Alina Frasa (1834–1899) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

. She is regarded as the first ballerina in Finland.

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

-born Frasa was the adoptive daughter of the director of a travelling German theater. She made her debut in Finland as the member of a travelling theater during her childhood, and made a success by her ballet performances. In 1847, she settled in Borgå where she acted in the inauguration of the first theater of that city. From 1852, she was active in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, where she became a star. She is regarded to be the first ballet dancer in Finland and was noted by

Aleksis Kivi Aleksis Kivi (; born Alexis Stenvall; 10 October 1834 – 31 December 1872) was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, ''Seitsemän veljestä'' ("Seven Brothers") in 1870. He is also known for his 1864 p ...

. She retired in the 1860s, but founded a ballet school and came to be regarded as the first ballet instructor of note in Finland.

References

1834 births 1899 deaths Finnish ballerinas 19th-century Finnish people 19th-century ballet dancers Finnish adoptees Finnish people of Swiss descent 19th-century Finnish women Swiss emigrants to the Russian Empire {{ballet-bio-stub