Early years Alibaba Abdullayev was born on March 23 or August 9, 1915, in the city of Baku, in the Baku Governorate. In those years, he was born into the family of Abdulla and housewife Püstəxanım, who were well known in the city. He began working in the kitchen at the age of 16. Even in his early childhood, due to his love for music and the arts, he started attending the Cultural Center named after İbrahim Əbilov in his spare time and became a member of the dance group there. Alibaba Abdullayev was selected by composer
Üzeyir Hacıbəyov in 1935 to join the dance ensemble of the
Azerbaijan State Philharmonic that he had created himself, and in 1936, he became a member of the newly established
Song and Dance Ensemble of the Philharmonic. In November of that year, the first Azerbaijani Folk Dance Festival, in which he also participated, was held in Baku. Hacıbəyov wrote in his notes that Alibaba Abdullayev "felt the rhythm of music deeply" and added that his dances vividly portrayed the melody to the audience. According to filmmaker
Aydin Kazimzade, Alibaba Abdullayev's art flourished with the observation and support of Üzeyir Hacıbəyov and reached its creative peak. In 1938, he participated in the 1st Azerbaijani Fine Arts Decade held in
Moscow with the ensemble led by
Gamar Almaszadeh. He performed the dance "
Qaytağı" there. During this period, despite the official ban on national resources in the existing communist regime, it was undesirable, but along with all this, Alibaba Abdullayev overcame his creative challenges and trials and paved his way. " area. The street where the house is located is named after Alibaba Abdullayev. In April 1941, Alibaba Abdullayev became the assistant to the artistic director of the ensemble, and in June of the same year, he became the head of the dance group. In the fall of the same year, he participated in concerts in front of the Soviet troops in Iran. During the years of World War II, Alibaba Abdullayev performed on both the front and rear fronts as a member of the
Song and Dance Ensemble of the Philharmonic. In 1942, the preparation of the cantata "
Vatan və cəbhə" by
Üzeyir Hacıbəyov was entrusted to Alibaba Abdullayev. He also became the director and performer of the patriotic march "
Dədə Qorqud" in the years of World War II. In 1943, he was awarded the honorary title of
Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR. In the same year, Alibaba Abdullayev, along with other cultural figures, including
Samad Vurghun,
Bülbül,
Alasgar Alakbarov, and
Gurban Pirimov, was sent to the
Mozdok region, where he met with military personnel of the mainly Azerbaijani
416th Rifle Division.
Post-War Years After World War II, Alibaba Abdullayev received an invitation from composer
Suleyman Alasgarov to work at the Musical Comedy Theater named after
Jalil Mammadguluzade (now the
Azerbaijan State Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy) in honor of
Jalil Mammadguluzade. Here, he appeared in the staged performances of
Fikret Amirov's "
Gözün aydın" (Alay character), Suleyman Alasgarov's "
Beş manatlıq gəlin" (Qiyas character), and Viktor Dolidze's "
Keto və Kote" (Kote character) operettas and also worked as a choreographer. In 1947, Alibaba Abdullayev was admitted to the dance group of the
Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall again during the preparation period for the 1st World Youth Festival in
Czechoslovakia. He was awarded the laureate diploma at the festival as a soloist. In 1957, Alibaba Abdullayev participated in the VI Youth and Students Festival in
Moscow. He organized the concert program and the dances he choreographed. At this festival, Alibaba Abdullayev won four gold, one silver, and three bronze medals. In 1959, Alibaba Abdullayev became the choreographer for the ensemble named after
Gamar Almaszade at the Azerbaijani Fine Arts Decade held in Moscow at the request of Gamar Almaszade. Alibaba Abdullayev's choreography received high praise from dance experts. In the same year, on June 10, Alibaba Abdullayev was awarded the honorary title of
People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR by the decree of the
Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR. In that year, he choreographed the dance "
Vağzalı-mirzəyi". In the early 1960s, while working as a choreographer, Alibaba Abdullayev created a number of dance compositions based on works of classical Azerbaijani literature, including pieces inspired by
Jalil Mammadguluzade,
Molla Panah Vagif (to the music of
Jahangir Jahangirov),
Jafar Jabbarli, and others. In the early 1960s, the State Philharmonic's Song and Dance Ensemble, including Alibaba Abdullayev's choreographed dances, was warmly welcomed in the local press, and in 1961, director
Seyfulla Badalov made a two-part documentary film called "
Meetings in Africa" about it. Alibaba Abdullayev taught at the
Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts and Culture named after Mirza Agaaliyev and the
Baku Choreography Academy. He also collaborated with
Rashid Behbudov at the
Azerbaijan State Song Theatre. Alibaba Abdullayev died in Baku on August 9, 1980, at the age of 65, and was buried in the
II Alley of Honor. == Creativity ==