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Mikhail Mordkin (russian: Михаил Михайлович Мордкин; December 9, 1880,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War. ...

- July 15, 1944, New York) graduated from the

Bolshoi Ballet School The Moscow State Academy of Choreography (russian: Московская государственная академия хореографии), commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of ball ...

in 1899, and in the same year was appointed ballet master. Fille Mal Gardee -Sofia Fedorova as Lise, Grigory Riabtzev as Simone, Mikhail Mordkin as Colas

Fille Mal Gardee -Sofia Fedorova as Lise, Grigory Riabtzev as Simone, Mikhail Mordkin as Colas

He joined Diaghilev's ballet in 1909 as a leading dancer. After the first season he remained in Paris to dance 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 20th ...

. He then formed his own company, the All Star Imperial Russian Ballet, which toured America in 1911 and 1912. Mikhail returned to the Bolshoi and was appointed its director in 1917. He left Russia after the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, first working in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, and finally settling in the United States in 1924. He founded the Mordkin Ballet in 1926, for which he choreographed a complete ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'' and many other ballets. His company included such distinguished artists as

Hilda Butsova Hilda Butsova (born Hilda Boot, July 11, 1896 – March 21, 1976), was an English ballet dancer, a member of the companies of Russian dancers Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Mordkin. Early life Hilda Boot was born in Nottingham. She trained as a danc ...

, Felia Doubrovska,

Pierre Vladimiroff Pierre Vladimiroff, or Pyotr Nikolayevich Vladimirov (russian: Пётр Николаевич Владимиров; born February 13, 1893 in Gatchina, Saint Petersburg Governorate, Russian Empire – died November 25, 1970 in New Yo ...

, Vera Nemtchinova and Nicholas Zvereff. After a European tour the company disbanded in 1926. Mordkin continued to be a freelance artist and teacher, including at the

Cornish School Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914. History Cornish College of the Arts was founded in 1914 as the Cornish School of Music, by Nellie Cornish (1876–1956), a teacher of p ...

in the 1920s. From among his students in America he formed a new Mordkin Ballet in 1937. Although he had been pushed into the background, Mordkin helped build the foundation for ballet in America. Mikhail Mordkin died in

Millbrook, New York Millbrook is a village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. Millbrook is located in the Hudson Valley, on the east side of the Hudson River, north of New York City. Millbrook is near the center of the town of Washington, of which it is a ...

."Danza E Balletto: Dizionario"
/ref>

Cultural depictions

* ''

'', film by

Emil Loteanu Emil Vladimirovich Loteanu (6 November 1936 – 18 April 2003) was a Romanian-Soviet film director born in what is now Moldova. He moved to Moscow in his early life. His best known films are ''Lăutarii'', ''Gypsies Are Found Near Heaven'', '' A H ...

; portrayed by

Grigore Grigoriu Grigore Grigoriu (4 April 1941 – 20 December 2003) was an actor from the Republic of Moldova, known especially for interpreting the role of horse thief Luiku Zobar from the movie ''"Gypsies Are Found Near Heaven" ''(1975). Biography Grigor ...

(1983).

References

External links

Mikhail Mordkin papers, circa 1885-1979
Jerome Robbins Dance Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mordkin, Mikhail Male ballet dancers from the Russian Empire Ballets Russes dancers 1880 births 1944 deaths Ballet teachers American Ballet Theatre White Russian emigrants to the United States Moscow State Academy of Choreography alumni

Cultural depictions

See also

References

External links