OLESIA NOVIKOVA

Kirov Ballet

ANASTASIA MATVIYENKO

(B.1982)
Bolshoi Ballet

PALOMA HERRERA

(B.1975)
American Ballet Theatre

DOBRILA NOVKOV

(B.1947)
Serbian National Theatre

BIOGRAFIA

* Born on 26th July 1947. in Belgrade, SERBIA
* 1966. graduated from the School of Ballet, Novi Sad, SERBIA
* 1966. became ballerina in the Serbian National Theatre, Novi Sad
* 1973. gained the title Teacher of ballet with certificate of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet (in class of Varvara Pavlovna May and Elena Vasilieva Shiripova), Sankt Petersburg, RUSSIA
* Since 1973. she has been teaching Classical Ballet in the Secondary School of Ballet, Novi Sad.
* 1986. became teacher-tutor of ballet in the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad.
* In seasons 1988-89. and 1990-91. she was director of ballet in the Serbian National Theatre.
* During the period from 1980. until 1990. she was writing articles concerning ballet in the magazine "Theatre".
* From 1992. until 2007. Dobrila was teaching Stage movement and dance at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, music department for solo singing.
1991. her ballet studio La Sylphide was opened.

ANNE MARIE VESSEL

(B.1949)
Royal Danish Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Anne Marie Vessel Schlüter was born in 1949 in Denmark. She trained at the Ballet School of the Royal Danish Theatre, became an apprentice in 1965, and in 1967 she was engaged as a dancer by the Royal Danish Ballet. Here she has danced a number of soloist roles including Eleonora and Marchen in The Kermesse in Bruges and Swanilda in Coppelia, and in Napoli, The Flower Festival in Genzano, The Conservatory, La Sylphide and Far from Denmark.

Anne Marie Vessel Schlüter started to teach in 1979 and in 1988 she was appointed Director of the Ballet School at the Royal Danish Theatre. In 2001 she became an instructor at the Royal Danish Ballet. She has staged a number of Bournonville-ballets at the Royal Theatre.

TATIANA VECHESLOVA . Biography

(1910 - 1991)
Mariinsky Ballet

BIOGRAPHY

Tatiana Vecheslova was born in St Petersburg in 1910. She studied at the Leningrad Choreographic School (pupil of Marie Romanova and Agrippina Vaganova). She was classmate of Galina Ulanova and graduated in 1928. She was a strong dramatic dancer. Vecheslova was the first Soviet ballerina to tour abroad when she and Chabukiani went to USA in 1934. She created many roles including Manizhe (Chabukiani's Heart of the Hills 1938), Paskuala (Chabukiani's Laurencia 1939), Florine (Zakharov's Lost Illusions 1936) and title role (Bourmeister's Tatiana 1947). She also danced Esmeralda (Vaganova's Esmeralda 1935), Zarema (Fountain of Bakhchisarai), Tao Hoa (The Red Poppy), title role (Cinderella), Nuné (Gayané), title role (Giselle), Odette-Odile (Swan Lake), Kitri (Don Quixote), etc.

Vecheslova retired from the stage in 1953. She directed the Vaganova School 1952-54. She was teacher-repetiteur with the Kirov Ballet 1955-71. She wrote several books about ballet, including I am a Ballerina 1964 and Of the Things I Value Most 1984.

Awards:
Honoured Artist of the RFFSR 1957

VIOLETTE VERDY . Biography

(B.1933)
New York City Ballet

BIOGRAPHY

Violette Verdy was born in Point-l'Abbé-Lambour, France, in 1933 (as Nelly Guillerm). Began her career in 1945 with the Ballets des Champs-Elysées, and later joined Roland Petit's Ballets de Paris in 1950. She was a principal with the New York City Ballet from 1958 to 1977, where her partnership with Edward Villella in the Balanchine repertoire was very succesful.

She created roles in Le Loup 1953 (by Petit), in Episodes 1959, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux 1960, Liebeslieder Walzer 1960, Electronics 1961, A Midsummer Night's Dream 1962, Jewels 1967, La Source 1968, Pulcinella 1972, Sonatine 1975 (all by Balanchine), and in Dances at a Gathering 1969 and In The Night 1970 (by Robbins).

She was director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1977 to 1980.

GRUDUN BOJESSEN

Royal Danish Ballet

MONA VANGSAAE

(1920 - 1983)
Royal Danish Ballet

BIOGRAHY

Mona Vangsaae was born in Copenhagen in 1920. She studied for Harald Lander with the ballet school of the Royal Danish Ballet and in Paris. She joined RDB in 1938 and danced with them until her retirement in 1962. She danced main parts in both the Bournonville and the international repertoire. She created Juliet in Frederic Ashton's Rome and Juliet in Copenhagen 1955. Her Juliet with Henning Kronstam as Romeo was one of her greatest successes. Other memorable roles were the coquette in Balanchine's La Somnanbule (1955), and the title roles in Cullberg's Miss Julie and The Moonreindeer (1957).

After she left RDB she staged Bournonville's Napoli, act III and Le Conservatoire for London Festival Ballet, and a Sylphide for Stuttgart Ballet. She was married to Frank Schaufuss and is mother of Peter Schaufuss.

DOREEN WELLS

(B.1937)
Royal Ballet

BIOGRAFIA

Doreen Wells was born in London in 1937. She joined Sadler's Wells in 1955 and Royal Ballet in 1956. Principal with the touring section of the Royal Ballet 1960-70, getting more known outside London than at the Covent Garden. She had lots of charm and impeccable technique, and danced all the classics. Retired 1974, but made some guest appearances later.

VERA TREFILOVA . Biography

(1875 - 1943)
Mariinsky Ballet

BIOGRAPHY

Vera Trefilova was born in Vladikavkaz in 1875. She studied at the Imperial Ballet School with Ekaterina Vazem and graduated in 1894. Later she studied for Enrico Cecchetti, Catarina Beretta, Evgenia Sokolova and Nicolai Legat. She joined the Mariinsky Theatre in 1894 and was promoted to soloist in 1901. She became prima ballerina in 1906, but she resigned only four years later. She created roles in Ivanov's Acis and Galatea (1896), N. and S. Legat's The Fairy Doll (1903), N. Legat's The Blood-Red Flower (1907) and Fokine's The Night of Terpsichore (1907). She was a perfect classical ballerina and virtuoso. In 1917 she left Russia to open a ballet school in Paris. In 1921 Diaghilev persuaded her to make a comeback dancing Aurora in his famous London production of The Sleeping Princess. She danced Odette-Odile with Ballets Russes in Monte Carlo in 1924. She was then almost 50 years old but she still amazed the audiences with her foutté turns.

NINA TIMOFEYEVA . Biography

(B.1935)
Bolshoi Ballet

BIOGRAPHY

Nina Timofeyeva was born in Leningrad in 1935. She graduated from the Vaganova School in 1953. Joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1956. She had brilliant and impeccable technique. After some difficult years in the beginning of her career she danced all the classical ballets and created many roles in the contemporary repertory. She retired in 1988.

Repertoire includes:
Aegina in Spartacus, Mekhmene in The Legend of Love, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Night City (Miraculous Mandarin), Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Asel.

Awards:
People's Artist of the USSR 1969