USSR Honored Coach. One of the founders of the Soviet school of rhythmic gymnastics.
Maria was born on January 2, 1908, in Tiflis (Tbilisi). From childhood, her parents instilled in her a love of art, she played the piano and took ballroom dancing lessons.
Maria Vartanovna's cousin, Srbuhi Lisitsian-Azarapetyan, founded a rhythm and movement studio, inspired by Isadora Duncan's free dance. Maria also began attending those classes.
In 1924, Lisitsian graduated from the Tiflis Teaching College and began working in a kindergarten. She also worked hard to pass on the basics of movement and dance to her students. Maria also participated in theatrical productions at the Zakhary Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theater. She toured to Baku and Yerevan.
Later she moved to Leningrad, and then to Moscow. In 1933, Maria fine-tuned her acting skills at a studio at the Armenian SSR House of Culture. However, the Armenian Theater in Moscow never materialized, and Lisitsian immersed herself in the world of rhythmic gymnastics. At the time, rhythmic gymnastics was not considered a sport. Nevertheless, around 200 girls and boys trained at Maria’s studio.
In 1938, Lisitsian's husband, Yevgeny Alibegov, was sentenced to death on charges of sabotage. Maria was arrested as his wife. The case was retried after the intervention of Maria’s uncle, the renowned scientist Stepan Lisitsian. While the trial was ongoing, Maria was imprisoned in Butyrka prison, and then in the Akmola camp for wives of Motherland’s traitors.
After her release, Lisitsian immersed herself in work. In 1943, Maria became the director of an athletic school in the Zheleznodorozhny district of Moscow. And in 1954, she became the senior rhythmic gymnastics coach at the Krylia Sovetov sports society. In creative partnership with her sister, Tamara, Lisitsian created one of the most powerful rhythmic gymnastics schools. It is believed that the exhibition performances of her students played a role in the recognition of rhythmic gymnastics as a sport by the International Gymnastics Federation.
In December of 1963, the first official rhythmic gymnastics competition was held in Budapest. Representatives from 28 countries took part in it. Lyudmila Savinkova won gold, and Tatyana Kravchenko took silver. In 1967, Elena Karpushina became the all-around world champion. All these gymnasts were trained with Maria Lisitsian.
From 1963 to 1971, Maria Lisitsian was the Head coach of the USSR rhythmic gymnastics team. Throughout her career, she strived to unlock the potential of athletes.
In 1966, Maria Vartanovna was awarded the title of USSR’s Honored Coach.
She passed away on January 26, 1995, leaving behind a galaxy of brilliant gymnasts and a love for this incredibly beautiful sport that continues for generations.