Bubusara Beishenalieva 

(1926-1973) 

A portrait of Bubusara Beishenalieva, the first Kyrgyz ballerina, the people’s artist of the USSR, a winner of the Toktogul State Prize of the Kyrgyz SSR, is depicted on the front side of the banknote with denomination of 5 Som. 

Bubusara Beishenalieva was born on May 17, 1926. Black-haired girl with a delicate figure was called “blue-eyed” by the old people: being a child Bubusara had blue eyes. The affectionate nickname stuck to the ballerina - it is still familiar to everybody in her native village Tash-Dobo (Vorontsovka). In 1936, gifted children from Kyrgyzstan were first sent to the shores of the Neva to study. Ten-year-old Bubusara was among them, being enrolled at the Vaganova Leningrad Choreographic School, her main goal was to learn the art of ballet. The young dancer very soon lived up to the expectations placed on her. She made her debut in 1939 on the Bolshoi Theater stage during the First Decade of Kyrgyz Art and Literature.  

“A star of the Kyrgyz ballet!”, “God given talent!”, “Born for the stage!”, “Our Byubusara!” - all this is about her, about the legendary first ballerina of the Kyrgyz people, Bubusara Beishenalieva. She made a special contribution to the development of ballet culture of Kyrgyzstan.  

She embodied a whole gallery of diverse, highly artistic complex and multifaceted images at the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theater.  

Bubussara performed the main part of the ballet Cholpon, and this performance has truly become a guiding star for the national art of choreography and for Beishenalieva herself. She danced in this performance until 1971, first as Cholpon, later as witch Aydai. The main roles of Beishenalieva, which brought her general recognition and huge popularity: Maria and Zarema (“The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”), Odette-Odilia (“Swan Lake”), Tao Hoa (“The Red Poppy”), Aurora (“The Sleeping Beauty”), Zeynep (“Kuyruchuk”), Fanny (“The Great Waltz”), Medor (“Le Corsaire”), Juliet (“Romeo and Juliet”), Laurencia, Francesca (“Francesca de Rimmini”), La Sylphide (“Chopeniana”), Kitri (“Don Quixote”) and others.  

This nation-wide favorite was strange to “stardom”. Moreover, she was adored for her offbeat sense of humor and ability to parody famous personalities.  

Creative life of B. Beishenalieva was multifaceted and rich – she was an artist, ballerina, member of Parliament, and active participant in all socially important events in the cultural life of the country.  

The Kyrgyz State Institute of Arts and one of the streets of Bishkek city were named after Bubusara Beishenalieva.