Salary secrets: Astana Ballet refuses to reveal pay of Nazarbayev’s ‘second wife’
The Astana Ballet responded to an inquiry from Kursiv.media regarding a recent onstage photo shoot by Assel Issabayeva, the second wife of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, which drew widespread attention on social media. However, most of the outlet’s questions went unanswered.
Background from Nazarbayev’s memoir
Nazarbayev publicly acknowledged Issabayeva in his memoir, «My Life,» released Dec. 1, 2023. In the book, he discussed his personal life, revealing for the first time that he has a second wife and two sons with her, and that his first wife, Sara Nazarbayeva, had forgiven him.
«We married according to Muslim custom. Assel blessed me with two children — two wonderful sons. Tauman was born in 2005, and Baiken was born in 2008,» he wrote.
Limited details on Issabayeva’s role
The theater, a state-funded entity, confirmed that Issabayeva works at the institution as an artistic manager but provided no further details.
It declined to disclose information about her salary, additional compensation or the terms of her employment contract, citing personal data protection laws.
The theater also did not address questions about her employment status or why she was listed under the «Management» section of the institution’s official website, while other artistic managers were categorized alongside general staff.
Website changes follow inquiry
Following the inquiry, the theater updated its website, adding more employees to the «Management» section. Issabayeva was subsequently reclassified under the «Artistic» division alongside her colleagues.
Theater addresses photo shoot
The theater separately commented on Issabayeva’s onstage photo shoot, stating that employee photo sessions are conducted «on a regular basis» to produce visual content for print materials and advertising.
It added that no additional funding was allocated for the shoot.
