What the founder of the legendary ballet "Todes" had to sacrifice for the sake of her career: Alla Dukhova

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For 33 years of existence of the ballet "Todes" this collective has taken many heights. Including the opening of their own theater, the creation of 127 dance schools and millions of conquered hearts around the world. And all these years, Alla Dukhova remains the only and permanent leader of the team. It seems that the whole life of a famous choreographer is one big take-off. But for the sake of "Todes" the choreographer had to sacrifice a lot.

The girl who wanted to dance

She was born into a teacher's family in a small village called Kosa in the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. The baby was only a year old when the family moved to Riga, where Alla, having barely learned to walk, began to try on the outfits of her mother, in which she tried to dance. But as soon as the girl grew up, she was taken to piano lessons, and not at all to dancing. After each music lesson, Alla Dukhova stopped in front of the glass door of the choreographic hall and watched the other children dance for a long time. At home, she diligently repeated all the movements.

She studied music for only a month, and then announced to her parents her desire to dance. So she ended up in the folk dance collective "Ivushka", where after only six months she became a soloist. Later, she became a dancer in a circus, but after a difficult fracture of her leg, it was possible to put an end to her dancing career.

Alla Dukhova could not forget about dancing. First, she got into a pioneer camp, where she was responsible for amateur performances, then she began to lead a dance circle in the recreation center, where only girls were engaged. Later, at one of the festivals in Palanga, Alla Dukhova and her team met the guys from St. Petersburg who were dancing break-dance. The combined performance of the two collectives ended with the creation of the ballet "Todes".

Then Alla Dukhova did not yet know how successful this project would be and how many sacrifices it would require from her. True, the success of "Todes" will be phenomenal.

The price of success

Alla Dukhova has a rare ability to maintain healthy optimism even in the most difficult situations. Therefore, when her first husband, whom she married at the age of 22, announced his intention to move to America, she did not panic. Couldn't he really leave without her ?! Moreover, at that time she was expecting a child, firstly, and was keen on working at Todes, and secondly. And she was not going to leave the country at all.

But, as it turned out, no passionate feelings and the expectation of the birth of an heir could force the choreographer's spouse to refuse to move. Even then, Alla Dukhova did not give up and did not complain. In 1995, Alla Dukhovoy's first-born Vladimir was born, and she herself tried to recover as quickly as possible after childbirth and continue working. She had no time to mourn her unsuccessful personal life, but she needed to have time to put the child on her feet and to put the Todes into the orbit of success.

Vladimir began studying at Todes when he was five, and a few years later announced to his mother that he was tired of dancing. Alla Dukhova did not force Vladimir to do an unloved business, and as a result, he became a director of feature films. He could not, despite his talent, become part of his mother's team. However, Alla Dukhova is sure: jealousy played a decisive role in this. After all, too often Vladimir had to remain without the attention of his mother, who devoted a lot of time and energy to work.

In 2002, Alla Dukhova's youngest son Konstantin was born. His father was Anton Kis, a lighting designer who has been working with Todes for many years. Despite the excellent relationship in the couple, Alla Dukhova initially refused to go to the registry office, rightly deciding: no stamps in the passport are a guarantee of the preservation of the family.

When Kostya was two years old, Alla Dukhova said in one of her interviews that frequent separation from her husband helped to strengthen the relationship. Allegedly, they did not have time to get bored with each other, plunge into the routine and get bored of the calm flow of life. They parted and then each time they met again. Unfortunately, over time, the separations became too long, and they paid less and less attention to each other.

Alla Dukhova confesses: she sacrificed her personal life to "Todes". It is unlikely that she regrets this, because she has never experienced a lack of fans. But for the choreographer, her family remains a priority. She rejoices at the success of Konstantin, who, like her mother, became a true fan of Todes, always looks forward to meeting Vladimir, his wife and his granddaughter Sofia, loves to spend time with her sister and nephews. But at any moment she is ready to break loose and fly to any city if the affairs of the team require her presence.

She cannot choose what is more important to her - family or "Todes". Simply because they were too tightly intertwined in her life. For Alla the Duhovoy dance is her whole life, and her home and family are her fortress. She does not need to choose, she just needs to live with it, maintaining a balance between both spheres of her being.

Dance is one of the most sensual art forms. People started dancing at the dawn of their existence and danced even in the most difficult historical times. Dance and its genres have evolved, going from the ritual dances of primitive man to modern choreography.