Cleo Nordi ( rus, Клео Норди;

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for " crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

– 30 March 1983

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

), was a Russo- Finnish ballerina who danced as a soloist with

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...

's company before becoming a renowned teacher of the

Russian ballet Russian ballet (russian: Русский балет) (french: Ballet russe) is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. Imperial Russian Ballet Until 1689, ballet in Russia was nonexistent (ballet has its origins in the cour ...

tradition in London. She was involved in three dance-related films.

Biography

Nordi trained in St.Petersburg with Nicolai Legat, with Lyubov Yegorova, Olga Preobrajenska and

Vera Trefilova Vera Trefilova (russian: Вера Александровна Трефилова) (b Vladikavkaz, 8 Oct. 1875, d Paris, 11 July 1943) was a Russian dancer and teacher. She studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St Petersburg with Ekaterina Va ...

and in

Helsingfors Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city's ...

with George Gé. On 13 December 1924 she made her

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

debut at the Théâtre Fémina in a light entertainment. The following year she became a member of the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

where she stayed until 1926. Later that year she joined

's company with which she toured and danced solo roles until the latter's death in 1931. Through her marriage to Walford Hyden, Pavlova's musical director and a light orchestra conductor, she was one of the first ballerinas screened on British television in 1934. She made dance arrangements for the musical theatre, sometimes herself appearing in productions and became involved in cinema. She had supporting roles in two films, in '' Cafe Colette'' (1937), ''

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, ...

'' (1945) and was choreographer in the production of ''

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

'' (1946). She travelled widely, including to Australia and Asia where she adopted the practice of

Kundalini yoga Kundalini yoga () derives from ''kundalini'', defined in tantra as energy that lies within the body, frequently at the navel or the base of the spine. In normative tantric systems kundalini is considered to be dormant until it is activated (a ...

. After the

Second world war World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

she settled in London where she held classes in West London and latterly in studios in Scarsdale Villas, and in Eldon Road, Kensington. She became an established and esteemed ballet teacher. Among her hundreds of pupils, notable have been

Rukmini Devi Arundale Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Shastri; 29 February 1904 – 24 February 1986)Sharma, Shoba and Gangadean, Ashok (January 31, 2004 Naatya.org. Retrieved on 10 December 2018. was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian c ...

, Tamara Tchinarova,

Roger Tully Roger Tully (3 February 1928 – 26 February 2020) was an English dancer and teacher of classical dance. Life and career Roger Tully was born in East London. His early studies were with Muriel Green, née Quick, in eurhythmics. Offered a scholar ...

Nadia Nerina Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: Uk ...

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylized blend of dance mo ...

. and Elaine McDonald, dancer and then Principal Dancer with

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 196 ...

1969 - 1989. Cleo Nordi died in Fulham, aged 85 in 1983.

Bibliography

* Davis, Janet Rowson. "Ballet on British Television, 1932-1935: A Supplement." Dance Chronicle, vol. 7, no. 3, 1984, pp. 294–325. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1567654. Nordi appeared dancing the Tarantella in an early UK television broadcast of ballet in 1934. Retrieved 02.02.2019

References

External links

Article from Andros on Ballet
*

Alastair Macaulay Alastair Macaulay is an English writer and dance critic. He was the chief dance critic for '' The New York Times'' from 2007 until he retired in 2018. He was previously chief dance critic at '' The Times'' and Literary Supplement and chief theater ...

. "Anna Pavlova, global missionary for ballet classicism: Women’s History Month in Dance, 2021

* BFI entr
Cleo Nordi
* Photographs by GBL Wilson of Cleo Nordi with some of her pupils from the

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 ...

Archiv
Topfoto - Preview ARP1300390 - CLEO NORDI ; 1899 - 1983 Finnish dancer and teacher ; Her last dance class in London ; September 1964 ; Credit : G.B.L. Wilson / Royal Adacemy of Dance / ArenaPAL
* Cleo Nordi recollects Anna Pavlova in Katharine Kanter: Pavlova Recollections by her Associates in ''Dansomanie'
Dansomanie :: Voir le sujet - Timely recollections of Anna Pavlova, by her associates
Retrieved 30-01-2019 * Wolfgang Hainisch 1950 portrait of Cleo Nordi held by National Arts Educational Archive,

Yorkshire Sculpture Park The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barba ...

Leonard Bartle’s Selection
retrieved 02.02.2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nordi, Cleo 1898 births 1983 deaths People from Kronstadt People from Petergofsky Uyezd Finnish ballerinas Russian ballerinas Ballet masters Russian ballet dancers Ballet teachers Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References

External links