Famed Bolshoi Ballerina Ulanova Dies In Moscow

Galina Ulanova, one of the greatest Russian ballerinas of modern times, died Saturday. She was 88.

Ulanova died at Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital after a lengthy illness, the ITAR-Tass news agency said.

In a telegram to the Bolshoi Theater, President Boris Yeltsin called Ulanova “a symbol of the conscience, honor and dignity of a true artist. Her life in art will … be an example for many generations of Russian artists.”

Ulanova joined the famed Kirov ballet troupe in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in 1928. In 1944, she became a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. In 1960, she retired from dancing and became a teacher of ballet at the Bolshoi.

“Many people consider her to be the conscience of Russian ballet,” said Vladimir Vasiliyev, artistic director of the Bolshoi. “She always was a bright example of amazing service to the profession.”

She was twice named a Hero of Socialist Labor and was decorated with the Order of Lenin, the highest award given by the Soviet Union.

She also was given the Stalin Award four times for her outstanding performances in classical ballets, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet.

Few stars are able to handle the demands of dancing into their 40s, but Ulanova - who was 49 when she struck New York like a thunderbolt - was one of them. Still, she often vowed that she would retire when she was 50 and she did. Unlike most of her contemporaries, who return frequently into their dotage for special performances, Ulanova then devoted the rest of her life to teaching and never danced seriously again.