There in the reading hall of the arts department is organized the book exhibition “Kazak bi onerynyn negizyn salushy Shara Zhienkulova”, dedicated to the 110-th birthday of the People’s artiste of the Kazakh SSR, dancer, pedagogue Shara Zhienkulova.

The purpose of the exhibition is the acquaintance of the readers with the life and creative activity of Shara Zhienkulova , the propagation of the Kazakh dancing culture;the ethnic-national traditions of domestic choreography.

Shara Zhienkulova (the real name Gulshara). The years of life: August 18, 1912 – May 21, 1991. Shara Zhienkulova was the fourteenth child in the family of Baimolda Zhienkulov, the merchant of the First guild from Vernyi (now Almaty). In 1929-1930 she studied at the historical faculty of the Kazakh pedagogical institute (now the Kazakh national pedagogical university after Abai).

The first role of Shara Zhienkulova at the Kazakh dramatical theatre after M. Auezov – that of Pulish by the play of B. Mailin “Maidan” (“The Battle”). She performed the roles of Enlik, Karagoz in the plays “Enlik - Kebek”, “Karagoz” of M.O. Auezov and other roles. When on January 13, 1934 there for the first time rose the curtain of the new Kazakh State musical theatre in Kazakhstan, one of the bright moments was the first national Kazakh dance “Kelinshek” in the play “Aiman - Sholpan” (the musical drama of M. Auezov). It was created, staged and performed by Shara Zhienkulova, and it was the beginning of the Kazakh choreography.

Shara Zhienkulova performed the folk dances in the musical drama “Aiman - Sholpan” of M. Auezov, in the operas “Kyz Zhibek”, “Zhalbyr” and “Er Targyn” of E.G. Brusilovskiy. Zh.Zhirenkulova danced the party of Mamyr in the first Kazakh national ballet “Kalkaman - Mamyr” (1938). She played the role of Balym in the cinema film “Amangeldy”. Together with the ballet master L.A. Zhukov she implemented the staging of the ballet of I.N. Nadirov “Koktem” (“The Spring”, 1940). Shara Zhienkulova is called “the diamond” of the musical-plastic art. She was marked with wonderful grace but especially unusual was the drawing of the hands, the speaking movements of the fingers, the head. These peculiarities Gulfairus Ismailova fixed in her picture “The Kazakh waltz”.

The main pedagogue and mentor of Shara was the experienced ballet master of the theatre, the fomer soloist of the Bolshoi theatre and the partner of the world-known Anna Pavlova Alexander Artemyevich Aleksandrov. He gave Shara the good basis of the Russian classic dance and all the time paid attention at the necessity of national character in art. The result of their joint work was “Tattimbet” which still is deemed to be one of the best Kazakh dances.

In 1940-1962 Sh. Zhienkulova worked at the Kazakh philharmonic society. In 1962-1966 she was the head of the ensemble of singing and dancing of the KazSSR. In 1966-1975 Zhienkulova worked as director of the Almatinskiy choreographic school (today the Almatinskiy choreographic school after A. Selezneov). There among her girl pupils were: the people’s artiste of the KazSSR G. Talpakova, the honored artistes of the KazSSR K. Karabalinova, B.Baizhumanova and others. In 1965 there at the Alma-Atinskiy choreographic school Shara Zhienkulova opens “The people’s department”, there appear her pupils and successors. Shara Zhienkulova travelled around the republic much, studying the everyday life, traditions and rites of different regions. As the result of these travels there appeared the dances: “Tattimbet”, “Aizhan kyz”, “Kara zhorga”, “Kyryk kyz”. In 1936 and in 1958 she participated in the decades of Kazakh literature and art in Moscow.

The awards: the Honored artiste of the Kazakh SSR (1936), the People’s artiste of the Kazakh SSR (1938), Awarded with the order of Lenin, twice with the orders of the Labour Red Banner, the order of “Badge of Honour”, the medals. The winner of the State prize of the Kaz.SSR (1968). There in the capital of Kazakhstan the city of Nursultan one street was named in honour of Shara Zhienkulova.

There at the exhibition are exposed the books of Shara Zhienkulova named “The secret of the dance”, “The dances of friends”, and also the monograph “Symbat”, in which there are systematized 40 national dances. The research is designed for the students of the choreographical schools, the participants of the artistic collectives and all those wishing to study the choreography of the national dance. The attention of the visitors of the exhibition will be attracted also by the photo-album of the Kazakh dance published in honour of the centenary jubilee of Shara Zhienkulova, and also the collection of works of the painters, dedicated to the Kazakhstani women “Tugan zherimnyn aiyeldery”, the biographical data about Shara Baimoldayevna in the book ”Almaty kalasynyn tarikhi tulgalar kelbetinde” and multiple encyclopaedic editions.     

                                   We invite everybody to the book exhibition!