Nina Vladimirovna Vyroubova (russian: Нина Владимировна Вырубова; 4 June 1921 – 25 June 2007) was a Russian-born French
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 ...
, considered one of the finest of her generation.
Early life
She was born in
Gurzuf
Gurzuf or Hurzuf ( uk, link=no, Гурзуф, russian: Гурзу́ф, crh, Gurzuf, gr, link=no, Γορζουβίται) is a resort-town (urban-type settlement) in Yalta Municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized b ...
,
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, but moved to
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. S ...
as a child with her grandmother and widowed mother, fleeing the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
. Her first ballet teacher was her mother, followed by renowned Russian ballerinas
Olga Preobrajenska
Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (russian: О́льга Ио́сифовна Преображе́нская; born Preobrazhenskaya; – 27 December 1962) was a Russian ballerina of the Russian Imperial Ballet and a ballet instructor.
Biogra ...
,
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 Vaze ...
and
Lyubov Yegorova.
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[Coppélia
''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-Éti ...]
''.[ She performed with the Ballets Polonais (1939) and the Ballet Russe de Paris (1940).][ During her work in recitals staged by the French critic ]Irène Lidova
Irène Lidova ( Kaminskaya; 7 January 1907 – 23 May 2002) was a Russian-French dance critic, writer, presenter and producer. She worked in fashion journalism for the magazine '' Vu'' before reviewing dance for the weekly literary publication ''M ...
from 1941 to 1944, she met the French choreographer, dancer and ballet company director Roland Petit
Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets.
Life and work
The son of shoe designer Ros ...
.[ When Petit formed Les Ballets des Champs-Elysées in 1945, his breakthrough work, ''Les Forains'', featured her.][ It was, however, a revival of the romantic ballet '']La Sylphide
''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bo ...
'', with new choreography by Victor Gsovsky
Victor Gsovsky (russian: Виктор Иванович Гзовский; 12 January 1902, Saint Petersburg - 14 March 1974, Hamburg) was a Russian ballet dancer, teacher, balletmaster and choreographer.
Biography
He studied with Mariinsky Theatre ...
, that catapulted Vyroubova to stardom.[
]
Career
In 1949, Serge Lifar
Serge Lifar ( ua, Сергій Михайлович Лифар, ''Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar'') ( 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian ballet dancer and choreographer, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. No ...
made her the ''Danseur Étoile
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 ...
'' ("star dancer", equivalent to prima 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 ...
) of the Paris Opera Ballet
The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...
, succeeding Yvette Chauviré
Yvette Chauviré (; 22 April 1917 – 19 October 2016) was a French prima ballerina and actress. She is often described as France's greatest ballerina, and was the coach of prima ballerinas Sylvie Guillem and Marie-Claude Pietragalla. She was awa ...
.[ She was featured in his productions of ''Suite en Blanc'' (1949), ''La Dame in Dramma Per Musica'' (1950), '']Giselle
''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...
'' (1950), ''Blanche-Neige'' (''Snow White'', as the Wicked Queen) (1951), ''Les Noces Fantastiques'' (1955), ''Hamlet'' (1957) and ''L'Amour et son destin'' (1957).[ In 1957, when Lifar resigned from the Paris Opera Ballet, she followed him to the ]Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas
Jorge Cuevas Bartholín, known as George de Cuevas (1885 – 22 February 1961), was a Chilean-born ballet impresario and choreographer who was best known for the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas that he formed in 1944.
Life and career
Cueva ...
touring company, where she starred in George Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
’s ''La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the '' bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eug ...
''.[ When ]Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...
defected in 1961, she was paired with him in '' The Sleeping Beauty'' in his first post-defection performance.[ However, she became furious when he added some impromptu extra steps to his final solo, and she refused to speak to him for five years.][ After the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas disbanded in 1962, she continued to work freelance.][ In 1965, a role was created especially for her in the ]Hamburg Ballet
The Hamburg Ballet is a ballet company based in Hamburg, Germany. Since 1973, it has been directed by the American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier. In addition there is a ballet school, , established in 1978. The performances of the Hamb ...
's ''Abraxis''.[
After her retirement, she taught in Paris and later in ]Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
(1983-1988).[ She died in Paris at the age of 86.
]
Personal life
Nina Vyroubova was married three times (one of the husbands was Arkadij Kniaseff) and had a son, dancer Yura Kniazeff (born 1951, a soloist with the National Ballet of Canada).[
Vyroubova appeared in a number of documentaries, including the 1996 ''Les cahiers retrouvés de Nina Vyroubova'' (''The Rediscovered Notebooks of Nina Vyroubova'').]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vyroubova, Nina
1921 births
2007 deaths
Russian ballerinas
French ballerinas
Paris Opera Ballet étoiles
20th-century French ballet dancers
20th-century French women
Soviet emigrants to France