Personal life of Nikolai Tsiskaridze. The personal life of Nikolai Tsiskaridze is hidden from prying eyes Conflict in the theater
The ballet star was surrounded by loud honors and no less loud scandals. In 2019, the documentary film “I’m Not Like Everyone else” was released, dedicated to Tsiskaridze and shedding light on what makes him really stand out. Talent, of course, cannot be taken away from Nikolai. But he is also a shockingly straightforward person who prefers not to rest on his laurels, but to fly through life.
Childhood and youth
Nikolai Maksimovich Tsiskaridze was born in the Georgian city of Tbilisi on New Year's Eve 1973. Father Maxim Nikolaevich was a violinist and did not take part in raising his son. Nikolai was raised by his stepfather, a teacher by profession. Mom Lamara Nikolaevna also taught, her subjects were physics and mathematics. But the greatest influence on the development of the child’s personality was exerted by the nanny, a Ukrainian by nationality. It was with her that little Kolya spent the lion's share of his free time.
In order for Nikolai to develop comprehensively, from childhood he was taken to various exhibitions and theatrical performances. Thus, the boy early joined the world of high art. Nikolai's first love was the ballet “Giselle”.
At first, the mother and stepfather did not approve of the child’s hobby, because they expected Kolya to follow in their pedagogical footsteps. Tsiskaridze categorically disagreed with this and decided to revolt: in 1984, he independently wrote an application for admission to the Tbilisi Choreographic School and was enrolled in the course. After enrolling, the young man told his family about the step he had taken and again came across a wall of misunderstanding on the part of his mother. Tsiskaridze's teachers convinced his parents that the boy had an exceptional talent that could not be ignored.
Very soon it became clear that the Tbilisi Choreographic School was too small a springboard for such a great talent as Tsiskaridze. This happened in 1987, and almost immediately Nikolai entered Pyotr Pestov, one of the best teachers at the Moscow Academic Choreographic School.
After 5 years, the dancer graduates with the title of best student in the class. Tsiskaridze’s choreographic education did not end there, and he went to comprehend the depths of dance at the Moscow State Choreographic Institute, from which he received a diploma in 1996.
Theater
Best of the day
After completing his studies at the Moscow school, Nikolai auditioned for the main theater of the country. There he attracted the attention of Yuri Grigorovich, who influenced the young talent to become a member of the troupe. Tsiskaridze’s first mentors at Bolshoi were Nikolai Simachev and Galina Ulanova, who later handed him over to Nikolai Fadeechev and Marina Semenova. The latter, as the artist said, taught that within the walls of the theater one should not allow others to talk to him unceremoniously, even if they are friends.
From his youth, the dancer remembered another piece of advice from Sofia Golovkina: interviews are part of the profession, so Nikolai easily agrees to meet with the press, participates in talk shows like “The Fate of a Man” or “Alone with Everyone,” and visited the studio of Daria Zlatopolskaya and Sergei Nikolaevich .
According to the established ballet tradition, Nikolai Tsiskaridze launched his dance career with performances in the corps de ballet. The premiere role in 1992 was the part of the Entertainer in the production of “The Golden Age”. In 1993, he received the role of Don Juan in a ballet called “Love for Love.” Then there were parts in the productions of “The Nutcracker” (French Doll), “Sleeping Beauty” (Prince Fortune), “Romeo and Juliet” (Mercutio).
The year 1995 was marked in the dancer’s biography by his first major role, which was the part in “The Nutcracker”. The next central works for Nikolai were the role of James in the ballet “Silifida” and Paganini in the production of the same name.
In 2001, Nikolai scored two main roles in one production. Around the same time, Nikolai Tsiskaridze’s creative collaboration with Roland Petit, a choreographer from France, began. Petit gave Tsiskaridze the central role in The Queen of Spades on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
After the huge success of Nicholas, Roland invited him to choose his own next production, and the dancer chose the part of Quasimodo in Notre Dame.
Later, Tsiskaridze had the opportunity to dance on the stage of the La Scala opera house. This happened at a gala concert in memory of Rudolf Nureyev. Nikolai shared participation in this project with prima Svetlana Zakharova. The dancer continued to perform on reputable stages: at the Moscow Operetta Theater, at the State Kremlin Palace and others.
Together with such famous colleagues as Angel Corea, Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg, Nikolai Tsiskaridze became part of the first troupe that presented the “Kings of Dance” project in America in 2006. In 2008, he visited America again on tour, but this time in the “Stars of the 21st Century” project. In addition to theatrical and concert activities, Nikolai Tsiskaridze was also the subject of the documentary film “Nikolai Tsiskaridze. To be a star..." and became a participant in one issue of the TV magazine "Yeralash".
The dancer’s contribution to art has been recognized by state awards, international prizes, etc. Nikolai has been awarded the title of People’s Artist of Russia and People’s Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia.
Scandals
In the fall of 2011, Tsiskaridze expressed an ambiguous opinion regarding the six-year restoration of the Bolshoi Theater. The dancer was extremely dissatisfied with the interior decoration of both the stage and the rest of the design.
In November 2012, a collective letter from cultural figures was sent to President Vladimir Putin, in which they asked for the resignation of the current head of the Bolshoi Theater A. Iksanov and the appointment of Tsiskaridze to this position. And already in January 2013, he became involved in a scandal surrounding the artistic director of the Bolshoi, Sergei Filin.
The essence of the scandal was the assassination attempt on Filin, who had acid thrown in his face. These and other nuances led to the fact that the Bolshoi Theater refused to renew the contract with Tsiskaridze, and on July 1, 2013, the dancer left him.
That same year, in October, Nikolai found himself involved in another conflict, but now at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. Violating the rules of the charter, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky introduced Nikolai Tsiskaridze to the Academy staff as the new acting rector.
A number of personnel changes occurred, and in November 2013, the teaching staff of the educational institution, together with the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, appealed to the Ministry of Culture with a request to reconsider the appointment of Tsiskaridze and the personnel changes that followed this event. And yet, a year later, Nikolai Tsiskaridze was confirmed as rector of the Academy of Russian Ballet and became the first director who did not graduate from this educational institution.
The dancer began his teaching career at the Bolshoi Theater in the mid-2000s. One of the first students is the current Prime Minister Artem Ovcharenko. Within 2 years, Tsiskaridze promoted the young man to become a soloist, and in 2009, Artem left for another teacher.
Nikolai subsequently, in the program “Looking at Night,” accused his former ward of inciting an information war and of unwillingness to engage in self-education. Ovcharenko, for his part, emphasized that he preferred a mentor who was close in spirit, who sees the difference between a dancer and an artist.
Personal life
The dancer himself notes that, due to the complexity and severity of his character, he does not envy his loved ones, but in the harsh theatrical environment there is nothing to do with a different character.
The personal life of the ballet star is little covered, but Nikolai does not deny that he, like any normal person, had crushes and attachments. The absence of a wife and children provoked rumors about the artist’s gay orientation. Tsiskaridze responds to such attacks with the words of Coco Chanel:
“I don't care what you think about me. I do not think about you at all".
The famous person’s friends include the no less famous Marina Neyolova and Anastasia Volochkova, Polina Agureeva and Natalya Kurdyubova. The prime minister had access to the house of Lyudmila Gurchenko, who was well versed in ballet. And with Ilze Liepa and Natalya Gromushkina they even attributed novels to him.
“If I want to talk to someone, I will call or write to him. I don't want this to become public. Moreover, if I would like to express my opinion, I am able to express it. But I don’t want to waste my time.”
Leaving the stage, Tsiskaridze was glad that he could finally eat whatever he wanted. Later, he admitted with a smile that he “eats like a locomotive” and has to give up food after 16:00. Now, as a teacher, he gives the same advice to students at the Vaganova Academy.
The dancer's height is 183 cm, although Nikolai considered himself short compared to his colleagues. Harmonious proportions are more important, and in this case the artist felt a certain peculiarity while still a student. In the fine arts class, the young man met 99% of the standards adopted centuries ago, when sizes and distances were measured with palms and fingers.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze now
The main gift for the anniversary - in December 2018, Nikolai celebrated his 45th birthday - the artist called a photo shoot for the glossy publication GQ. On the cover of the magazine, Tsiskaridze is depicted with a swan in his arms, in a similar way 20 years ago Leonardo DiCaprio starred, which the dancer’s fans did not fail to note.
However, according to Nikolai, the Hollywood celebrity is not the first person to have the noble bird lay his head on his shoulder. Being a person well aware of the history of ballet, Tsiskaridze said that a photo of Anna Pavlova was published in the same style at the beginning of the 20th century. The ballerina filmed with Jack the swan, who lived on her estate. Nikolai had to climb into the fountain in front of the Bolshoi Theater.
In January 2019, the Vaganova Academy, headed by Nikolai Tsiskaridze, went on tour to Japan. It is known that the inhabitants of this country love ballet like no other. Tickets for the performances, in which children dance but with the skill of adults, sold out a month before the troupe's arrival. Every 3 years, the Academy brings new productions to the Land of the Rising Sun, this time they presented “The Fairy Puppet”, “The Nutcracker” and the 3rd act of “Paquita”.
Projects
"Legend of Love"
Name: Nikolay Tsiskaridze
Age: 44 years old
Place of Birth: Tbilisi
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Activity: ballet dancer
Family status: not married
Nikolai Tsiskaridze: biography
Nikolai Tsiskaridze was born into an interesting family. Father Maxim Nikolaevich had a direct connection to art - he is a violinist. And my mother, Lamara Nikolaevna, is a nuclear physicist by profession; at the beginning of her career, she worked at the Obninsk nuclear power plant, then got a job as a school teacher in the city of Tbilisi. My grandmother with French roots on my father’s side is an actress.Now it’s clear why Tsiskaridze’s fate forced him to create a biography related to creativity. Kolya remembers his parents, remembers their divorce, even though he was a little boy. Kolya was raised by his stepfather, mother and nanny.
Each of the people close to Tsiskaridze had their influence on the development of the personality of the ballet star. His stepfather worked as a teacher and supervised the boy’s education. The nanny introduced Kolya to the masterpieces of classical literature. My mother introduced me to concert music. The future artist himself loved to read poetry, he sang, and acted in the school theater. But the dance attracted the guy’s ardent passionate nature most of all. The adults did not want to see their son in ballet; they dreamed that Nikolai would continue their dynasty.
The guy began to arrange his life on his own, chose a school, secretly submitted documents, entered, and only after that told the house about what his biography would be related to. After school there was a choreography school in my hometown, and 3 years later there was a similar school in Moscow. Nikolai Tsiskaridze studied with P. Pestov, who already then prepared his graduates for difficulties. Kolya was the best student.
After college, he was accepted into the Bolshoi Theater artists. Solo parts appeared in the artist’s practice quite quickly, although at first there was a corps de ballet. Three years later, Tsiskaridze became a prominent leading dancer. He is entrusted with the main roles in many ballets that make up the pride of the Bolshoi Theater. The first who taught Nikolai all the theatrical intricacies of ballet were Nikolai Simachev and Galina Ulanova. Learning from such celebrities, you had to live up to it. Tsiskaridze did it.
Tsiskaridze's career
Success came quickly. A competition between international-level ballet dancers was held in Moscow. The “Duets” nomination won 1st prize; Nikolai performed at this competition together with Maria Alexandrova. The artist received his higher education at the State Choreographic Institute of Moscow. The ballet dancer was accepted into the Union of Theater Workers of the country. He was a presenter on the “Vzglyad” program. Participated in the projects “Kings of Dance”, “Dancing with the Stars”.
Nikolai and other famous artists went to concerts in America as part of the “Stars of the 21st Century” project. On the Culture channel, Tsiskaridze hosts “Masterpieces of World Musical Theater”. Nikolai taught ballet classes as a teacher and taught theater and film actors dance steps. He completed his master's degree with honors at the Law Academy. Once a year at the Bolshoi Theater, Tsiskaridze dances in The Nutcracker, thus celebrating his birthday.
Theater, tours, fame Tsiskaridze
It so happened that after successful productions on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, Nikolai was easily able to cope with two leading roles in the same performance. There is a practice of inviting directors from other theaters; in 2001, the choreographer from France Roland Petit was such a guest. He immediately noticed the extraordinary talent of the young man and allowed him to choose the part he would like to dance; Nikolai chose the role of Quasimodo.
Then there was the world famous La Scala theater, on the stage of which Nikolai danced with Svetlana Zakharova. Tsiskaridze was applauded by the Moscow Operetta Theater, the State Kremlin Palace and others. Artistic talent was able to manifest itself in the filming of a documentary film and the release of the popular children's television magazine “Yeralash”. In addition to the fact that Nikolai was awarded with awards in Russia, he became the People's Artist of North Ossetia.
Conflicts
Nikolai Tsiskaridze is not only a man of temperamental nature, he cannot remain silent against injustice. Therefore, very often scandalous stories arise around his person. The artist spoke openly about the quality of the stage restoration. A very loud conflict broke out over the situation of the artistic director of the theater Sergei Filin. Nikolai was summoned for questioning, and in 2013 he left the theater after the expiration of his employment contract.Personal life
There is no light in the personal life of Nikolai Tsiskaridze. He was not married. He is not planning to get married yet. Nikolai himself explains this fact with his difficult and intolerable character. He is not used to being silent when he doesn’t like something. And when two different people connect, they are forced to adapt to each other, which is difficult for a young person.He is surprised and grateful to his loved ones that they find a common language with him. The artist himself does not hide the fact that he, like everyone else, had meetings and crushes, but they ended in breakups. The artist does not feel ready to take responsibility for the life of another person. In addition, he is not yet sure that the moment has come in his biography when it is time to think about continuing his family line. He is not ready to be a father yet.
An outstanding dancer of modern Russian ballet, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, captivated the whole world with his diverse roles, charm and fantastic technique. Any of his appearance on stage causes applause in the audience. The biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze can be briefly described by the phrase “ballet genius.” In dance, he was able to embody all the best parts of the classical and modern repertoire, his name will forever be included in the list of the greatest dancers in the world.
Georgian childhood of Tsiskaridze
The biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze began in Tbilisi on the last day of 1973. His mother, Lamara Nikolaevna Tsiskaridze, was a former physicist at a nuclear power plant, then worked as a teacher, teaching physics and mathematics. All that is known about Maxim Nikolaevich’s father is that he was a violinist, but was completely absent from the child’s life. The boy was raised by his mother with her new husband and nanny, who was the main person for the child in childhood. Overly busy parents often cause difficulties in creating their own families for children. Nikolai Tsiskaridze is such an example. The biography of an already adult dancer shows the correctness of this conclusion, since the famous artist is still single.
Little Kolya spent almost all his time with his nanny, who by the age of 6 introduced him to Shakespeare and Tolstoy. From an early age, the boy demonstrated extraordinary artistry: he danced, acted out skits, and recited poetry. They said that he looked like his paternal grandmother, who was a French actress.
Tsiskaridze talks about his childhood with delight. He likes to remember that Tbilisi at that time was a real paradise: people dressed well, there was a lot of different food on the table, his mother took him to the theaters. All this delighted Nikolai. He speaks only in superlative terms about his mother. When it became clear that the boy had undoubted talent, she changed her whole life and helped him get on his feet in the profession.
The beginning of the way
At the age of 11, Nikolai was sent to the Tbilisi Choreographic School. Although the mother, feeling sorry for the boy, initially dissuaded him from such a difficult profession. But since childhood, Kolya was distinguished by great persistence, even stubbornness, and no one could lead him away from his chosen path. Within three years, it became clear that the young dancer’s talent was so great that Tbilisi was not enough for him, and the guy was sent to Moscow. In 1987, Tsiskaridze entered the Moscow Choreographic School and entered the class of P.A. Pestov, who was distinguished by his tough teaching style. But years later, Nikolai spoke words of endless gratitude to the teacher who was able to strengthen his will and character. Although Nikolai was Pestov’s obvious favorite, he did not let his student down, and this became a wonderful school of life.
Already at the school, Tsiskaridze was significantly different in style and technique from his classmates, so he was constantly given solo parts in student performances. Nikolai Tsiskaridze, whose biography was now forever associated with ballet, graduated from college in 1992. He continued his studies at the Moscow Choreographic Institute, where he completed his education in 1996, but here he already studied fragmentarily, because he began working in the theater.
Grand Theatre
Even at the graduation performance at the school, the talented young man was noticed by Yuri Grigorovich, who insisted on his invitation to the Bolshoi Theater. Thus, the biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze led him to the best world theater, where he was destined to become a premier. First, the young graduate was placed in the corps de ballet, he danced the entire repertoire of extras, and only after that he began to receive various roles in performances. Three years after joining the theater, Tsiskaridze already shone in the main roles in The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, and Paganini. The period of Tsiskaridze’s work became a time of triumph for the theater; the dancer performed on tours around the world with incredible success. In total, during his time on the Bolshoi stage, Nikolai danced more than 40 roles in various performances.
Since 2004, he began working in the theater as a teacher, teaching choreographic classes. In total, Nikolai worked at the Bolshoi for 21 years. In 2013, the theater, due to various reasons, did not renew the contract with the artist.
Collaboration with Yuri Grigorovich
At the final exam, the chairman of the examination committee was the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater, Yuri Grigorovich. He immediately drew attention to the impressive graduate and insisted that he be enrolled in the theater troupe, although there were no places. The first performance in which the director involved a novice dancer was “The Golden Age,” where Tsiskaridze performed the role of entertainer. Then there was Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the French doll in The Nutcracker. With these roles, Nikolai toured with the theater in London. The choreographer looked closely at the dancer for some time and gradually began to assign him more significant roles. The brilliant performances of the roles of the Prince in “The Nutcracker”, Prince Désiré in “The Sleeping Beauty”, Ferkhad in “The Legend of Love”, Prince Siegfried in “Swan Lake” glorified Tsiskaridze, in which his multifaceted talent was fully revealed. In total, Tsiskaridze danced in 20 performances by Grigorovich. Nevertheless, the relationship between the artist and the director was not particularly warm. But the director allowed the dancer a lot and treated him with patience and respect. However, it was Grigorovich who initiated the termination of the contract with Tsiskaridze when he was already working as a teacher-tutor. Despite everything, Tsiskaridze always spoke with great love and respect about Grigorovich, to whom, according to him, he owes everything in life.
Two geniuses: Roland Petit and Nikolai Tsiskaridze
Tsiskaridze and Roland Petit formed a real friendly and creative tandem. The classic of modern ballet found in Nikolai the embodiment of many of his ideas and a like-minded person. Together they created outstanding performances: “The Queen of Spades”, where German was superbly danced by Tsiskaridze, and “Notre Dame Cathedral” with Nicholas in the role of Quasimodo. The production of “Young Man and Death,” where Tsiskaridze shone in the role of the Young Man, became a real shock to the National Theater in Tokyo.
Dancer's repertoire
Nikolai Tsiskaridze, whose biography is connected with the classical theater, danced all the most famous ballet roles during his career. He has such famous productions as “Swan Lake”, “Giselle”, “Don Quixote”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Chopiniana”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Raymonda”, “La Bayadère”.
In addition, Tsiskaridze danced with great love and talent in modern ballets, including “The Queen of Spades”, “Love for Love”, “Symphony in C Major”, “Paganini”.
A special part of the dancer’s repertoire consists of one-act ballets, with which he toured all over the world: “The Blue God”, “Narcissus”, “The Vision of the Rose”, “Flower Festival in Genzano”, “Diamonds” and others.
The biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze, whose repertoire includes more than 50 roles, was full of creative successes; he managed to dance almost all the roles that an artist could dream of. He had only one plan left, which had not yet come true. Not a single woman in the world has yet uttered the phrase: “My husband is Nikolai Tsiskaridze.” The biography, the wife, the children of which have not yet appeared, remains an unfinished project. Therefore, the dancer has the main role ahead of him - a happy husband and father.
Best productions
Critics have always highly appreciated the talent of Nikolai Tsiskaridze, many of his works received excellent reviews. However, the best of the best are recognized as such productions as “Swan Lake” directed by Yu. Grigorovich, in which Nikolai alternately performs the roles of Prince Siegfried and the Evil Genius, classic performances of the Bolshoi Theater “Raymonda”, “Pharaoh’s Daughter”, “Sleeping Beauty”. Tsiskaridze's most outstanding performances are recorded on film and preserve his talent for posterity. Among them are “Giselle”, “The Vision of a Rose”, “The Queen of Spades”.
End of career
The biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze as a dancer ended in 2004. After that, he worked at the Bolshoi Theater as a tutor for several more years. But in 2013, he finally parted ways with the theater and worked for several years on the Kultura channel, and participated in the show Dancing with the Stars as a jury member. Nikolai Tsiskaridze, biography, personal life, whose photos have been troubling the hearts of ladies all over the world for many years, continues to be interesting off the stage. Having danced for 21 years, he believed that he could no longer do it as worthy as before, and was proud that “no one had seen him dancing badly.”
Loud stories
The biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze and the artist’s personal life were often accompanied by scandalous events, and this was due to his intractable character. He always told the truth, and many people don’t like that. Tsiskaridze’s criticism of the quality of decoration of the Bolshoi Theater during reconstruction caused a lot of noise. Theater employees even petitioned for the dancer to be appointed to the position of theater director.
The story received great publicity when the Bolshoi Theater decided to terminate the contract with Tsiskaridze to work as a tutor. Nikolai restored justice through the court, but in 2013 he still left the theater.
The appointment of Tsiskaridze as acting rector of the Vaganova Academy was also accompanied by great resonance, since it violated the charter of the educational institution. There were several changes in personnel and a compromise was found. Detractors say that the wife of one of the country's high-ranking people was behind the scenes of the scandal. But still, the artist was able to prove his worth both as a dancer and as a leader.
Academy of Russian Ballet named after. AND I. Vaganova
In 2013, the biography of Nikolai Tsiskaridze takes a new turn: he becomes first acting and then rector of the Ballet Academy. Vaganova in St. Petersburg. This was the first time that it was headed by a non-graduate of the educational institution. One of the oldest ballet schools in the world has established rules and traditions, Tsiskaridze had yet to become acquainted with many of them. In order to cope with his responsibilities with dignity, Tsiskaridze even enters the Moscow Academy of Choreography, Faculty of Management. Despite many doubts about whether Tsiskaridze would be able to adequately lead the oldest ballet school, he proved his worth as rector; in 2014, the team elected him to this position by a majority vote. He stages and restores performances for students of the academy, passes on his experience to young people and makes big plans to preserve the national heritage - Russian ballet.
Awards
The outstanding dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze received a huge number of awards and prizes during his life. He is a People's Artist of Russia and North Ossetia, as well as an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
For his roles in the ballet La Sylphide and the role of Herman in The Queen of Spades, Tsiskaridze received two Golden Mask awards. He is a Chevalier of the French Order of Arts and Letters and the Order of St. Nino Equal to the Apostles and the Order of Honor (Georgia).
Tsiskaridze is also the winner of numerous prizes and awards, in particular, the State Prize of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Mayor Prize, the Triumph Prize, the Benois de la dance prize as the best dancer in 1999, the International Peace Prize from the United Cultural Convention of the United States “For outstanding personal achievements in benefit of the world community."
Nikolai Tsiskaridze: biography, personal life, wife, dreams and plans
Nikolai Tsiskaridze has been an eligible bachelor and a famous bachelor for many years. At one time, the dancer claimed that he did not intend to think about marriage until he was 40, but today he is 42, and there has been no news about the wedding. Although the dancer periodically insists that he is happy in his personal life, he simply knows how to skillfully hide this fact. One can only envy the amazing ability not to flaunt matters of the heart, as Nikolai Tsiskaridze does. The biography, the wife of the famous artist, which does not yet exist, still leaves a wide field for speculation. Nikolai often likes to talk about the high requirements for a future life partner. In the meantime, Tsiskaridze has not found his one and only, the other girls have a definite chance to settle in the heart of the controversial and charismatic dancer.
The personal life of Nikolai Tsiskaridze has always been the object of everyone's attention. At 44 years old, the dancer is still not married and has no children. Tsiskaridze is a ballet dancer, which, together with the absence of his wife, gave rise to many rumors about his gay orientation.
For Nikolai, ballet always came first. He often admitted that a family and a child would only interfere with building a career, and therefore it was not the time for this. Even at 44 years old, Nikolai has not yet found the very woman with whom he is ready to spend the rest of his life. Therefore, the yellow press often flashes headlines about the dancer’s non-traditional sexual orientation, which Nikolai calls stupidity and fiction.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze personal life, orientation: reasons for suspicion of a ballet dancer’s non-traditional sexual orientation
Ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze, at 44 years old, has never been married, the site reports. You don’t often see him with girls, and even his profession is a ballet dancer. This together gives rise to rumors about his unconventional orientation. Headlines with this name appear especially often in the yellow press, which only makes Nikolai smile ironically.
Nikolai himself very often stated that he was not married and had no children only for the reason that ballet occupied the most important place in his heart. Everything else will only interfere, both in training and in building a career.
In interviews, Nikolai often stated that he plans to get married and become a father, but has not yet found the woman who would meet his strict requirements.
The ballet dancer claims that he had quite a few relationships with the opposite sex, but he is very careful about his personal life and does not like to show it to the public. As well as telling stories about your unhappy love so that people will feel sorry for him.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze personal life, orientation: biography of a Russian ballet dancer
Future ballet star Nikolai Tsiskaridze was born on December 31, 1973 in Tbilisi. The boy's mother worked as a physics teacher. The boy's father was a violinist, but did not take part in raising the child. Nikolai was raised by his stepfather. Due to his mother’s constant employment at work, Nikolai was raised by a nanny.
From an early age, Nikolai was taken to various theatrical performances, and the boy’s favorite work was the ballet “Giselle”. Tsiskaridze's parents did not approve of his passion for ballet; they wanted him to later become a teacher.
At the age of 10, Nikolai decided to enter the Tbilisi Choreographic School and wrote an application for admission himself. But even such an act did not find understanding on the part of Tsiskaridze’s mother. Teachers from the choreographic school came to Nikolai’s aid, convincing the boy’s parents.
After 3 years, Nikolai moves to Moscow and enters the Moscow Academic Choreographic School. Which he graduates in 1992 with the title of best student in the class.
Nikolai Tsiskaridze personal life, orientation: the artist’s injury after which he was still able to return to ballet
In 2003, Nikolai Tsiskaridze suffered a knee injury on the stage of the Paris Opera. He was taken to the hospital where he was given an x-ray, looking at which the local doctors were horrified. The picture clearly showed that Nikolai had frayed cruciate ligaments in his knee joint.
According to Tsiskaridze, he has a low pain threshold, so he did not pay much attention to the discomfort in his knee, which tormented him for more than a year.
Nikolai underwent surgery, which was successful, but the recovery time was very long. Tsiskaridze spent a whole year without ballet. Usually after such an injury the chances of returning to the stage are slim. But Nikolai, who devoted his entire life to ballet, could not give up. And already at the Mariinsky Theater in the ballet “Manon”
Georgian men don’t just love to dance - they do it phenomenally, it’s not for nothing that Georgian dancers are considered one of the best in the world. Georgians love to watch ballet, but they reluctantly send boys to ballet school. It is considered, to put it mildly, “strange” if a Georgian young man wants to devote himself to ballet.
An “abnormal” child who dreamed of pointe shoes, he turned into a “special” dancer. Conflicting rumors are spread about Nikolai Tsiskaridze, people admire him and look for vile details of his biography, prying into his personal life. And he, who flew in the clouds in childhood places, is now soaring above all the dirt, and the only goal of life, in his words: “Even if they kill, move until the last role is over.”
Official data
- Place and date of birth – Georgia (former GSSR), Tbilisi, 1973, December 31;
- Parents: Maxim Nikolaevich and Lamara Nikolaevna Tsiskaridze;
- Height and weight – 183 cm, about 58 kg;
- Education – higher: Moscow State Academy of Choreography (formerly MGHI); Moscow State Law Academy;
- State awards - title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation; Order of Friendship;
- Marital status: single, no children.
About Niki Tsiskaridze’s childhood and youth
The boy, the future star of Russian ballet, was just a little short of the New Year's chimes; he was born almost at midnight on December 31, 1973. Nika's father, Maxim Nikolaevich (according to some sources, Iosifovich), was a musician who played the violin. Since the birth of his son, he has not maintained a relationship with Nikoloz’s mother (full name Nika), the child was raised by Lamara Nikolaevna and his grandmother. Then Nika’s mother got married, and her Armenian stepfather joined in raising the boy.
Lamara Nikolaevna was at work at school all day (teaching physics and mathematics), her grandmother died, and a Ukrainian nanny was invited. Nika spent almost all his time with her in early childhood, walked, went to exhibitions, they read fairy tales together. The boy was also taken to the ballet, but to send him to the ballet studio - no, no! According to the Georgian mentality, a man in a white tight leotard is, to put it mildly, “wrong.”
“Giselle” was the first thing Nika saw from the ballet repertoire; he then realized that ballet was his destiny. The kid was already imagining himself jumping high, pushing off the stage gracefully with his feet. No one in the family even wanted to hear about the ballet studio - the boy was being trained to become a teacher or translator.
About Nika’s legs, they were long and slender, like a girl’s. He was once sent to a bakery to buy Georgian bread. He was walking home and carrying a whole stack of “tonis puri” (bread in Georgian): his face is not visible, only a pile of black curly hair rises above the bread. The woman walking towards me admired:
“What wonderful slender legs and beautiful hair! What kind of woman gave birth to this beauty?” Nika lowered the bread a little, and admiration gave way to horror: “What a freak...”
And he didn’t care who they thought he was, he wanted to dance! How much willpower do you need to have in order to go to a choreography school on your own at the age of 11 and enroll in courses? There was a scandal at home - no ballet, what will people say? The teachers convinced Lamara Tsiskaridze that the child was a true genius. He was accepted into the first year despite the fact that he was not suitable in age.
His hometown was already too small for Tsiskaridze, and in 1987 he went to Moscow (on his own again) and entered the Moscow Choreographic School, ending up in the class of Pestov, a talented ballet teacher. Five years later, Nika graduates from college at the top of her class and immediately enters MGHI. Having not yet received higher education, Nikolai comes to the Bolshoi Theater to audition, and Yuri Grigorovich immediately notices him.
The beginning of a creative career, first successes
Even very talented newcomers, having come to the Bolshoi, can vegetate for a long time on the “outskirts” of the corps de ballet, but this story is not about Tsiskaridze. Already in 1992, he was approved for the role of entertainer in the ballet “The Golden Age”. A year later he dances Don Juan in the production of “Love for Love.” Then there were three parts in “The Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Romeo and Juliet”. At first he danced a French doll in The Nutcracker, but in 1995 he was entrusted with the main role. Almost immediately they offer to dance in “Silifida” (the role of James) and “Paganini” (the main role of the same name).
In 2001, Roland Petit, a French choreographer, came to the Bolshoi Theater. Petit immediately draws attention to the young dancer and gives him the main role of Herman in The Queen of Spades. The success of the production, thanks to Tsiskaridze, was so stunning that Petit invites Nikolai to choose the next part himself. This becomes Quasimodo, according to Tsiskaridze’s decision, in “Notre Dame in Paris.” Oh, it was no coincidence that the hunchback was chosen: at home they still did not understand his choice and condemned him. The “wrong freak” wanted to prove to all his Tbilisi acquaintances and relatives: he is not a freak, but a dancer from God!
There were also roles in the ballets “Swan Lake” (Evil Genius), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Theseus), and many roles in small productions. In 2000, Tsiskaridze was accepted into the Union of Theater Workers of Russia. A year later, as a bright and popular personality, he was invited to host “Vzglyad” on Channel One, but this did not happen due to an unfortunate event - Tsiskaridze had an accident and was seriously injured.
Worldwide recognition and real success
After recovery, foreign tours begin. La Scala, the National Theater of Tokyo, the Champs Elysees Theater in France - everywhere Tsiskaridze created a sensation with his dances and caused a storm of delight. Already having a diploma of higher artistic education, Nikolai began teaching at the Moscow Choreographic Academy in 2004.
Along with major ballets, he also dances in one-act ballets, and each performance brings admiration from the audience and excellent reviews in the media. In 2006, as part of a Russian troupe, he traveled to the USA, where the “Kings of Dance” project opened. Two years later - a new visit to America, the “Stars of the 21st Century” program.
In ballet it is not enough to be flexible and musical - you must have many other qualities in order to turn into a “star”. Tsiskaridze is unique as a dancer in that he masters all the technical subtleties of classical ballet, while at the same time putting extraordinary emotionality into the dance. Plus - a unique bright appearance, ideal proportions of the figure. At school, by the way, the biology teacher put the boy on a chair, measured his body parts and said: “Look, this is the ideal that Michelangelo praised!”
The collaboration with Petit continues: in 2009, the result of the joint work of Petit and Nikolai was the production of “Carmen. Solo". That same year, Boris Eifman directed “Fallen Angel,” and it’s not hard to guess who he’s giving the first part to. Tsiskaridze no longer looks back at Tbilisi, from where he fled to Moscow. The parents didn’t understand – it’s not scary. The family is embarrassed to remember about the “wrong” relative - they don’t care! He changed his name a long time ago, changing the plebeian “Nikoloz” into the Russian version “Nikolai”.
In 2011, the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater was coming to an end, and Tsiskaridze openly expressed what many members of the team were embarrassed (or afraid) to voice - the interior design and decoration of the stage was not suitable! “They removed the old stucco and replaced it with cheap papier-mâché - why? The theater inside is now like a Turkish hotel, not even worthy of five stars,” his words.
The conflict with the management flared up, and in 2013 the head of Bolshoi Iksanov announced that the contract with the dancer and teacher Tsiskaridze would not be renewed. Having learned about this, Russian cultural figures sent Putin a letter in which they demanded that Iksanov be removed from his post and Nikolai Tsiskaridze appointed head of the theater. In fear for his position, Iksanov gave the dancer two “strict marks”: violation of labor discipline.
I didn’t manage to become the head of the Bolshoi (the contract expired, Nikolai left the theater) - no problem! In 2014, Tsiskaridze was almost unanimously elected rector of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. He became the first (and so far the only) person to become rector of the academy without graduating from it. In the same year, Nikolai graduated from the State Law Academy and received the title of master.
Tsiskaridze is a frequent guest on TV, he participates in both talk-shows and specifically musical projects. He was repeatedly invited to the jury of “Dancing with the Stars,” and he is the permanent presenter of the “Masterpieces of World Musical Theater” project.
Due to phantom pain (consequences of an accident and a sprained leg), Nikolai has not performed since 2013, but he runs the academy and teaches; he is still considered an undying “star” of Russian ballet. He never tires of repeating (and he’s right!): “The Bolshoi Theater is about me. They will write the first, second or third history of the theater, and they will always write about Tsiskaridze in it.”
Scandals associated with the name Tsiskaridze, interesting facts about him
Simultaneously with the attacks of the head of the Bolshoi Theater in 2013, another disaster happened. Apart from Iksanov, Nikolai did not get along very well with artistic director Filin at that time. Tsiskaridze was also accused of what happened to Filin (they threw acid in his face): supposedly Dmitrichenko was a simple performer, and the idea of the “acid attack” was the work of Nikolai.
Even under the threat of non-renewal of the contract, he stood his ground and did not change his opinion about the inferiority of the new type of Bolshoi. And he has had this since childhood, such stubbornness:
“They put porridge in front of me, and I hated porridge. They said: you won’t get up from the table until you eat. I sat for a day, left hungry, and the porridge remained. This stubbornness has stayed with me forever.”
They whispered that he was appointed rector of the academy undeservedly; allegedly, the wife of one of the co-owners of the Rostec corporation insisted on this. But firstly, 227 people (out of 241) voted for him, and secondly, he somehow let it slip that, on the contrary, “higher structures” persuaded him to agree to this position.
He is a fierce opponent of the draft new laws, according to which children will be admitted to art schools without competition from the age of 15. “A future pianist’s hands should be placed at 5, a dancer’s legs at 9, and these arms and legs must be chosen like grains!”
Everywhere Tsiskaridze appears: on TV, on stage, in the Academy buildings - they know that he hates empty buckets. He constantly “chases” the cleaning ladies if he sees someone with an empty bucket. Tsiskaridze can even come up and check that there is at least a rag in the bucket - the main thing is that it is not empty.
He can’t stand it when people “get into bed” for the sake of a career. He loudly “sent” one actress (now quite famous) in public for annoying advances. The “high” official jokingly asked him:
“Well, Kolya, why so harshly, was it really difficult even once... ahem...” Nikolai (again loudly and in front of people) replied: “Talent is not transmitted sexually.”
What do we know about the dancer’s personal life and his hobbies?
Tall, handsome, athletic, he is the dream of many women as a husband or at least a lover. Nikolai admits that yes, “quick” romances happen, but there are no real candidates for a wife yet. When asked about plans to start a family and have children, he replies that a man “ripes” for this completely after forty. Tsiskaridze says that in the future he may have many children, but now nothing will dare distract him from the theater.
Rumors that Tsiskaridze is a “player for another team” (to put it simply, blue) have never been confirmed even by a hint. It was rumored that he had a whirlwind romance with actress Natalya Gromushkina. There were also rumors about a close relationship with Anastasia Volochkova and stage partner Ilsa Liepa. Both “divas” neither confirmed nor denied the gossip.
Photo: volochkova-a.livejournal.com
The artist simply does not have time for serious hobbies outside the theater. He doesn't boast about his sporting achievements or extreme hobbies. I listen to my colleagues say:
“I walk in the mountains, skate, ride a motorcycle, and I know they’re lying. I don’t do or invent anything like that.”
But he has one hobby, which he shares with Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government - they both collect dolls. They meet at meetings of the Council of Culture, and once Olga Yuryevna promised to give the dancer a birthday present in the form of an original doll.
“And you will give him a theater,” joked Karen Shakhnazarov, who was standing nearby at the time. Is he not worthy of this? They fear him at the academy because of his difficult character and sharp reaction to falsehood, but it is precisely such a tyrant teacher who can raise “stars” like him.
