Abstract
Created in the 1930s, the musical theater has become an important organic component of the Kazakh culture. The opera is of high-priority in this theatre; it has repeatedly become the subject of study for scientists. However, the historical way of the Kazakh ballet should not be ignored either. In the context of its historical functioning, this genre has not yet attracted the attention of musicologists. The article defi nes the main trends of development of the Kazakh ballet. It includes both published works of balletologists and choreographers (L.P. Sarynovа, G.T. Zhumaseitovа, D.T. Abirov, B.G. Ayukhanov) and unpublished material from the archives of Kazakhstan and Russia. This study comes to conclusion that the absence of a widespread dance culture in Kazakhstan has impacted on the genre’s development, and, though the choreographers’ search has been really various, the national ballet is still in permanent crisis. Despite the success of the premiere performances, none of the ballets has ever stayed in the theater’s repertoire. The most signifi cant dance scenes created by the national choreography for the theater are those in the operas “Kyz-Zhibek” (E.G. Brusilovskiy), “Birzhan and Sara” (M.T. Tulebaev) and “Abay” (A.K. Zhubanov and L.A. Khamidi), highly appreciated by critics during the First and Second Ten-Day Festivals of the Kazakh Art and Literature in Moscow.