Erika Elfriede Elena Saarik (since 1941 Elfriede Tubin; 22 May 1916 – 22 October 1983) was an

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n dancer and stage actress.

Career

Elfriede Saarik was born in the

Karkaraly District Karkaraly District (, ) is a district of Karaganda Region in central Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Karkaraly. As of 2019, the district is home to a population of 36,025 people. Geography Karasor, an endorheic ...

Karaganda Karaganda (, ; ), also known as Karagandy (, ; ; ) (also sometimes romanized as Qaraghandy), is a major city in central Kazakhstan and the capital of the Karaganda Region. It is the fifth most populous city in the country, with a population o ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

to Estonian parents. From 1935, she studied at Tiina Kapper Dance Studio and also studied piano and attended the drama study group at the

Vanemuine Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It is the first Estonian language, Estonian-language theatre. Stemming from the Vanemuine Society (1865), the theatre's first performance was Lydia Koidula's ''Saaremaa Onupoeg'' ("The cousin from S ...

theatre in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. From 1935 until 1944, she was a dancer at the Vanemuine. In 1944, she fled the Soviet re-occupation of Estonia and fled to Sweden with her husband, composer and conductor

Eduard Tubin Eduard Tubin ( – 17 November 1982) was an Estonian composer, conductor, and choreographer. Life Tubin was born in Torila, Tartu County, Governorate of Livonia, then part of the Russian Empire. Both his parents were music lovers, and his fath ...

and sons Rein and Eino, where she worked as a shop assistant and draughtsman. She wrote the libretto for the ballet "

Kratt Kratt (or kratid in plural; also ''pisuhänd'', ''puuk'', ''tulihänd'', ''vedaja''), is a magical creature in old Estonian mythology, a treasure-bearer. A kratt was a creature formed from hay or of old household implements by its master, who t ...

Personal life

Saarik was married to composer Eduard Tubin. Their son is journalist Eino Tubin. Following her death, she was buried next to her husband in the

Skogskyrkogården (; ) is a cemetery located in the Gamla Enskede district south of central Stockholm, Sweden. It was inaugurated in 1920 and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Its design, by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz, reflects th ...

cemetery in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. On 4 June 2018, the remains of Saarik and Tubin were sent in urns to be interred at

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

's Forest Cemetery, where a memorial ceremony took place on 18 June 2018.

References

External links

1916 births 1983 deaths Estonian female dancers Estonian musical theatre actresses Estonian stage actresses Estonian World War II refugees Estonian emigrants to Sweden People from Karaganda Burials at Metsakalmistu Estonian ballerinas Burials at Skogskyrkogården {{Estonia-actor-stub