Vera Trefilova () (b

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...

, 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; ; 25 January 1848, Moscow – 14 December 1937, Leningrad) aka Ekaterina Vazem was a Russian prima ballerina and instructor, whose most noted pupil was the legendary Anna Pavlova. Early life She wa ...

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

Nikolai Legat Nikolai Gustavovich Legat () (30 December 1869, in Moscow – 24 January 1937, in London) was a ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher. Life and career Nikolai Legat was born to a family of Swedish origin, all of whom were dancers—h ...

, 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 (; 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, ...

'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 ( – 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 ...

'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 ( – 6 December 1971), also known as Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya upon her marriage, was a Polish-Russian ballerina from the noble Krzesiński family. Her father, Felix Kschessinsky, her brother and ...

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

Mikhailovsky Theatre The Mikhailovsky Theatre () is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and occupies a Brulleau-designed building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named after Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. ...

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 Nina Vladimirovna Vyroubova (; 4 June 1921 – 25 June 2007) was a Russian-born French ballerina, considered one of the finest of her generation. Early life She was born in Gurzuf, Crimea, but moved to Paris as a child with her grandmother and ...

and Mari Bicknell.

Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), also known as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario a ...

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 The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

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 Russian prima ballerinas Ballerinas from the Russian Empire Mariinsky Ballet principal dancers People from Vladikavkaz Actresses from the Russian Empire White Russian emigrants to France