Lebedeva, Praskovya Prokhorovna

In 1846-1857 she studied at the Moscow Ballet School (teachers F.N. Manokhin and F. Montassu). The Ballet Encyclopedia calls her a student G. Voronina and the Swedish choreographer H. P. Johanson , who moved to St. Petersburg - at the St. Petersburg Theater School, where she took lessons for several months besides the Moscow school ^[1] . In 1854, while still a student of the school, she successfully made her debut in the party of Gitana (“Gitana, or the Spanish Gypsy” by Schmit and Ober ) and soon, from 1857, became the leading dancer of the Bolshoi Theater .

In 1858, she, along with a St. Petersburg graduate Marfa Nikolaevna Muravyova, was sent abroad to correct her health, which was shaken by frequent appearances ^[2] .

Having returned, she took the same position as the ballerina of the first parties at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Parties: Esmeralda; Medora; Giselle (" Giselle " by Adan ); Margarita (Faust, 1861); Katarina (“Katarina, the daughter of a robber”), Satanilla (“Satanilla” by composers Reber and Benoit , choreographer J. Mazilier ), Paquita; she danced the main roles in "Packerett", "Meteor", "Salamander", "Orphan Theolind" (choreographer A. Saint-Leon ), "Daughters of the Pharaoh" Pugni (party - Aspicia, choreographer M. I. Petipa ), performed in the ballet “Corsair” by Adan and Pugni ), in the ballets of J. Gerber “Fern” and “Last Harvest Day” (choreographer S. Sokolov ), etc.

The work of Praskovya Prokhorovna Lebedeva was closely associated with the work of M. N. Muravyeva ^[3] , they were peers born in one year. Lebedeva in Moscow and Muravyova in St. Petersburg worked in parallel. Their tour - one to St. Petersburg and the other to Moscow - often coincided. The critic Yu. A. Bakhrushin wrote in his book “The History of Russian Ballet”: “Muravyova’s visits to Moscow usually took place when the leading Moscow dancer Lebedeva went on a tour to Petersburg” ^[2] . However, according to official newspaper criticism, although Muravyova was a brilliant ballerina, she often lacked acting skills, so it was difficult for her to compete with Lebedeva, who had outstanding acting data ^[3] .

In 1865, after M. Muravyova’s resignation (at 27, she married and could no longer continue to pursue stage activities by law), P. Lebedeva was transferred to St. Petersburg ^[3] . There, in 1866, she became the first performer of the main party of Gali in the ballet " Golden Fish " (choreographer A. Saint-Leon - Hermitage Theater, Petersburg, only the first act).

In 1867 left the scene.

She taught choreography at the Moscow Theater School.

Blazis Carlo , an Italian dancer who worked as the chief choreographer of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater and taught in 1861-1863. at the Moscow Theater School, dedicated a chapter to her from his book “Dancing in general. Ballet Celebrities and National Dances ", 1864 // third part of" III. Choreographic stars of the imperial Moscow theaters ”(Chapter:“ The Maid of Praskovya Lebedev ”).

S. N. Durylin narrated the story to his mother:

When the Persian shah saw her for the first time on the stage, he exclaimed: “This is the paradise of the prophet, and I see the most beautiful of the huries !” In delight, he presented her with a precious shawl of such fineness that, rolled up, it passed through the diamond ring of the shah. He brought this shawl as a gift to the Empress, but he folded it at the feet of Guria Lebedeva, who was close to the great embarrassment of those close to him.

• Theatrical Encyclopedia
• “Dancing in general. Ballet Celebrities and National Dances ” (inaccessible link from 22-03-2015 [1651 days])