Lila Zali Levienne (July 22, 1918January 4, 2003) was an American

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 ye ...

and ballet director. She founded the Ballet Pacifica in

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

, serving as its choreographer and artistic director from 1962 to 1988.

Early life

Zali was born Elisaveta Borisova Zalipskaya in

Tbilisi, Georgia Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million peo ...

, the daughter of an operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

. In 1922, while a young child, Zali and her family emigrated from Russia to

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

in the USA following the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Career

After graduating from the School of American Ballet in 1938, Zali became a minor soloist for

Mikhail Mordkin __NOTOC__ Mikhail Mordkin (russian: Михаил Михайлович Мордкин; December 9, 1880, Moscow, Russian Empire - July 15, 1944, New York) graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet School in 1899, and in the same year was appointed ballet ...

's ballet company (now the American Ballet Theatre). She then danced for Colonel de Basil's Ballets Russes but left when her mother refused permission for her to tour with the company in South America. During the summer of 1944, Zali performed regularly on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television show ''Balleretta''. She also appeared on the ''

Colgate Comedy Hour ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC network from 1950 to 1955. The show featured many notable comedians and entertainers of the era as guest stars. Many of the scripts of the series ...

''. In 1945, she moved to Hollywood where appeared in films including '' Limelight'', ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

'' and '' Silk Stockings''; and was the dance double for

Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...

in '' Gigi'', '' Gaby'' and ''

An American in Paris ''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital ...

''. Zali also continued stage performances, dancing prima ballerina for the Los Angeles City Ballet and the Coronet Ballet. Zali became an instructor at the Los Angeles dance studios of

Adolph Bolm Adolph Rudolphovich Bolm (russian: Адольф Рудольфович Больм; September 25, 1884 – April 16, 1951) was a Russian-born American ballet dancer and choreographer, of German descent. Biography Bolm graduated from the Rus ...

and then Michel Panaieff, where one of her students was young

Cynthia Gregory Cynthia Kathleen Gregory (born July 8, 1946) is an American former prima ballerina. Career Born in Los Angeles, Gregory took up dancing when she was five, with the encouragement of her parents, who hoped exercise would stem her history of childho ...

. Following a move to Laguna Beach, California, Zali in 1962 established the Laguna Beach Civic Ballet dance company (later renamed the Ballet Pacifica). She served, without salary, as its director and choreographer until 1988. After choosing a successor, Zali continued as the company's artistic advisor and taught classes until her death at the age of 84. Zali was a member of the board of directors of Regional Dance America (previously the National Association of Regional Ballet) and served as its president (1994–1996).

Personal life

In 1945, Zali married the cellist, Nicholas "Kolia" Levienne, who founded the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Society. Zali died of natural causes in Laguna Beach, California in 2003. She is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park in

Corona del Mar Corona del Mar (Spanish for "Crown of the Sea") is a seaside neighborhood in the city of Newport Beach, California. It generally consists of all the land on the seaward face of the San Joaquin Hills south of Avocado Avenue to the city limits, as ...

Filmography

References

External links