The funeral ceremony for ballerina Marina Semyonova is being held today at the Bolshoy Theater, RIA Novosti reports. She will be laid to rest later in the day at the Novodeviche Cemetery.
President Dmitry Medvedev sent his condolences: “A great ballerina, who shined on the leading stages of the world. Her mastery of performance became a benchmark for many generations of dancers and enriched the tradition of Russia’s ballet school. A talented teacher and mentor, she brought up an entire quilt of star and set an example of selfless service to the arts. And as such she will remain in the hearts of all who knew and loved this bright and talented person.”
Marina Semyonova passed away in July 9.
She was born in St. Petersburg. She was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1975.
The first great dancer formed by Agrippina Vaganova, she graduated from the Vaganova School in 1925, which is registered in the annals of Soviet ballet as the year of the unprecedented triumph of Marina Semyonova. She worked in the Kirov Ballet until 1930 when Stalin had her transferred to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. There she married Lev Karakhan, an Old Bolshevik and Deputy Foreign Minister, best known as an advisor to Sun Yat-sen. He was purged in 1937.
Semyonova was guest with the Paris Op
