First ballet in Azerbaijan & Muslim East

Ballet dance still captures the attention of individuals enamored with this exquisite art form nowadays.

The first ballet ever staged in Azerbaijan and the Muslim East was Maiden Tower.

It has three acts, a prologue, and an epilogue, and is based on the ideas of the playwright Jafar Jabbarli’s poetry of the same name. The music and libretto are both by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli.

The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater had the ballet’s premiere in 1940, and the revised version debuted in 1999.

The earlier edition had Soviet propaganda; the current version did not. The new version’s author is Yulanda Alikishizada.

The primary dancers were Madina Aliyeva and Gulaghasi Mirzoyev. The reworked score was written by Farhad Badalbeyli. The ballet was performed by the Azerbaijan State Song and Dance Ensemble under the direction of Afag Malikova.

A narrative about the Maiden Tower, a famous historical site that dates back to the 12th century, serves as the inspiration for the ballet.

Gamar Almaszada is recognized in history as the first ballerina in the country.

Her spouse, Afrasiyab Badalbeyli, wrote The Maiden Tower especially for Gamar. She played the ballet’s principal part at the age of 25. She performed effectively in France, India, and Nepal during her career.

At that time, Azerbaijani ballet began to exist and grow. Additionally, ballets by Soltan Hajibayov (1950’s Gulshan), Gara Garayev (1952’s Seven Beauties), Fikrat Amirov (1958’s Along the Thundering Ways), Nizami (1947’s 1001 Nights), Niyazi (1979’s 1001 Nights), Arif Malikov (1961’s The Legend of Love), and many others (1950’s 1001 Nights) helped to popularize Azerbaijani

The exquisite beauty of Azerbaijani ballet was performed by dancers Gamar Almaszada, Leyla Vakilova, Alasgar Abdullayev, Rafiqa Axundova, Magsud Mammadov, Vladimir Pletnev, Chimnaz Babayeva, Medina Aliyeva, Tatyana Sukhorukova, and Zaur Fatullayev, among others.

The scope of Azerbaijani ballet is currently expanding, attracting sizable audiences. At some of the best opera houses in the world, national ballet dancers perform to great success.