In search of Mathilde Kschessinska

Dance Magazine, March, 1995 by Helene Breazeale

When I was eleven years old, my mother and father gave me the best birthday present, my first ballet book. It was called Approach to the Ballet, by A. H. Franks.

It was through this book that I first became acquainted with the name of the Russian ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska (1872-1971). Although more was written about Pavlova, Nijinsky, and Fokine (and they were equally fascinating to me), something about Kschessinska captured my imagination, and so I began to make frequent trips to the library in search of more information on the Russian ballet, and Kschessinska in particular.

I was fascinated by the reports of her technical prowess and her accolades as a dancer. And, of course, I was intrigued by her relationship with Czar Nicholas II. After all, at age eleven I was not used to hearing about such things. It wasn't until November 1992 that I heard from Valentin Bobrov, director of the Kschessinska Museum in St. Petersburg, that Kschessinska's amorous relationship with Nicholas ended upon his marriage in 1894.

My fascination with Russian ballet history has continued throughout my life. As a performer, choreographer, and teacher, I have clung to the rich traditions of classical ballet, imparted that information to my students, and reached into that heritage for inspiration as a performer.

But it was not until 1979 that I made my first trip to Russia. My son Greg, then eighteen, traveled with me. At that time the only possible way to visit Russia as an American tourist was with a group tour. I began writing in advance to many special places that I wanted to visit, including, of course, Kschessinska's St. Petersburg home, built for her by the young czar who had been her lover. I wrote repeatedly for six months but never received a reply. Upon arrival in Petersburg I discovered that, in fact, Kschessinska's home was now the Museum of the October Revolution, a Soviet "shrine" used by Lenin when he returned to take over Russia in 1917. Armed with an address and pictures from Kschessinska's book Dancing in Petersburg, Greg and I left the group's tour of the metro system to begin our search for Kschessinska. Greg had mastered the Cyrillic alphabet, and with his knowledge and a map we found Kuibysheva Street.

It was a Sunday, April 22, 1979, and it was Lenin's birthday. A group of Young Pioneers carrying flags and banners was marching single file into Kschessinska's home. We joined the end of the line, and when they veered off to the right, we took a left turn and wandered through the building by ourselves. We discovered what had been the winter garden, the parlor, and the center foyer with alcoves that were once graced by lovely statues. In her former bedroom on the second floor we found a ballet costume belonging Kschessinska, the only tangible trace of her presence in the house. I tried to envision the home as it had been when she lived there, but it was difficult. Large banners depicting Lenin and the glories of Communism now decorated the walls. Because of the austerity of the interior, as well as the facade, it was difficult to reflect that at one time there had been glamour, gaiety, and color in this home. Instead, the only vision I had was of Kschessinska, with her ever-so-vertical neck and long spine, gracefully flowing from room to room. We left feeling sad that we would never see the home in its splendor of yesteryear.

Subsequent trips to St. Petersburg in 1986 and 1989 allowed no time to visit Kschessinska's home. But in April of 1991, while teaching dance composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (my institution, Towson State University, and St. Petersburg Conservatory established an exchange program in 1989), a friend took me to Kschessinska's home once again. This time, much to my surprise and delight, one whole room was devoted to an exhibition of Kschessinska: her life, her family, her ballet shoes and costumes, and many photographs and personal artifacts. The winter garden and its parlor had been restored to their former beauty.

Mathilde Kschessinska was born on August 31, 1872, in Ligovo, just outside St. Petersburg. She was born into a family with long traditions on the stage. Her father and grandfather were wellknown dancers, and her sister, Julia, and brother, Joseph, also followed the family tradition. Kschessinska first appeared on the stage at the St. Petersburg Conservatory Theatre on August 30, 188l, in Don Quixote. It was there that she also danced for the last time in Russia in 1917.

Kschessinska entered the Imperial Ballet School (now the Vaganova Ballet Academy) in 1880 at the age of eight. For the first three years her teacher was the famous dancer Lev Ivanov. At the age of eleven she moved into the class of Catherine Vazem. She found Ivanov and Vazem to be uninspiring teachers, but at age fifteen she entered the class of the Danish-born Christian Johansson, an excellent teacher whose soul and sincerity she found instrumental in the success of her career. She was greatly influenced by Virginia Zucchi and Pierina Legnani, the Italian ballerinas who arrived in St. Petersburg in the 1880s and 1890s. They dazzled Russian audiences with their technique and acting ability.