Platon Konstantinovich Karsavin (; 17 November 1854,

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 ...

– 1922, Saint Petersburg) was a dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet in St Petersburg, and afterwards a teacher of dance.

Biography

Platon Constantinovich Karsavin was born on 17 November 1854, at St Petersburg. His father had been a provincial actor, but had three children, and to feed his family, had become a tailor and moved to St. Petersburg. When Platon was 6 years old, his father died. The family was again left without money. Therefore, he and his brother Vladimir were placed in the Imperial Theatre School - where children lived and learned free, supported by the imperial treasury. A teacher of Platon Karsavin were

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

and Christian Johansson. After Theatre School (in 1875) Platon Karsavin was admitted as a dancer at the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

. There he worked from 1875 to 1891. He danced in the ballets of

Arthur Saint-Léon Arthur Saint-Léon (17 September 1821, in Paris – 2 September 1870) was the '' Maître de Ballet'' of St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet from 1859 until 1869 and is famous for creating the choreography of the ballet '' Coppélia''. Biography He ...

and

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Mariinsky Ballet, Imperial Ballet. As a performer with the Mariinsky Ballet, ...

.ru: Karsavin in the Ballet Encyclopedia
/ref> After completing his career of ballet dancer, he became a teacher at the Imperial choreographic school. Among his pupils were

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine ( – 22 August 1942) was a Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and at the age of 9 was accepted into the Saint Petersburg Imperial Ballet Sch ...

, Alexander Gorskiy,

Adolph Bolm Adolph Rudolphovich Bolm (; September 25, 1884 – April 16, 1951) was a Russian-born American ballet dancer and choreographer, of German descent. Biography Bolm graduated from the Russian Imperial Ballet School in Saint Petersburg in 1904 ...

, Vasily Tikhomirov, Alexandr Monakhov, Alexandr Chekrygin, Alexandr Shiryayev (

Cesare Pugni Cesare Pugni (; ; 31 May 1802, in Genoa – ) was an Italian composer of ballet music, a pianist and a violinist. He studied composition with Bonifazio Asioli and violin with Alessandro Rolla. In his early career he composed operas, symph ...

’grandson) etc. He died in 1922 at St Petersburg.

Family

* His wife, Anna Khomiakova, was the daughter of a cousin of the philosopher

Aleksey Khomyakov Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov (; – ) was a Russian theologian, philosopher, poet and amateur artist. He co-founded the Slavophile movement along with Ivan Kireyevsky, and he became one of its most distinguished theoreticians. His son Nikol ...

. Their children: * Lev Platonovich Karsavin (1882–1952) was a religious philosopher, poet, and historian of European culture, a professor at

St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

, was expelled from Russia in 1922, taught at

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

, Lithuania (1928–1939); was arrested by

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

’s regime and died in 1952 in a prison camp. *

Tamara Karsavina Tamara Platonovna Karsavina (; 9 March 1885 – 26 May 1978) was a Russian prima ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and later of the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev. After settling ...

(1885–1978) was a famous Russian ballerina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karsavin, Platon Mariinsky Ballet dancers Ballet masters Dancers from Saint Petersburg Male ballet dancers from the Russian Empire 1854 births 1922 deaths Imperial Choreographic School teachers 19th-century ballet dancers from the Russian Empire

Biography

Family

See also

References