Cleo Nordi (;

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

– 30 March 1983

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

), was a Russo- Finnish ballerina who danced as a soloist with

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...

's company before becoming a renowned teacher of the

Russian ballet Russian ballet () () is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. Imperial Russian ballet Ballet had already dawned in Russia long before start of the 17th century as per the previous publications by certain authors. In this ...

tradition in London. She was involved in three dance-related films.

Biography

Nordi trained in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

with Nicolai Legat, with Lyubov Yegorova,

Olga Preobrajenska Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (; born Preobrazhenskaya; – 27 December 1962) was a Russian ballerina of the Russian Imperial Ballet and a ballet instructor. Biography She was born in Saint Petersburg as Olga Preobrazhenskaya (the final sy ...

and

Vera Trefilova Vera Trefilova () (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 Vazem and graduated in 1894. She later studied with Evgenia Sokolo ...

and in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

with George Gé. On 13 December 1924 she made her

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

debut at the Théâtre Fémina in a light entertainment. The following year she became a member of the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

where she stayed until 1926. Later that year she joined

's company with which she toured and danced solo roles until the latter's death in 1931. Through her marriage to Walford Hyden, Pavlova's musical director and a light orchestra conductor, she was one of the first ballerinas screened on British television in 1934. She made dance arrangements for the musical theatre, sometimes herself appearing in productions and became involved in cinema. She had supporting roles in two films, in ''

Cafe Colette ''Cafe Colette'' is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Paul Cavanagh, Greta Nissen in her final film role and Sally Gray. It was also released under the alternative title ''Danger in Paris''. The film was mad ...

'' (1937), ''

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

'' (1945) and was choreographer in the production of ''

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

'' (1946). She travelled widely, including to Australia and Asia where she adopted the practice of Kundalini yoga. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she settled in London where she held classes in West London and latterly in studios in

Scarsdale Villas Scarsdale Villas is a street in Kensington, London, that runs roughly west to east from Earls Court Road to Marloes Road, with crossroads at Abingdon Road and Allen Street en route. Houses were built there from 1850 to 1864. Notable residents ...

, and in Eldon Road,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

. She became an established and esteemed

ballet teacher Dance education is a practice whereby students are taught a broad understanding of dance as a form of art and who are trained professionally in many different genres of dance. Dance education consists of specialized dancers who conduct original r ...

. Among her hundreds of pupils, notable have been

Rukmini Devi Arundale Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri; 29 February 1904 – 24 February 1986)Sharma, Shoba and Gangadean, Ashok (January 31, 2004 Naatya.org. Retrieved on 10 December 2018. was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian cl ...

Tamara Tchinarova Tamara Tchinarova ( tr. Chinarova, ), also known as Tamara Finch, (18 July 1919 – 31 August 2017) was a Romanian-born émigré Russian and French ballerina who contributed significantly to the development of Australian dance companies and was ...

, Roger Tully,

Nadia Nerina Nadia Nerina (21 October 1927 – 6 October 2008) was a South African dancer who was "one of the most gifted, versatile, and inspiring ballerinas of The Royal Ballet" during the 1950s and 1960s. She was known "for her technical virtuosity, ...

Pina Bausch Philippine "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to a neo-expressionist dance tradition now known as . Bausch's approach was noted for a stylised blend of dance move ...

. and Elaine McDonald, dancer and then Principal Dancer with

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 1 ...

1969 - 1989. Cleo Nordi died in Fulham, aged 85 in 1983.

Bibliography

* Davis, Janet Rowson. "Ballet on British Television, 1932-1935: A Supplement." Dance Chronicle, vol. 7, no. 3, 1984, pp. 294–325. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1567654. Nordi appeared dancing the Tarantella in an early UK television broadcast of ballet in 1934. Retrieved 02.02.2019

References

External links

Article from Andros on Ballet
*

Alastair Macaulay Alastair Macaulay is an English writer and dance critic. He was the chief dance critic for ''The New York Times'' from 2007 until he retired in 2018. He was previously chief dance critic at ''The Times'' and Literary Supplement and chief theater cr ...

. "Anna Pavlova, global missionary for ballet classicism: Women’s History Month in Dance, 2021

*

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

entr
Cleo Nordi
* Photographs by GBL Wilson of Cleo Nordi with some of her pupils from the

Royal Academy of Dance The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is a UK-based examination board specialising in dance education and training, with an emphasis on classical ballet. The RAD was founded in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operatic Danci ...

Archiv
Topfoto - Preview ARP1300390 - CLEO NORDI; 1899 - 1983 Finnish dancer and teacher; Her last dance class in London; September 1964; Credit : G.B.L. Wilson / Royal Adacemy of Dance / ArenaPAL
* Cleo Nordi recollects Anna Pavlova in Katharine Kanter: Pavlova Recollections by her Associates in ''Dansomanie'
Dansomanie :: Voir le sujet - Timely recollections of Anna Pavlova, by her associates
Retrieved 30-01-2019 * Wolfgang Hainisch 1950 portrait of Cleo Nordi held by National Arts Educational Archive,

Yorkshire Sculpture Park The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an art gallery, with both open-air and indoor exhibition spaces, in West Bretton, Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It shows work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barb ...

Leonard Bartle’s Selection
retrieved 02.02.2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nordi, Cleo 1898 births 1983 deaths People from Kronstadt People from Petergofsky Uyezd Finnish ballerinas Russian ballerinas Ballet masters Ballet teachers Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References

External links