SELEZNEV Alexander Vladimirovich

Biography

22.11.1906, St. Petersburg – 22.05.1961, Alma-Ata.

Ballet dancer, teacher-tutor, choreographer-producer. Honored Artist of the Kazakh SSR (1944). Holder of the "Badge of Honor" Order (1945). People's Artist of the Kazakh SSR (1955). Holder of the Labor Red Banner Order (1959).

He began to study ballet in the Clark's private studio in Leningrad.

1923-1926 – student of the evening department of the Leningrad State Choreographic School, teachers: V. Semenov, L. Leontiev, V. Ponomarev, A. Monakhov, A. Shiryaev, E. Vazem.

1930s – being a ballet dancer of the Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR, he studied at the training courses for classical dance teachers.

1926-1928 – ballet dancer of the Musical Comedy Theatre headed by Raskatov (Leningrad).

1928 – ballet dancer of the Moscow Mobile Opera (Ufa).

1929 – ballet dancer at the Moscow Mobile Opera in Orenburg, Ulyanovsk, Samara.

1930-1931 – responsible ballet soloist at the Chernyshevsky Opera House (Saratov).

1931-1934 – ballet dancer of the S.M. Kirov State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (Leningrad).

1934 – ballet dancer at the Vinnitsa Regional Opera and Ballet Theatre.

1935 – ballet dancer at the Kuibyshev Opera and Ballet Theatre (now the D. D. Shostakovich Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre ).

1936 – ballet dancer at the Molotov Regional Opera and Ballet Theatre (now the P. I. Tchaikovsky Perm Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre).

1934-1937 – ballet dancer at the State Academic Lenin Order Bolshoi Theatre of the USSR (Moscow).

September 1937 -1945 – the principal dancer of the ballet at the Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Repertoire: Siegfried ("Swan Lake"), Franz ("Coppelia"), Girey ("The Fountain of Bakhchisarai"), Claude Frollo ("Esmeralda"), Prince ("The Nutcracker"), Fernando ("Spanish Capriccio"), Boss / ("Red Poppy"), Peter I ("The Bronze Horseman"), Mergenbay ("Kambar and Nazim"), Marcelina, Colas ("La Fille mal gardee").

Being the principal of the ballet of the Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, he worked part-time as a teacher and ballet master in Kazakh Academic Drama Theatre (1937-1939), in Jambul Kazakh State Philharmonic (1941-1944).

1937-1961 – artistic director and teacher of classical dance at the choreographic school. Thanks to the efforts of A.V. Seleznev by the Decree of the CPC Kazakh SSR dated May 3, 1938 No. 419 “On the reorganization of educational institutions on training of the art personnel”, a Choreographic College was established in Alma-Ata, which was later transformed into the Kazakh State Choreographic School – now the A.V. Seleznev Almaty Choreographic School. He combined the artistic activity with pedagogical work. A follower of the school of Russian ballet, developed an educational system based on the curricula and plans of the Leningrad State Choreographic School, which were transferred to Alma-Ata by A.Ya. Vaganova.

For the pupils of the school, he staged the scenes from the ballets: "Swan Lake" by P. Tchaikovsky, "Esmeralda" by C. Pugni, "La Bayadere", "Don Quixote", "Paquita" by L. Minkus, "Red Poppy" by R. Glier, etc. He supervised 17 graduations of ballet artist, having formed his own school of classical dance pedagogy, he trained a whole galaxy of ballet dancers, who became the leading masters of the choreographic art of Kazakhstan, including D. Abirov, R. Tazhiyeva, G. Akzhanov, Z. Raibayev, B. Ayukhanov, S. Kusherbayeva, I. Manskaya, A. Asylmuratov, L. Taganov, E. Malbekov, S. Tulusanova, Z. Akbarova, F. Zhulimbetova, the first researcher of the Kazakh ballet L.Sarynova; soloists of the Abay Kazakh State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre L. Simagina, T. Vasilyeva, A. Solntseva, N. Krasnova, N. Zaichkina, L. Voskresenskaya, G. Gorskaya, N. Gudochkina, V. Khen, H. Bazarbayev, M. Muntin, T. Malbekova and others.

Many students later became the leading teachers of the Choreographic School, including: R. Elchibekova, A. Tulekova, A. Gabitova, I. Olzoyeva, Zh. Tastanova, K. Zhakipova, S. Nauryzbayeva, R. Kurpesheva and others.

1948 – Elected as a Deputy to the city council of Alma-Ata.

In tribute to the memory of the outstanding teacher and mentor, by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR of February 2, 1988, Alma-Ata Choreographic School was named in honor of Alexander Seleznev.

Awards: Honorary Diploma of the Supreme Council of the Kazakh SSR (1944); medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (1945).

Bibliography

• Автобиография Селезнева Александра Владимировича. Архив музея АХУ имени А.В.Селезнева.
• Сарынова Л.П. Балетное искусство Казахстана. – Алма-Ата: «Наука» Казахской ССР – 1976. – 176 с. – Стр. 161.
• Добрый гений казахского балета – Вечерний Алматы – №101, от 24.08.2021.
• Мусинова А. Балет ей был и жизнью и судьбой// Казахстанская правда. – 2013. – 6 марта.
• Қазақстан хореографиясының алтын бесігі – Монография – Главный редактор Калиева А.Ж. – Алматы: «Литер» – 2016 – 618 с.
• Селезнев Александр Владимирович. Қазақ ССР. Қысқаша энциклопедия. 4 том.– Алматы: Қазақ совет энциклопедиясы – 1989. С. 527-528.
• Александр Владимирович Селезнев – Сайт Ассамблеи народов Казахстана –Адрес URL: https://assembly.kz/ru/proekty/vydajushhiesja_lichnosti_kazahstanskih_etnosov/view/seleznev_aleksandr_vladimirovich/ (Дата обращения:23.09.2022)
• Photos are from open Internet sources.