Asen Manolov was born on July 22, 1908, to General Stoyan Manolov and his artist wife, Teodora. He studied ballet under Anastas Petrov, the first Bulgarian to receive professional ballet training. From 1928 to 1930, he was a member of the Sofia Opera, after which he pursued further training in Berlin. His debut performances on the Sofia stage included the symphonic suite “Scheherazade” to music by N. Rimsky-Korsakov and the Polovtsian Dances from the opera “Prince Igor” by A. Borodin; he also served as a soloist and choreographer at the Odeon Theater (1932–1946). The son of a general and a German-educated man with a penchant for free experimentation, he left the capital, where Soviet choreographers were imposing classical dance as the sole form of expression. Asen Manolov shaped the character and ballet repertoire of the regional theaters in Varna, Stara Zagora, and Ruse. His stay in the Danube city was the longest and most fruitful; it was there that he staged his most successful productions.
In the early 1950s, the then-director Georgi Chendov actively recruited talented performers and choreographers to foster the professional growth of the fledgling Ruse Opera Theater. Asen Manolov was not only the choreographer who staged the dances but also the teacher who knew how to adapt to the individual qualities of the artists and carefully selected the ballet repertoire to support and train the newly formed ballet company.
Before embarking on a more serious creative project, he choreographed the dances for Smetana’s opera "The Bartered Bride" (1951) and for Dunaevsky’s operetta "The Free Wind" (1953), conducted by Dobrin Petkov. A. Manolov’s first ballet productions on the Ruse stage included “Scheherazade” to music by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1954), a ballet that was performed 20 times in a single season at the Drama Theater to sold-out houses, as well as the ballet “Rivals” by Hertel (1953), which, due to great audience interest, was performed two more times for Sofia audiences. “Scheherazade” is one of A. Manolov’s most beloved works, in which he himself appeared on the Ruse stage in the role of the Prince.
Asen Manolov directed the ballet for W. A. Mozart’s comic opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" and served as choreographer for the dances in the opera "Eugene Onegin", the performance that inaugurated the new Opera House building on February 5, 1956. The dances for the opera "Mazeppa" were created by a teacher and his student—Atanas Petrov, the principal ballet master of the Sofia Opera, and Asen Manolov, the ballet master of the Ruse Opera. Regarding the dances in the operetta "Mademoiselle Nitouche", contemporaries commented that “A. Manolov is our country’s foremost expert on operetta ballet.” He choreographed the dances for Donizetti’s "The Elixir of Love" (1957), as well as the dances for Mozart’s opera "The Impresario" (1957) and Ponchielli’s "La Gioconda" (1958), which premiered in Sofia.
He also choreographed the ballet scenes in: Bizet’s "Carmen" (1958), produced by a production team from the Bucharest Opera, directed by Ion Râncescu and conducted by Romeo Raichev; in I. Kálmán’s "The Queen of the Csárdás"; “In the Storm” by T. Khrennikov (1959); in the operetta “The Beautiful Helena” by Offenbach, directed by Evgeni Nemirov; he choreographed the movements in the Bulgarian opera “Once Upon a Time” by P. Hadzhiev with great taste and imagination; there is great sensuality and imagination in the dances of Verdi’s "Aida" (1960); in the musical-dramatic work "Faust" by Gounod (1961), directed by Dragan Kardzhiev and conducted by Romeo Raichev; in Delibes’s "Lakmé" (1961); the dances in Lehár’s operetta "Frasquita" (1962) shine with particular originality.
The innovative artist introduces a new element to the ballet "Giselle" (1958)—a prologue based on a libretto by choreographer A. Manolov, set to music by “Giselle” composer Adolphe Adam from his operas “If I Were a King” and “The Postman of Longjumeau,” was added to the traditional two acts. The set design by Romanian artist Lydia Iovănescu creates the impression that the character has stepped off the stage from a Flemish tapestry brought to life. The young ballerina Krasimira Koldamova, who had just graduated from the Bolshoi Theater’s ballet school, was invited to play the role of Giselle. Later, the prima ballerina of the Sofia Opera would recall that A. Manolov had laid the foundation for her artistic legacy.
The premiere of the ballet "Swan Lake" took place on January 19, 1961. Before rehearsals began, the choreographer and director showed the cast members the film version of the Russian production of the ballet numerous times. The director of the Opera, G. Chendov, writes that “…A. Manolov succeeded in showcasing the company’s expanded capabilities and in justifying what, as it seemed to us at first, was excessive boldness… the ballet company has matured and ripened like an exotic fruit.”In the program for "Swan Lake", Asen Manolov shares his creative explorations. In "Notes from the Ballet Master", he writes,“…what could be more difficult than bringing the music of a brilliant score to life without stripping it of its poetic charm, without stifling its poignant resonance! And this great miracle of ballet is so rarely granted even to the chosen few!”
He also says that to be a good ballet master"It takes a lot of knowledge… My philosophy classes helped me, as did my music lessons with Prof. Nikola Abadzhiev… But the most beneficial experience was my time as a ballet master at the Ruse National Opera."
Asen Manolov dared to stage Tchaikovsky’s ballet "The Nutcracker" (1962) for the first time in Bulgaria, with Hristo Stanishhev as conductor and Paula Brancoveanu as costume designer. “…Manolov, working hand in hand with the talented artist Paula Brakovanu, creates beautiful scenes that blend dance and painting.” – writes musicologist Teodosy Teodosiev. In 1962, the Ruse Opera was awarded a prize for this production at the Third National Review of Opera Theaters in Sofia.
For the first time on a Bulgarian stage in Ruse, Asen Manolov staged the ballet "New Odyssey" by Viktor Bruns, with a libretto by Albert Burkatt and conducted by Boris Hinchev (April 18, 1963), as part of the International Music Festival program. According to a review by T. Teodosiev “In Ruse, one gets the impression of watching a truly vibrant performance… the dances are choreographed with imagination and flair.”
In 1964, rehearsals began for the ballet "The Madara Rider" by Dimitar Sagaev—the first performance of its kind in Bulgaria—with Romeo Raichev as conductor, Petar Popov as set designer, and Evgeni Nemirov as costume designer. The talented choreographer’s final creative work was the ballet “Haidushka Song” by Alexander Raichev. This was the first heroic ballet with a Bulgarian theme, conducted by Dimitar Manolov.
After his retirement in 1968, Asen Manolov returned to Sofia. He continued to follow cultural life and never missed a performance by his students. In 1971, his name appeared for the last time on the Ruse Opera’s program as the choreographer for Borodin’s opera "Prince Igor", as part of the "March Musical Days" International Festival.
He spent the last years of his life in a nursing home in the Darvenitsa neighborhood. He died in 1983 in Sofia.
In his memory, the ballet hall at the Ruse Opera has been named after him. There, at the entrance, hangs his portrait as an example of a man who fulfilled his mission with dignity—to lay the foundations for a professional ballet company at the Ruse State Opera.
RTVC-Ruse is producing a documentary about Asen Manolov – "Captive of Terpsichore"Written by Kostadinka Raikova and Petya Panteva, cinematography by Stilian Antonov, sound designer and music supervisor Elena Dzhelepova, directed by Elena Mashkova.
"And even today, it remains a mysteryИ днес остава загадка – writes Denitsa Ancheva in “The Ruse Ballet and Asen Manolov: Approaches, Formation, Development,” How could ballets from the classical repertoire—which are so difficult to perform and require highly trained dancers—be staged in the early 1960s, especially with a very small and not entirely professional cast? Asen Manolov succeeded… Because he had interesting ideas that made up for the dancers’ lack of training… he did not seek to replicate the classical model, but instead offered his own unconventional solutions… the troupe worked enthusiastically and tirelessly, and the Ruse Ballet’s performances at national opera theater festivals were met with well-deserved ovations.”
* Author: Dr. Veselina Antonova, archivist at the State Opera – Ruse
