Ballerina Tamara Tumanova: biography, works in theater and cinema

Tamara Tumanova is a famous ballerina who conquered the world scene with her grace and unsurpassed dance technique. Born in Soviet Russia, she lived for some time in France, and then moved to the United States. Tumanova performed at the best ballet scenes of the planet, collaborating with such world-famous choreographers as George Balanchine, Serge Lifar, Leonid Miasin. Having received fame and recognition as a teenager, she became one of the outstanding ballerinas of the last century.

Mother and father of a ballerina

Tamara Vladimirovna Tumanova (born - Hasidovich) was born in 1919 in a train car, to which her mother Evgenia Dmitrievna followed in Siberia, fleeing persecution of Soviet power. The mother of the future ballerina was of noble origin and belonged to the ancient Georgian princely family Tumanishvili (Tumanov).

Tamara's father was a colonel of the tsarist army and holder of the St. George Cross, Vladimir Khasidovich. On Eugenia he married in February 1918 in Tiflis. Hasidovich took part in the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars, during which he received 2 serious wounds. In 1920, he published a book of his own memories of the fighting of the Russo-Japanese War.

Some biographers Tamara Tumanova assume that her real father could be the first husband of Eugenia Dmitrievna Konstantin Zakharov. However, this version has not found its official confirmation.

Early childhood, acquaintance with the ballet

The first 18 months of life Tamara was brought up only by her mother. When the girl was one and a half years old, her parents, separated by a revolution, finally managed to meet and temporarily move to Shanghai. Here, little Tamara first visited the performance of the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova, who gave a tour of the Far East. The sight that was seen made an indelible impression on the girl and already in those early years she had a love for dancing in her heart.

Life in France: ballet school, first performances

In early 1925, Hasidovichi moved first to Cairo and then to Paris. After settling in the French capital, they took Tamara to the ballet school of the famous Russian ballerina Olga Iosifovna Preobrazhenskaya. The young dancer impressed the people around with her exotic appearance, natural grace, responsibility and uncharacteristic work for the child. Noticing the enormous creative potential in her student, Madame Preo (in Paris called Preobrazhenskaya) suggested that she change the name of Hasidovich to a more sonorous one. Without thinking twice, the little ballerina chose herself a creative pseudonym Tumanova, formed from the maiden name of her mother. Tamara's talent did not go unnoticed by others. The ballet school was its first step to world success. Having studied very little at Preobrazhenskaya, the six-year-old ballerina received a personal invitation from the greatest prince of Anna Pavlova to perform at her gala concert. This event occurred in June 1925 in the Parisian palace of the Trocadero and marked the beginning of the creative career of the actress.

At the age of 9, Tumanova made her debut in the ballet production of L'Éventail de Jeanne, which was held at the Paris Opera. The audience was shocked by the dancing abilities of the girl and after the performance she was awarded with a long and enthusiastic ovation. Art connoisseurs already understood then that Tamara Tumanova is a ballerina from God, and ahead of her is an unprecedented success and worldwide recognition.

The beginning of a stellar career

In the early 30's, the famous choreographer George Balanchine saw Tamara during the performance and invited her to dance in the troupe "Russian ballets of Monte Carlo", headed by Colonel de Basile. Together with Tumanova, the team included two young ballerinas of Russian origin - Tatyana Ryabushinskaya and Irina Baronova. The trio of talented girls fell in love with the fans of the ballet and for their young age was named "baby ballerina" by the people. To Tumanov for silky dark hair, brown almond-shaped eyes and a delicate dark skin named Black Pearl of Russian ballet. This nickname was assigned to her until the end of her life.

Starting to perform on the professional stage, Tumanova became the main breadwinner in the family. After moving to Paris, her parents lived very poorly and often did not have the money even for food and necessities. The daughter's earnings enabled them to get out of poverty and return to a decent life.

World Glory

As part of the troupe, Tamara toured extensively, wherever she appeared, her speeches ended with the loud applause of the enthusiastic audience. She danced at La Scala, Paris Opera, Covent Garden, collaborated with many famous choreographers. Leonid Miasin, George Balanchine, Mikhail Fokin and Serge Lifar created special roles for her in their productions, and many famous ballet dancers considered it to be an honor for her to perform on her stage. In the thirties she performed leading roles in the Magic Shop, Bale, Fantastic Symphony, and Giselle. In just a few years the glory of her spread far beyond Europe. Fans of the ballerina's talent were Sergei Prokofiev, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and many other artists of the time.

Personal qualities

People who had to communicate closely with Tumanova remember that she was not like many famous ballerinas. Tamara Vladimirovna was distinguished for her seriousness, incredible diligence and increased demands on herself and others. She was alien to arrogance, whims and flimsy antics that other world celebrities could afford. A firm character and complete dedication to art allowed Tumanova to become one of the best ballerinas of her time.

Emigration to the USA

In 1937, being at the peak of popularity, Tamara Vladimirovna left Paris together with her parents and moved to America. After settling in California, she continues to perform with the company "Russian ballets of Monte Carlo." In 1939, Tumanov, by her participation in the musical performance "Stars in Your Eyes", captures the Broadway audience, tempted by spectacles, and becomes the undisputed prima. The famous ballerinas of that time tried to imitate her technique, but most of them were far from the Black Pearl.

In April 1942, the ballet actress appealed to the US authorities to grant her American citizenship to Tamara Tumanova (according to documents she continued to wear the name Khasidovich). Also, her parents applied for a change of name and citizenship. In August 1943, the petition of the Hasidovich family was completely satisfied. Henceforth, Tamara, her mother and father became US citizens and were given the right to wear the Tumanov family name.

Creative life in the 40's and 60's

The ballet career of Tumanova continued until the late 60s. Living in the US, she continued to actively tour the world. The ballerina performed leading roles in Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Seven Deadly Sins, Firebird, Fedra and other ballet productions. In 1956, the Russian prima was a guest star at the marriage of Prince of Monaco Renier and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly. Tamara Tumanova loved bright stage dresses, unusual hairdos and make-up. Created specially for her by fashion designer Varvara Karinskaya, the Swan costume became an exemplary dress for the performance of this role.

Filming in movies, marriage

Soon after moving to California, the famous ballerina began to offer roles in the cinema. Her debut on the big screen is considered a fortuneteller in the short film-ballet "Spanish Fiesta", filmed in 1942. The choreographer of the film was Leonid Miasin, with whom Tumanov was associated for many years of cooperation.

In 1944, the ballerina actress starred in the leading role in the Hollywood war drama "Days of Glory." Tumanov's partner in this film was the legendary American actor Gregory Peck, with whom she had a violent romance in the process of filming. However, lovers are not destined to be together for long. Soon after parting with Pek Tumanova became the wife of the producer and screenwriter of "Days of Glory" Casey Robinson. The joint life with him lasted 10 years (from 1944 to 1954) and brought the ballerina a role in his films "Today we sing", "Deep in My Heart" and "Invitation to Dance". Tumanova worshiped her husband, but she could not keep him near herself until the end of her life. After the divorce, Robinson returned to his ex-wife, and Tamara Vladimirovna decided not to bind herself to anyone else by marriage. She had no children.

Recent work in film

In 1966, Tumanova's filmography was supplemented by Alfred Hitchcock's political thriller The Broken Curtain. In it, Tamara Vladimirovna played the role of an aging spy ballerina who does not want to put up with the fact that her popularity has remained in the past. In addition to Tumanova, the film stars Hollywood stars starring Julie Andrews and Paul Newman. Though the "Broken Curtain" was called by critics not the most successful director's work of Hitchcock, he got a good success at the box office, bringing to the creators more than $ 6 million in revenue. Tumanova, who at the time of the film was 46 years old, showed all her fans that she remains in great physical shape and is still full of energy.

At the end of her career, Tumanova starred in the adventure comedy Billy Wyder "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." In the film, released on television in 1970, she embodied on the screen the image of the ballerina Madame Petrova. The film received different reviews, but almost all viewers noted Tamara Tumanova's excellent game and agreed with the opinion of film critics that the Russian diva, even in adulthood, remains an incredibly beautiful and graceful woman. Having finished his work in the detective "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes", Tumanova stopped appearing in public. By that time, she had already completed her career as a ballerina, giving way to younger actresses on the stage.

The Death of Tumanova

After leaving the ballet and the cinema, Tamara Vladimirovna stopped talking with journalists, did not arrange lavish celebrations and did not receive guests. The last years of her life the great ballerina lived in her own house in Santa Monica (USA). Tamara Tumanova died at the age of 78 in May 1996. On the eve of her death, she donated a part of her costumes to the Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg . They buried the Black Pearl of Russian Ballet at the prestigious Hollywood Forever Hollywood Cemetery in the grave of her mother Eugene Dmitrievna.