People's Artist of Uzbekistan Gulnara Mavayeva passes away

People's Artist of Uzbekistan, ballerina, dancer, teacher, and coach Gulnara Mavayeva has died at the age of 94, according to the Ministry of Culture.

For many years, Mavayeva delighted audiences with her memorable performances in classical ballets on the stage of the Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theater.

She mentored a generation of distinguished performers, including People's Artist of Uzbekistan Mamura Ergasheva and Honored Artists of Uzbekistan Feruza Sagdullaeva, Gulnara Nizamova, and Jamila Osmanova, among others. Her students now live and work in countries such as Uzbekistan, Canada, Russia, Israel, the United States, and Germany.

Gulnara Mavayeva was born on June 30, 1931, in Tashkent. She graduated from the Tamara Khanim Ballet School in 1941, the ballet school at the Navoi Theater Studio in 1948, the Uzbek Ballet Studio of the Moscow Choreographic School in 1951 (under the guidance of M.A. Kokhudova), and the pedagogical department of the Leningrad Choreographic School in 1971. She served as a soloist at the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theater from 1945 to 1949 and again from 1951 to 1957.

Renowned for her masterful interpretations of Uzbek national dances, Mavayeva captivated audiences with performances of "Katta raqslar (Big Dances)," "Shoyi (Silk)," "Farg'ona usuli (Fergana Style)," "Shaddod qiz (Fiery Girl)," "Maftun etdi (She Enchanted)," "Raqsga tushaversin (Let Her Keep Dancing)," "Ey, sarvi ravon ( Oh, Graceful Cypres)," and "Orazbon lezginkasi (Lezginka of Orazbon)," among others.

In 1971, she began teaching at the Tashkent Choreographic School and later, in 1974, joined the Tashkent Institute of Culture, where she continued to train aspiring dancers, including Mamura Ergasheva.

Earlier, it was reported that Eduard Khachaturov, director of the iconic film "To‘ylar muborak (Happy Weddings)," passed away at the age of 89.