Did the birth of his daughter change Andris?
E.: I think so. He felt a sense of responsibility, and he also realized that he should not be completely selfish.
A.: I remember when Ksyusha and Katya arrived from the maternity hospital, I put my daughter on my chest and felt that she was falling asleep. And I lay there with her for a whole hour - I couldn’t get up so as not to wake her up! This made a very strong impression on me.
But despite being so busy, you still manage to travel...
E.: I adore the sea and it was thanks to Ksyusha and her holidays that I began to relax more. This is cool. Because ballet profession taught us to work from childhood. All ballet dancers can move mountains; we don’t have the concept of “getting sick” or “feeling unwell.” You said you would do it, so you have to do it. At the same time, you forget what rest is. And when you finish dancing, you discover another world for yourself. For example, I discovered the world of Saturday and Sunday. It took me a long time to get used to the fact that these were weekends. Ballet dancers only have Monday off.
And what do you do on Saturday and Sunday?
E.: I'm getting enough sleep. And then we spend time with Ksyusha - we walk, go to the cinema. On Sunday we definitely go to church.
Don’t you skate like Andris?
E.: No, I don't like this business!
A.: When my father brought a skateboard, I was thirteen or fourteen years old, and I skated from Bryusov Lane down Tverskaya, reaching the conservatory. People looked at me and couldn’t understand how it was possible to drive so deftly on four wheels. Now, at forty-six years old, I am going with Ksyukha to the Lenin Mountains. She rollerblades there, and I skateboard.
Would you like your daughter to start taking ballet?
E.: She has no such desire. And ballet is such a thing that you really have to want to do it. Only then are all the hardships, the pain that must be endured every day for many hours, perceived differently. True, I will still make Ksyusha do various exercises: they are needed for posture, for her figure, so that she can hold her back beautifully, pose her legs beautifully. This is useful for a girl, even if she is not going to dance on stage. It is important to feel your body correctly.
Andris, I wanted to ask you: how to be a worthy son of your father?
A.: In my case, just follow his example. My father was a unique personality and has always been an example for me and for Ilse. I understood from childhood that it would be very difficult for me. In order to prove that I was worthy of being a dancer, I had to do everything not even one hundred, but two hundred percent. Since childhood, my father did not know whether Ilse and I would turn out to be something or not. At first I got a “C-minus” for my dance, then a “C-plus”, then a “Four-minus”, a “Four-plus”... And when we graduated, I got an A in classical ballet. My father came, looked, and said that he really liked some things. But even when I entered Bolshoi Theater, he didn’t fully understand what would become of me. He watched my performances for a long time and after one performance he told me: “Now I see that you can dance Alberto in Giselle.” And I’ve already worked at the Bolshoi Theater for four years!
Would you like to become the head of the Bolshoi Theater?
A.: In fact, I really don’t like the current situation in it and the management that works there. I have known this theater since childhood, and the worst thing is that all traditions are now leaving there. Despite the fact that they are now trying to reconstruct the Bolshoi, it seems to me that it is and will be a fake. I don’t believe that anyone puts their soul into making sure that the theater remains the theater it was. There are a lot of people in it who express their own opinions without having the right to do so. And the role of the artist there is reduced to the role of a cog in a huge machine, which still grinds everyone and everything.
Do you generally like to stage plays? Do you prefer directing work to dancing?
A.: Yes. Because only his own part depends on the dancer, but everything depends on the director. Now I’m staging a play to Tcherepnin’s music. No one really knows or remembers who he is, except music critics. And he, by the way, is the author of the music for the ballet that conquered Paris exactly a hundred years ago! And restoring it is a great joy for me. Of course, I don't regret the past. I danced with Bejart and Baryshnikov. But these were real individuals. And now personalities become smaller and leave, it becomes very difficult for me to succumb to someone else’s game. That's why I come up with my own games and arrange the pieces on the board as I see fit.
How do you like working with Tsiskaridze? They say he is a rather stubborn person.
A.: Kolya is actually a maximalist like me. That's why I work well with him. We have already created four performances for him - those that Vaslav Nijinsky once danced. And I hope that next year Kolya will shine in Paris just like Vaclav once did. I regret that the Bolshoi Theater does not stage Tsiskaridze. Probably Nijinsky had similar problems when he left Mariinsky Theater, where he was a cog in a big machine...
You have worked in many ballet companies. Surely there is one that you remember with particular warmth?
A.: I think that, despite what I said above, eight years of work at the Bolshoi Theater cannot be interrupted by anything. There I overcame some very big obstacles, and this was the meaning of my life then. Katya said that I am a Capricorn. Indeed, when it becomes easy for me, I am not interested. I leave the troupe and go to another, where I prove that I can work there.
As a ballet soloist, were you paid a lot?
A.: I never worked in ballet for money. And even now I staged the play for Galina Vishnevskaya for free. I didn’t receive a penny for it and I also invested my money in the decorations, which I considered necessary to complete. But the amount of strength and energy that we put into performances still comes back. Ballet has never been self-sufficient; it has always had subsidies from the state. Sergei Diaghilev was a virtuoso of loans and died a penniless man. He did this not for money, but to promote Russian art to the West.
Are you the same sacrificial person?
A.: Well, our profession is generally sacrificial, a priori. If you can risk your health by turning your legs in the other direction since childhood, then, probably, sacrifice is built into you. Just like our Soviet athletes received pennies and achieved much greater results than now, when for each gold medal give one hundred thousand euros. Money is not a motivation, unfortunately. Records are set for ideas.
But you still collaborate a lot with various banks and commercial organizations that invite you to put on a show for them for money...
A.: To be honest, I don’t do anything that doesn’t interest me. They ask me why I stage for Jasmine, Shufutinsky? This was interesting to me! Of course, I also never refuse a decent salary, because I have a wife and child and I need to feed them and dress them nicely. But once upon a time my agent simply hated me because I was in New Year could have earned one hundred thousand dollars for ten performances of The Nutcracker, but instead he went to the Kirov Theater in Leningrad. And Maurice Bejart invited me to work permanently in his troupe, but I also decided for myself in favor of interesting work in St. Petersburg. And I don’t regret it for a second. For my American agent, such an act was nonsense. Despite the fact that at the Kirov Theater I danced “The Vision of a Rose” and two performances of “Giselle,” but I received nothing for them and also paid for the hotel in which I lived. Can I ask a not-so-decent question?
How did you end up becoming a gay dancer?
A.: Oh... I think it's internal human tragedy- change of orientation. This is probably always associated with problems in the family, which then lead to such strange results. And in our family there has always been a cult of womanism. My father was a very loving man. It is probably a tragedy when a man does not receive satisfaction from his wife or girlfriend and he has to change his orientation in order to find a reciprocal feeling. A person falls under this pressure, which then crushes him. Now, oddly enough, there are still a lot of gay politicians... I am quite loyal to people of unconventional orientation, this is their personal matter, and, probably, everyone will be responsible for it later. It is impossible for us to judge... I was somehow always more impressed by the creative side of the life of Nijinsky, Nureyev... I was familiar with Rudolf, I met him many times.
What was Nureyev like?
A.: Very extravagant and very interested in what is happening in Russia. He brought so many artists to the position of stars in literally two years, bypassing all eight corps de ballet lines that they had to go through, which is actually almost impossible! He simply saw who was worthy of being a soloist, and gave them the title of “etoile” (translated from French as “star.” - Note OK!). He made young artists fall in love with his profession and gave them the opportunity to dance.
What prompted you to leave the dancers?
A.: Well, I had a big injury - I tore a ligament in my knee. Therefore, even those performances that I loved and danced well were already technically difficult for me to dance. Over time, I began to be afraid to do on stage those movements that I did with great ease and which were my signature. I had an operation, and the doctors said: “No one guarantees that you won’t tear your ligament again.” I actually understand that many dancers returned after that - Ilze, Kolya Tsiskaridze. But I used this situation in order to move into another hypostasis. And he transitioned into it quite successfully. Do you sometimes dream that you are dancing? A.: No, there are no such dreams... But I saw Luzhkov here in a dream. We are trying to build a ballet school named after Maris Liepa in Moscow, we have already been allocated a site. And we want Yuri Mikhailovich to help us now. We have some minor difficulties.
Irina Vinogradova
The dancer does not want to pay child support
The dancer does not want to pay child support
The last court hearing took place the other day, putting an end to the relationship between one of the most beautiful couples in the ballet world. Andris and Katya LIEPA are no longer husband and wife. The woman was forced to defend child support through the court. Andris refuses to pay any money to support the girl.
50 year old Andris Liepu and his wife Ekaterina, who is ten years younger than him, were considered one of the most brilliant couples in the ballet world. At social events, everyone's attention was focused on them. The couple willingly posed for photographs and seemed quite happy. As it turned out, they had not lived together for five years. And the other day they got divorced.
Katya didn’t want anyone to know that they had broken up,” said Catherine’s friend. “She thought that Andris would continue to support their daughter Ksenia, and did not want any fuss. Could become known facts, which will not be pleasant to either him or her.
But Andris stopped participating in the girl’s upbringing to the extent that Katerina wanted. Therefore, she decided to get a divorce officially, through the court. It was not possible to conclude a settlement agreement due to financial disagreements.
During these five years, Andris only paid for Ksenia’s schooling,” Ekaterina complains. - Didn't help anymore. When the lawyer I contacted learned about this fact, he agreed to work for free. By the way, we had nothing to share in terms of property: Andris has his own apartment, I have mine.
You can't eat Britney Spears
The court still had to determine the amount of alimony for the minor daughter Ksenia.
For everyone present in the hall it was a shock,” said Ekaterina’s lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky. - People's Artist of Russia Andris Liepa said that he is not going to pay any alimony. And the father motivated his decision by the fact that he already helps the mother raise her daughter. So he said: “I participate enough in the child’s life. For example, I introduced her to Britney Spears...” In confirmation of these words, Andris’s lawyer took out a photograph in which the American pop star stands next to Ksenia as an indisputable fact of his client’s participation in upbringing. Everyone in the hall almost burst out laughing.
And how beautifully the relationship of this couple began! They met in 1989 during a trip to Paris. Andris, with a sweeping gesture, threw his watch into the river with the words: “Now it begins.” new life!”, after which he proposed marriage. Six years later, the lovers got married in St. Nicholas Cathedral in St. Petersburg. And to this day they remain husband and wife before God.
Katya was warned that Andris was a “multi-faceted” man, a friend said. “But she was so in love that she didn’t want to notice it.” And then my daughter was born, and I had to raise her. When she realized that she was no longer interested in her husband as a woman, it was too late. No, no other female person appeared... There is something else...
The court ruled that the girl's primary place of residence would be with her mother. Andris Liepa is obliged to pay his ex-wife 25 percent of his income to support his daughter.
Photos with Britney Spears are good, says Dobrovinsky. - But you can’t eat them, and you have to feed the girl. Our next step is to reveal all the legal and illegal income of Andris Liepa.
St. Petersburg and Moscow are the largest Russian centers ballet art. This is where the country's most famous theaters are located. It is in them that the stars of the Russian ballet school perform roles in unique productions, among which an important place has long been given to the Latvian dancer, now the ballet director and director of the Kremlin Ballet theater - A. Liepa.
Biography pages
Andris Liepa is the heir to the ballet dynasty. His father is a famous ballet dancer and stage director. His younger sister Ilse is also a celebrity ballet stage. They were born into an acting family, but only half - into a ballet family. Their father is the famous ballet dancer of the 20th century and their mother is the dramatic actress M. Zhigunova. The family of Maris Eduardovich then lived in Moscow on Nezhdanovaya Street, in a house built for acting families - employees of the Bolshoi and Moscow Art Theaters. The Lieps were probably lucky, because they lived in the apartment where she lived People's Artist RSFSR E.V. Geltser is a unique ballerina and actress. Famous dramatic actors of the 20th century - Kachalov, Leonidov and others - also lived in the house.
Andris attended the Moscow ballet school art academy Arts (Moscow Art Academy) and began his career at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. Over the years of service, he danced almost all the leading roles in classical productions. He went on tour a lot, including foreign tours. While on tour in Washington, he suffered a serious leg injury and was forced to leave the stage.
Behind the scenes
In the biography of Andris Liepa, personal life went hand in hand with creativity, because his wife Ekaterina Liepa danced with him in some performances. However, after twenty years of marriage, the idyll of this star couple came to an end. Andris Liepa's divorce from Ekaterina excited fans. It didn’t even help that the marriage was sanctified by the church. Ekaterina filed for divorce. Andris Liepa can only regret this ending to his personal life. The reasons for this decision were not disclosed.
The foreign page of Andris Marisovich’s work is also interesting. Having gone abroad early, he performed with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Abroad, he had the opportunity to work on unique European stages. opera houses- La Scala in Milan, at the Paris Opera, Maurice Bejart's team in Lausanne, Sweden and Rome. His partners were: the brilliant Isabelle Gihren, the amazing Carla Fracci, but Nina Ananiashvili had the status of partner of the famous Andris Liepa for the longest time. It was with her that Liepa began his creative path, participated in almost all competitions. And he remained faithful to his work to the end.
A worthy successor
The personal biography of Andris Liepa in his work is quite fruitful and vibrant. Dancer and choreographer, Andris Marisovich worthily continues the dynasty following his titled father Maris Eduardovich. The main productions in which he danced his most brilliant roles were "Raymonda" by A. Glazunov, the famous ballets of P. I. Tchaikovsky, "Giselle" by A. Adam, "The Golden Age" by D. D. Shostakovich, "Ivan the Terrible" . S. Prokofiev in versions by titled choreographers - M. Petipa, S. Grigorovich.
However, Andris Marisovich did not stop at the universally recognized classics, but tried himself in more innovative works: "Swan Lake"in the concept of M. Baryshnikov, "Petrushka" - the work of O. Vinogradov, "Romeo and Juliet" in a variation by K. MacMillan, "Violin Concerto" by J. Balanchine.
As a director
While still at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater, Andris Liepa reconstructed several important works in the history of ballet art: “Petrushka” and “Firebird” by I. F. Stravinsky, “Scheherazade” by N. A Rimsky-Korsakov, staged by M. Fokin. This event took place in 1993, and since then “Scheherazade” and “Firebird” have been performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. The photo shows Andris Liepa in the role of Petrushka - one of the most colorful images he performed.
All three listed performances were staged by A. Liepa for the Dresden, Roman and Florentine theaters. And a year later the premiere of another creative work masters: opera performance"The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh." The production was created for the Mariinsky Theater, but its premiere was in Paris. The maestro conducted Liepa performed the same work at the Edinburgh Festival a year later. He also staged the opera “Eugene Onegin” for the G. Vishnevskaya Center for Opera Singing.
One more interesting work Andris Liepa began performing performances based on the works of S. Rachmaninov, staged for the New Opera Theater. These are the performances: "Oscar Schlemmer Museum" and "Maestro".
The Firebird is back!
In 1997, Andris Liepa turned to cinematography, successfully combining it with his main vocation. He created a film project, which received a name associated with one of ballet performances, which he had previously staged for the Mariinsky Theater - "The Return of the Firebird".
This film-ballet includes all three famous one-act productions by M. Fokine, reconstructed by A. Liepa. The central roles in them were played by A. Liepa himself, his constant partner Nina Ananiashvili, as well as Andris Liepa’s sister Ilze, his wife Ekaterina, Gedeminas Taranda and others. By the way, the roles in the version of S. Diaghilev’s enterprise were performed by Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Fokine and other ballet stars of the early 20th century.
Charity as a way of life
1996 - important in life and social activities Andris Liepa: he founded a foundation for the development of ballet art named after his father. The main purpose of the foundation was to organize charity performances for different categories of Russians in difficult situations. social conditions. And also to popularize domestic art. His project involves cultural and artistic stars. Gala concerts within the framework of the fund are dedicated to Maris Liepa, Maya Plisetskaya and others. They are in demand abroad - London, Madrid, Riga, etc.
Development Assistance Fund choreographic art, founded by A. Liepa, collaborates with the Chelyabinsk children's charity foundation "Alyosha", which organizes the tour of the "Russian Seasons of the 21st Century" in Chelyabinsk. and helps identify and promote young talents.
"Russian Seasons": revival
To appreciate this initiative of Andris Liepa, one should turn to the history of the beginning of the 20th century, when Sergei Diaghilev first organized the project “Russian Seasons in Paris” - to popularize Russian musical art, and then opera and ballet. Russian ballet stars such as Mikhail Fokin, Rudolf Nureyev, Anna Pavlova and others danced as part of the Russian Seasons troupe. The whole world applauded Russian dancers and singers. In connection with this, he became famous in the artistic field for creating the costume and set designs for the “season” performances.
Now, in beginning of XXI c., exactly a century later, “Russian Seasons” was revived by Andris Liepa. True, their name has changed somewhat - “Russian Seasons of the 21st Century”. The updated enterprise travels around cultural centers Europe and the world. Ballet masters present their works in London, Paris, Kyiv, Madrid, etc. And their productions enjoy undoubted success.
To the monastery!
There is a Nikolo-Solbinsky convent in Russia. He is in Yaroslavl region, not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. And it is called so from the Finno-Ugric meaning of the word “solba” - “living water”.
The monastery has an orphanage and a school. Sixty pupils from 7 to 18 years old live and study there. There is also a vocational college here.
Andris Liepa has been helping the pupils of this monastery for many years now. In their joint work, they improve the monastery territory - they plant rose bushes and build an observation tower. But Liepa does not forget about his usual duties - he organizes a charity festival within the walls of the monastery, not only as a director, but also as a cook.
Since 2017, girl actresses of the Good School on Solbe theater have been touring in Moscow. They have already shown their musical performances in the Moscow Palace of Pioneers and on the stage of the Ryumina Theater. The girls have already presented their musical "The Brave Little Swan". This result became possible because at the school girls are trained by professional specialists: choreographers, vocalists, directors, etc. Those students who do not have musical, dancing and acting abilities participate in the creation of scripts and decoration performances. The performances turn out to be very kind and touching. And thanks to amazing needlewomen - and bright ones. According to viewers, they touch “to the core.”
Kremlin Ballet
This unusual theater, popularizing and developing the national ballet art, was founded in 1990 by choreographer and stage director A. Petrov. The Presidential Orchestra was responsible for the musical component of his performances Russian Federation under the direction of conductors A. Ovsyannikov and V. Orlov. Later performances began to accompany another musical group- State symphony orchestra "New Russia"under the leadership of Yu. Bashmet.
The theater restores works created at the beginning of the 20th century. art troupe led by S. Diaghilev. On at the moment His repertoire includes 11 performances from this cycle. This is a lot given the difficult path of development of Russian ballet.
Awards chronology
Andris Liepa devoted a lot of energy and creative ideas to his favorite art and home country. He was repeatedly awarded for services to the Fatherland and Russian art. He received his first award while still a ballet dancer, almost in the prime of his professional career: he was the winner of the International Ballet Competition in Moscow. Four years later he won a silver medal in the same competition. And the very next year he received the Grand Prix international competition in the USA. Andris Liepa also has an award from the country where he comes from: the highest award in Latvia - the Order of Three Stars.
As a gift for the hero of the day!
In February 2017 People's Artist Andris Liepa celebrated his 55th birthday in Russia. As a gift to the hero of the day and the residents of the capital for his anniversary, an exhibition of photographs and stage costumes of the amazing dancer was exhibited in Okhotny Ryad. It lasted eight days and was free for everyone. Among the exhibits of the exhibition were wonderful photographs of A. Liepa, taken by his great friend, photographer Nina Alvert. The most interesting to the public are the costumes of the dancer’s father, Maris Liepa, as well as the stage outfits created at the Grand Opera for performances staged in the 20th century. R. Nuriev and restored by A. Liepa.
On February 18, the Kremlin Palace hosted a concert by Andris Liepa, where they presented: a fragment of the Children’s ballet musical theater them. Sats "The Golden Cockerel" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, the play "The Vision of the Rose" by Mikhail Fokin, a fragment of the opera "Prince Igor" by A. Borodin - " Polovtsian dances", which at one time became an independent one-act ballet.
Andris Liepa made a huge contribution to the development of Russian ballet art, invested a lot of effort and creative potential in its development and propaganda at the world level. And on stage he not only adequately represented the level of Russian ballet, but also became a true continuator of the work begun by his father. And even though no films have been made about Andris Liepa yet, this is quite fixable!
It is always difficult to be the children of famous parents - the shadow of their glory haunts famous offspring relentlessly. It is very difficult to jump over the set high bar - or at least reach it, while thousands of eyes are closely watching you. Not everyone can withstand this, and, unfortunately, there are many examples of how the life of a child famous parents is going downhill. But there are also many who have shown themselves to be worthy successors to the family. And among them is Andris Liepa.
Briefly about parents
Before we talk about Andris and his achievements, we should at least briefly explain whose son he is. And first of all, one cannot help but say about his father, the famous ballet dancer and film actor Marisa Liepa.
Father
Maris was born in Latvia in the thirty-sixth year of the last century. Since childhood he showed creativity. At first he began to sing, but soon, due to poor health, he was sent to ballet and enrolled in a choreographic school. In it, Maris Liepa showed his brilliant abilities as a dancer and artist. Already at the age of thirteen, he danced not only children's parts, but also adults. In addition, he went in for sports and succeeded in this too.
In 1953, Liepa entered the Moscow Choreographic School. He was noticed while still a student, and after graduating from college the brilliant career ballet dancer Maris Liepa worked with many groups, including dancing in the legendary troupe of the Bolshoi Theater - this was his youthful dream, which was destined to come true. In addition, Liepa successfully showed himself as a film actor. The first filming of his career was in 1969.
IN recent years The artist acted and performed very little in his life. He had a conflict with the Bolshoi Theater staff and was fired from the troupe. Relations with family also left much to be desired. All this together probably contributed to Liepa’s early death. He died in March 1989, he was only fifty-three.
Mother
Andris Liepa's mother, Maris's wife, is called Margarita Zhigunova; in her youth she worked as a dramatic actress. She was born in the Tver region in 1937, and already in the sixties she began working at the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theater, having previously graduated from the Moscow Art Theater School. At one time she did not work, devoting herself to children, but then returned to the stage again. She acted in films. She never had any particular fame, much less the fame of her eminent husband, and therefore there is much less information about her.
Margarita Zhigunova is still alive today, although she no longer plays. Margarita met Maris on the set of the film “Ilze” in 1959; the couple named their children after the heroes of this film (Andris Liepa’s sister’s name is Ilze, and she too famous person V creative world).
Childhood years
Now that it is clear in what gifted and creative family Andris Liepa (pictured below) was born on Christmas Eve in 1962, it becomes clear that neither he nor his one-year-younger Ilze could help but follow in the footsteps of his parents.
Andris, half Latvian, became his hometown in Moscow, and his home street was Bryusov Lane. It was there that the future artist spent his childhood, in a house where, in addition to his famous family, many other actors also lived - for example, the well-known Kachalov. And, drawing an analogy with the House of Writers (it is located in Lavrushinsky Lane in the capital, at one time a large number of writers lived there), little Andris’s home can easily be called the House of the Actor. However, the future artist’s Moscow childhood began after the age of three. The fact is that when Andris was still just a baby, Ilze was born, and the eldest son was sent to his father’s parents in Riga - to make it easier for his mother. In Latvia, little Andris spoke - of course, in Latvian - and considered his grandparents, his father’s parents, to be his closest people. When he was returned home, it was very difficult for both the boy and his loved ones at first, but then everything got better.
And the most ordinary childhood of the most ordinary Moscow boy began - both with friends and walks in the courtyards, and with the obligatory clubs. Andris and Ilze visited them in large quantities- we went to choreography, and figure skating, and music, and much more. Andris eventually chose only music (he graduated music school) and at ballet - he followed in the footsteps of his father, who, by the way, ballet school in addition to everything, he taught. The brother and sister went to Riga every summer and every New Year - as long as their grandparents were alive.
Youth
After graduating from school, Andris Liepa never doubted for a minute where he should continue his studies. He entered the Moscow Choreographic School, the same place where his father once studied. As the artist himself later admitted, he expected that he would, even involuntarily, be compared with famous father, and was internally ready to work two hundred percent to prove that he was no worse than his eminent parent. Already from the first year, Andris began to show incredible efficiency and determination.
The young ballet dancer graduated from the school in the eightieth year of the last century, and was immediately accepted into the Bolshoi Theater troupe.
Bolshoi Theater
First serious role young artist The role of Salieri in the production of “Mozart and Salieri” took place on the legendary stage. Andris approached the matter very responsibly and, fulfilling this negative character, demonstrated not only choreographic skills, but also brilliant acting skills. After that, one after another they began to entrust him with major roles in all kinds of performances. Liepa danced in "Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake", "Ivan the Terrible" and many others. But the fateful role of Andris Liepa, his personal great victory, is the performance of the Prince’s part in “The Nutcracker”: it was after this performance that the dancer was able to become one of the leading artists of the theater.
United States of America
After a short period of work at the Bolshoi Theater, Andris Liepa went to America, to New York, to work under a contract. It is interesting that the young artist accepted this offer after he met Rudolf Nureyev on tour in Paris (Liepa Jr. himself would later call this meeting fateful). In New York (by the way, this trip took place in the late eighties) Andris Liepa danced in many performances, including productions by Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Working in New York turned out to be very important for Andris. Later he noted that she gave a lot for his further creativity. In America, he gained experience and appreciated how his colleagues from the United States work. During his time there - just over a year - Andris Liepa danced in more than forty performances and toured all major cities of the United States.
Leningrad
Upon returning from America, Andris Liepa joined the troupe of the Kirov Theater - that’s what it used to be called legendary Mariinsky Theater. The leader himself, Oleg Vinogradov, called him there. The Kirov Theater will become fateful for Liep in its own way - it is there that he will meet his love. But this will be discussed in more detail later.
And in this theater, as in previous places of work, Andris showed himself to be a worthy successor to his father’s work. He very quickly rose to a leadership position and performed leading roles in performances. During his time as a ballet dancer at the Mariinsky Theater, Andris Liepa performed roles in such productions as “Petrushka”, “La Bayadère”, “The Nutcracker” and so on. With the move to Moscow, Andris’s career within the Kirov Theater also ended.
Further career and life
What happened next in the biography of Andris Liepa? A lot. For example, the film-ballet "The Return of the Firebird", in which he not only performed the title role, but also acted as a director. In general, he began to actively try himself as a stage director - not only theater and ballet productions, but also music and concert shows. So, Andris staged shows for such pop artists as Jasmine, Tamara Gverdtsiteli, Mikhail Shufutinsky, Anita Tsoi and so on. If we talk about performances directed by Liepa, then as an example we can name, for example, “Maestro” at the New Opera or “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh” at the Mariinsky Theater.
Andris Liepa is also actively involved in charitable activities - he also inherited this from his father. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Moscow Vera Foundation. And Liepa Jr. is a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture (and a deeply religious person).
Confession
Andris Liepa has many awards. It is enough to name just a few: Grand Prix of the competition in the United States, “Golden Ribbon of Russian Cinema”, People's Artist of Russia. Liepa received his last title relatively recently, nine years ago.
Currently
Andris Liepa left the big stage some time ago after an injury he received at one of his performances. However, he did not completely leave the world of dance. Currently, the artist works at the Kremlin Ballet Theater - he works there as the chief choreographer and at the same time is artistic director.
Personal life of Andris Liepa
Of course, we cannot ignore talking about personal matters. Moreover, many are often interested in this aspect of the artists’ lives most of all. As for the biography of Andris Liepa, his personal life was (or remains?) very stormy.
He was married twice (according to unconfirmed information - three times). Andris's first wife was Bolshoi Theater ballet dancer Lyudmila Semenyaka, whom the young artist met when he joined the troupe. Their marriage was very short-lived, and broke up, perhaps also because Lyudmila was ten years older than Andris.
After their separation, Liepa lived and worked in America, and, according to some information, managed to get a wife there too. If you believe these rumors, the American was also older than my son Marisa Liepa, and their married life also did not work out.
The third (or second) wife of Andris Liepa (and currently the last) was the ballerina Ekaterina Katkovskaya, who later took her husband’s surname. They met at the Mariinsky Theater - Ekaterina was already dancing there, and Andris had just joined the troupe. After some time, they began dating and then got married. This happened in ninety-eight. Soon their first and only daughter was born, who was named Ksenia. For fourteen years, the marriage of the Liepa couple seemed happy and strong. However, in 2012, everything changed - Andris Liepa's personal life was bursting at the seams, as his wife filed for divorce. Who was right and who was wrong in that story cannot be known by outsiders. However, the fact remains: Andris Liepa has not been married for six years.
- The ballerina Ekaterina Geltser previously lived in Liepa’s childhood apartment; after her death, the Bolshoi Theater took over ownership of the apartment. Maris Liepa received this apartment of two hundred and fifty meters - an entire floor - after the birth of his children.
- Was baptized in early childhood.
- He began studying ballet at the age of eight.
- Andris Liepa's father collected icons and antiques, including furniture.
- At school, Andris willingly studied the humanities, but did not like technical sciences.
- He loves to spend time with his daughter Ksyusha; together they go to the Sparrow Hills on a skateboard and/or bicycle.
- He is a fan of Japanese cuisine.
- Andris Liepa became the first dancer to receive official permission to work in foreign troupes.
This is Andris Liepa, whose biography and personal life are still the subject of keen interest and ongoing discussions.
