![]() Hélène Kirsova (1910-1962), prima ballerina and choreographer, was born on 18 June 1910 in Copenhagen and named Ellen Elisabeth Kirsten Wittrup, youngest child of the large family of Sophus Christian Ferdinand Hansen, directeur, and his wife Ingeborg, née Wittrup.When Whitney Balliett's American Musicians first appeared in the fall of 1986, the acclaim it received was universal. Using her mother's maiden name, Ellen attended the ballet schools of Emilie Walbom and Jenny Møller in Copenhagen. At 18 she began tuition in Paris under Olga Preobrajenska, Léo Staats and, particularly, Lubov Egorova. In 1929 Wittrup joined Le Ballet Franco Russe and toured South America. ![]() She then danced with Madame Ida Rubenstein in Paris and in July 1931 at Covent Garden, London. Later that year, as 'Hélène Kirsova', she joined the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo under René Blum and Colonel de Basil. When they split up, she stayed with Blum and worked closely with Michel Fokine. Although overshadowed by the 'baby ballerinas', she achieved personal success as a principal dancer in the company's seasons at the Alhambra Theatre, London, in 19. To the critic Arnold Haskell, Kirsova appeared to be of 'finely-tempered steel' in the role created for her by Léonide Massine in Choreartium (1933). Her most celebrated part was the Butterfly in Fokine's L'Epreuve d'Amour in 1936. ![]() Rejoining de Basil's Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo (led by Léon Woizikovsky), Kirsova toured Australia in 1936-37 as prima ballerina. From the opening night (13 October 1936) in Adelaide she felt the audience's enthusiasm and was to create a tremendous public following. Her grace, 'perfect musical sense' and flawless technique made her interpretation as principal soloist in Les Sylphides one of her greatest successes, displaying her 'gifts of elevation, strength and precision'. She was perhaps better remembered for roles requiring dramatic depth-as the puppet ballerina in Petrouchka, Columbine in Le Carnaval and the Street Dancer in Le Beau Danube. Haskell described her 'dancing of the exacting role of the shy, brilliant bird' in The Firebird as 'one of the most perfect things seen in this or any other season'. Kirsova left with the company for Europe, but returned to Sydney in December 1937. At St Mark's Anglican Church, Darling Point, on 10 February 1938 she married 38-year-old Erik Fritz Emil Fischer, the Danish vice-consul. She claimed to have given up dancing 'for ever', and rejoiced at the prospect of riding horses and 'no more dieting'. In June 1940 Madame Kirsova founded a school to teach Russian ballet in Sydney. Her pupils soon provided the dancers for her own ballet company. As a teacher, she was a strict disciplinarian 'without being a martinet' the classes were mentally and physically demanding. Her rivals claimed that she concentrated on her soloists, whom she developed superbly, while allowing less precise work from the ensemble. ![]() Dynamic and energetic, she could be rude and cutting to lesser talents, but was always warm to her favourites. Among her protégés were the young Australian dancers Strelsa Heckelman, Rachel Cameron, Helene ffrance, Henry Legerton and Paul 'Clementin' (Hammond), and the New Zealander Peggy Sager. Steeped in the Diaghilev concept of 'music, decor, ballet, drama, being made a total entity', Kirsova was a great collector of contemporary art and had an 'extensive knowledge of it'. She encouraged artists and musicians to come to her studio to watch classes and rehearsals. (Sir) William Dobell, Wolfgang Cardamatis, Frank Hutchens and Lindley Evans became habitués. Other supporters included (Sir) Warwick Fairfax and Thyne Reid. The Kirsova Ballet gave its first performance on 8 July 1941 as part of a five-week season at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music. The musician ii by loudon sainthill professional#Īlthough the company was at first strengthened by four former de Basil dancers, its achievements were hailed as evidence that it was possible to stage ballets of professional standard without importing large, expensive companies from abroad. The programme included two original ballets choreographed by Kirsova, A Dream-and a Fairy Tale and Vieux Paris, with scenery and costumes by Loudon Sainthill. The musician ii by loudon sainthill professional#.
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