Galiya Izmaylova


Galiya Bayazit gizi Izmaylova was an Uzbek and Soviet ballerina of Tatar origin, ballet master, choreographer, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR, and laureate of the Stalin Prize II degree.

Early life and education

Galiya Izmaylova was born on 12 February 1923 in Tomsk into a Tatar family. Izmaylova's father was repressed when she was nine years old. She left Tomsk with her mother after her father's death and from 1931 lived in Tashkent.
Izmaylova began her dance career at the age of 11, and soon she was invited to the newly opened ballet school. In 1935, Izmaylova entered the Uzbek Republican Ballet School. In 1941, she was in the first graduation of the students of the ballet school. After graduation she entered the troupe of the Uzbek Opera and Ballet Theater in Tashkent. Izmaylova was the leading prima ballerina, performing leading roles in the theater troupe.

Career

In 1943, Izmaylova danced her first part – the main role of Semung in the Ak-Bilyak ballet. In 1944, she received the first recognition of the audience as a performer of Fergana and Tajik dances, performing at the concerts of the Second Decade of the musical art of Central Asia Republics.
In 1947, at the World Festival of Youth and Students in Prague, Izmaylova received the first prize for the performance of the Uzbek dance called "Zang".
In 1958, she graduated from the directing department of the Tashkent State Institute of Culture.
Izmaylova toured abroad as a performer of Uzbek folk dances, as well as Chinese, Arab, Indian, etc. Among the roles of Izmaylova are: Maria and Zarema, Gulnara, Kitri, Tao Hoa, Giselle, Carmen, Nargiz, Juanita, Aegina, Gulaim, Chundari, etc. In total she had 45 roles, 30 performances she staged as a choreographer.
From 1963 to 1970, she was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR.
Since 1977, Izmaylova was the chief choreographer of the Uzbek Opera and Ballet Theater named after I. Navoi in Tashkent.
Galiya Izmaylova died on 2 October 2010 in Tashkent. She was buried at the Chigatay cemetery.

Awards and honors

Soviet awards

Uzbek awards

Other honors

In 2012, a film "Galiya Izmaylova. Dance at the cost of life" was released.