Vera Trefilova (russian: Вера Александровна Трефилова) (b

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia. It is located i ...

, 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 Vazem Yekaterina Ottovna Vazem (born Matilda Vazem; russian: Екатери́на Отто́вна Ва́зем; 25 January 1848, Moscow – 14 December 1937, Leningrad) aka Ekaterina Vazemwas a Russian prima ballerina and instructor, whose most noted ...

and graduated in 1894. She later studied with Evgenia Sokolova,

Nikolai Legat Nikolai Gustavovich Legat (russian: Никола́й Густа́вович Лега́т) (30 December 1869, Moscow – 24 January 1937, London) was a Premier danseur, premier dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet from 1888 to 1914, and also ...

, Catarina Beretta and

Enrico Cecchetti Enrico Cecchetti (; 21 June 1850 – 13 November 1928) was an Italian ballet dancer, mime, and founder of the Cecchetti method. The son of two dancers from Civitanova Marche, he was born in the costuming room of the ''Teatro Tordinona'' in ...

. She joined the ballet company at the Maryinsky Theatre in 1894 and was promoted to soloist in 1901. She created roles in

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (russian: link=no, Лев Ива́нович Ива́нов; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet. ...

's ''Acis and Galatea'' (1896), N. and S. Legat's ''The Fairy Doll'' (1903), N. Legat's ''The Blood-Red Flower'' (1907), and

Mikhail Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and a ...

's ''The Night of Terpsichore'' (1907). In 1906 she was promoted to prima ballerina, known for her 32 fouettés. She triumphed as Princess Aurora in ''Sleeping Beauty'', but resigned in 1910, partly due to her dislike of Fokine's innovations, but above all due to a rivalry with the Maryinsky's reigning ballerina,

Mathilde Kschessinska Mathilde-Marie Feliksovna Kschessinska ( pl, Matylda Maria Krzesińska, russian: Матильда Феликсовна Кшесинская; 6 December 1971; also known as Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya after her marriage) was a Polish ...

. In 1915 she made her debut as an actress at the

Mikhailovsky Theatre The Mikhailovsky Theatre (russian: Миха́йловский теа́тр) is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named a ...

in St. Petersburg. In 1917 she left Russia and opened a ballet school in Paris: among her pupils were

Marina Svetlova Marina Svetlova (born Yvette von Hartmann; 3 May 1922 – 11 February 2009) was a French and American ballerina and ballet instructor. Biography Svetlova was born in Paris, France, with the name Yvette von Hartmann to Russian parents. She b ...

Mary Skeaping Mary Emma Skeaping (15 December 19029 February 1984) was an English ballerina who is better known as a ballet teacher, director, choreographer, and producer. She served as director of the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm for nine years (19531 ...

, Nina Vyroubova and Mari Bicknell.

Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pa ...

invited her to dance Aurora in his 1921 London production of ''The Sleeping Princess''. In 1924, almost 50 years old, she danced Odette-Odile for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Monte Carlo, still amazing audiences with her fouetté turns. She gave her final performance at His Majesty's Theatre in London in 1926. She had three husbands, the third of whom was the dance critic Valerian Svetlov.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trefilova, Vera 1875 births 1943 deaths Prima ballerinas Ballerinas from the Russian Empire Mariinsky Ballet principal dancers People from Vladikavkaz Actresses from the Russian Empire White Russian emigrants to France