Sulamith Messerer: Difference between revisions
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Sulamith Messerer was born into the [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian Jewish]] family of dentist Mikhail Messerer and his wife Sima Shabad,<ref name="maya">''I'm Maya Plisetskaya''. 490 p. Moscow: [[AST (publisher)|AST Moscow]], 2008.</ref><ref name="sulamif">[http://www.tv6tut.info/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t1777.html Sulamif Messerer: "I want to live!"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20090417044814/http://www.tv6tut.info/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t1777.html|date=17 April 2009}}</ref> and was one of nine children. Every child was given a biblical name: Pnina, Azariah, Mattany, Rachel, Asaf (or Assaf), Elisheva, Sulamith (or Shulamith), Emanuel, Abinadab and Erella.<ref name="maya" /> | Sulamith Messerer was born into the [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian Jewish]] family of dentist Mikhail Messerer and his wife Sima Shabad,<ref name="maya">''I'm Maya Plisetskaya''. 490 p. Moscow: [[AST (publisher)|AST Moscow]], 2008.</ref><ref name="sulamif">[http://www.tv6tut.info/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t1777.html Sulamif Messerer: "I want to live!"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20090417044814/http://www.tv6tut.info/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t1777.html|date=17 April 2009}}</ref> and was one of nine children. Every child was given a biblical name: Pnina, Azariah, Mattany, Rachel, Asaf (or Assaf), Elisheva, Sulamith (or Shulamith), Emanuel, Abinadab and Erella.<ref name="maya" /> | ||
Sulamith Messerer, her brother Azari Azarin (an actor), sister [[Rachel Messerer]] and brother [[Asaf Messerer]] (ballet dancer, [[choreographer]]) became famous and started a dynasty of outstanding ballet dancers and ballet masters.<ref name=":1" /> | Sulamith Messerer, her brother Azari Azarin (an actor), sister [[Rachel Messerer]] and brother [[Asaf Messerer]] (ballet dancer, [[choreographer]]) became famous and started a dynasty of outstanding ballet dancers and [[Ballet master|ballet masters]].<ref name=":1" /> | ||
Sulamith studied from the age of 8 in the [[Moscow Ballet School]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bolshoi dancer who defected at 72|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/bolshoi-dancer-who-defected-at-72-1.1146664|access-date=2021-07-08|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> under [[Vasily Tikhomirov]] and [[Elisabeth Gerdt]] and danced in the [[Bolshoi Theatre]] from 1926<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=10 October 2011|title=Sulamith Messerer - Inspirational ballet teacher|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sulamith-messerer-730542.html|access-date=8 July 2021|website=www.independent.co.uk}}</ref> until 1950.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Willis|first=Margaret|date=2004-06-21|title=Obituaries: Sulamith Messerer|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jun/21/guardianobituaries.russia|access-date=2021-07-08|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> In 1929, she | Sulamith studied from the age of 8 in the [[Moscow Ballet School]]<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bolshoi dancer who defected at 72|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/bolshoi-dancer-who-defected-at-72-1.1146664|access-date=2021-07-08|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref> under [[Vasily Tikhomirov]] and [[Elisabeth Gerdt]] and danced in the [[Bolshoi Theatre]] from 1926<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=10 October 2011|title=Sulamith Messerer - Inspirational ballet teacher|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sulamith-messerer-730542.html|access-date=8 July 2021|website=www.independent.co.uk}}</ref> until 1950.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Willis|first=Margaret|date=2004-06-21|title=Obituaries: Sulamith Messerer|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jun/21/guardianobituaries.russia|access-date=2021-07-08|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> In 1929, she was promoted to [[Prima Ballerina|prima ballerina]] of the [[Bolshoi Ballet|Bolshoï ballet]] and kept this position for 25 years.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Sulamif Messerer|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/messerer-sulamif|access-date=2021-07-09|website=Jewish Women's Archive|language=en}}</ref> In 1933, she and her brother [[Asaf Messerer]] became the first Soviet dancers to tour [[Western Europe]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> She also practised swimming all her life and held the Soviet swimming record for the 100-metres [[front crawl|crawl]] between 1927 and 1930.<ref name=":1" /> | ||
After her sister [[Rachel Messerer|Rachel Messerer-Plisetskaya]] was arrested in the [[Great Purge]], Sulamith legally adopted Rachel's daughter [[Maya Plisetskaya]], whom she coached into one of the greatest [[ballerina]]s ever.<ref name=":0" /> From 1950 until 1980, she was also active as a [[ballet mistress]] and teacher in the Bolshoi.<ref name=":0" /> Her brother took care of their nephew and Maya's younger brother [[Alexander Plisetski]]. Since 1961, she spent much time in [[Tokyo]], where she mastered [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and was instrumental in establishing the [[Tokyo Ballet]].<ref name=":1" /> She was also the aunt of theater artist [[Boris Messerer]] through her brother Asaf. | After her sister [[Rachel Messerer|Rachel Messerer-Plisetskaya]] was arrested in the [[Great Purge]], Sulamith legally adopted Rachel's daughter [[Maya Plisetskaya]], whom she coached into one of the greatest [[ballerina]]s ever.<ref name=":0" /> From 1950 until 1980, she was also active as a [[ballet mistress]] and teacher in the Bolshoi.<ref name=":0" /> Her brother took care of their nephew and Maya's younger brother [[Alexander Plisetski]]. Since 1961, she spent much time in [[Tokyo]], where she mastered [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and was instrumental in establishing the [[Tokyo Ballet]].<ref name=":1" /> She was also the aunt of theater artist [[Boris Messerer]] through her brother Asaf. | ||
Latest revision as of 18:16, 26 June 2025
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Sulamith Mikhailovna Messerer, OBE (Template:Langx, 27 August 1908, MoscowTemplate:Spaced ndash3 June 2004, London) was a Russian ballerina and choreographer who laid the foundations for the classical ballet in Japan.
Biography
Sulamith Messerer was born into the Lithuanian Jewish family of dentist Mikhail Messerer and his wife Sima Shabad,[1][2] and was one of nine children. Every child was given a biblical name: Pnina, Azariah, Mattany, Rachel, Asaf (or Assaf), Elisheva, Sulamith (or Shulamith), Emanuel, Abinadab and Erella.[1]
Sulamith Messerer, her brother Azari Azarin (an actor), sister Rachel Messerer and brother Asaf Messerer (ballet dancer, choreographer) became famous and started a dynasty of outstanding ballet dancers and ballet masters.[3]
Sulamith studied from the age of 8 in the Moscow Ballet School[4] under Vasily Tikhomirov and Elisabeth Gerdt and danced in the Bolshoi Theatre from 1926[5] until 1950.[3] In 1929, she was promoted to prima ballerina of the Bolshoï ballet and kept this position for 25 years.[6] In 1933, she and her brother Asaf Messerer became the first Soviet dancers to tour Western Europe.[5][3] She also practised swimming all her life and held the Soviet swimming record for the 100-metres crawl between 1927 and 1930.[3]
After her sister Rachel Messerer-Plisetskaya was arrested in the Great Purge, Sulamith legally adopted Rachel's daughter Maya Plisetskaya, whom she coached into one of the greatest ballerinas ever.[5] From 1950 until 1980, she was also active as a ballet mistress and teacher in the Bolshoi.[5] Her brother took care of their nephew and Maya's younger brother Alexander Plisetski. Since 1961, she spent much time in Tokyo, where she mastered Japanese and was instrumental in establishing the Tokyo Ballet.[3] She was also the aunt of theater artist Boris Messerer through her brother Asaf.
In 1978 and 1979, she taught numerous students at Ankara State Conservatory (now part of Hacettepe University) in Turkey. Her influence shaped the lives of many Turkish dancers.
In 1980, at the age of 72, she defected to Great Britain, where she continued to work as a much sought-after coach.[3] Her many honours included the Stalin Prize (1946), the People's Artist of the RSFSR (1962), the Order of the Sacred Treasures (1996).[3] She is the first Russian to be awarded the Order of the British Empire (2000).[6]
See also
References
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- ↑ a b I'm Maya Plisetskaya. 490 p. Moscow: AST Moscow, 2008.
- ↑ Sulamif Messerer: "I want to live!" Template:Webarchive
- ↑ a b c d e f g Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
- 2004 Britannica Article
- Obituary of her by ballet dancer Gavin Roebuck
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- 1908 births
- 2004 deaths
- Dancers from Moscow
- People from Moskovsky Uyezd
- Plisetski–Messerer family
- Russian Jews
- Soviet ballerinas
- Russian ballet choreographers
- Soviet choreographers
- Russian ballet teachers
- Soviet female freestyle swimmers
- Soviet expatriates in Japan
- British people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
- British people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Russian people of Jewish descent
- Soviet defectors to the United Kingdom
- Jewish dancers
- Bolshoi Ballet principal dancers
- Russian prima ballerinas
- Recipients of the Stalin Prize
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Academic staff of Ankara State Conservatory