Marika Besobrasova

Marika Besobrasova (4 August 1918, Yalta – 25 April 2010, Monte Carlo)[1] was a Monegasque dancer and ballet teacher of Russian origin. She was a founder and a head of Princess Grace Classic Dance Academy in Monte Carlo.[2]

Marika Besobrasova
Born4 August 1918
Yalta
Died25 April 2010(2010-04-25) (aged 91)
Monte Carlo
OccupationDancer, ballet teacher
Known forFounder of the Princess Grace Classic Dance Academy
Spouse(s)Roger-Felix Médecin

Early life

Marika Besobrasova was born on 4 August 1918 in Yalta.[1] Her family originally was from Saint Petersburg. Her grandfather was a general in command of Tsar Nicholas II’s guards and her grandmother was a lady-in-waiting to the Czar’s mother, Maria Feodorovna. Besobrasova’s father fought in the White Army before having to escape with his family to Europe.[3] Besobrasova was two years old when the family left for Europe. Their first stop was in Constantinople.[4] There the family stayed on the pier for forty days, which resulted Besobrasova in getting double pneumonia and double pleurisy and the followed operation.[3] After leaving Constantinople, the family stopped briefly in Venice, and traveled further first settling in Denmark.[5] As the climate was difficult there, they decided to leave for the south of France. From the age of nine Besobrasova attended Russian Lyceum in Nice.[3]

Besobrasova was married to Roger-Felix Médecin.[6]

Marika Besobrasova died on April 25, 2010 in a Monte Carlo hospital, at the age of 91.[1]

Career

At the age of 12, she received her first ballet classes from Julia Sedova in Nice.[7] The years later, at fifteen, she started her professional career with the opera ballet in Monte Carlo.[3] In 1935, at the age of 17, she was noticed by the impresario René Blum and became part of the “Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo” directed by Michael Fokine.[8] Besobrasova spoke about Fokine as of the first genius she met.[9]

In 1940 she founded the Ballet de Cannes de Marika Besobrasova.[7] Between 1947 and 1949 Besobrasova was the titular teacher of the Marquis de Cuevas Ballet, and went to the Ballet des Champs Elysées where she remained until 1951.[1]

In 1952, she set up her own school in Monte Carlo called “Monte Carlo Classic Dance School”.[10] Even though training background of the school was based on Russian methods, the school program suggested universal professional education.[5] During the 1960s, Besobrasova developed a teaching system consisting of eleven-year program. Based on Agrippina Vaganova’s syllabus with heavy influence of French school, the program is now used by dance teachers in several countries.[3]

From 1966, in addition to her school in Monte Carlo, Besobrasova headed the school of the Ballet and the Opera in Zurich and the Ballet of the Opera in Rome.[9] She was in great demand as an educator throughout Europe and from 1970 worked in close collaboration with the Stuttgart Ballet.[8] In 1971 Besobrasova staged Rudolf Nureyev’s Paquita for the American Ballet Theatre in New York City.[3] For many years she was a member of the Migros Culture Percentage Scholarship jury,[8] as well as a frequent member of the jury at international dance competitions.[3]

In 1974, Prince Rainier granted Besobrasova a villa Casa Mia in Monte Carlo, in which her dance academy was housed since then.[3] The next year, in 1975, Besobrasova’s school was renamed to Princess Grace Classical Dance Academy.[1] As royal family provided the facility for the Besobrasova’s ballet school, in some sources Grace Kelly, otherwise known as Princess Grace of Monaco, is named as a founder of the school.[11] Besobrasova remained the head of the school for thirty-four years until her death.[12]

Among Besobrasova’s outstanding students should be mentioned Princess Caroline of Monaco,[13] South Korean ballet dancer Kang Sue-jin,[14] Irish dancer and artistic director of Irish National Youth Ballet Katherine Lewis,[15] French actress Nathalie Baye,[16] Irish ballet dancer Jane Magain,[17] choreographer and artistic director of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne Gil Roman,[18] dancer and director of the Sydney Opera Ballet Maina Gielgud, choreographer and director of Aterballetto Amedeo Amodio, director of the Balletto di Puglia Toni Candeloro, director of the Ballet de Teatres de Valencia Immaculate Gil Lázaro, Roland Petit's soloist dancer Francesca Sposi and others.[1]

References
  1. Salas, Roger (2010-05-03). "Marika Besobrasova, bailarina y maestra de ballet". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  2. "STATUTS DE LA FONDATION dénommée "MARIKA BESOBRASOVA" Modifications aux articles 14 et 15 des statuts de ladite Fondation / Newspaper 7500 / Year 2001 / Journaux / Home - Journal de Monaco". journaldemonaco.gouv.mc. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  3. Ward Warren, Gretchen (1996). "The Art of Teaching Ballet. TEN TWENTIETH-CENTURY MASTERS". www.worldcat.org. ISBN 0-8130-1459-X. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  4. Meylac, Michael (2017-10-30). Behind the Scenes at the Ballets Russes: Stories from a Silver Age. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-78673-205-7.
  5. "Benois de la danse: Marika Besobrasova". old.benois.theatre.ru. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  6. Kavanagh, Julie (2013-12-05). Rudolf Nureyev: The Life. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-191213-4.
  7. "Marika Besobrasova 1918-2010". www.tanz.at. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  8. "Marika Besobrasova - adieu à une grande pédagogue". www.dansesuisse.ch. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  9. "SECHS FRAGEN AN DIE TANZLEHRER, DIE UNS BEWEGEN". www.tanznetz.de. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  10. Lee, Carol (2002). Ballet in Western Culture: A History of Its Origins and Evolution. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-94257-7.
  11. Monahan, Mark (2015-04-19). "Jean-Christophe Maillot: 'What about people who don't know about dance?'". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  12. Gauthier, Marie-Astrid. "Luca Masala, directeur de l'Académie Princesse Grace de Monte-Carlo « Artistes « ResMusica" (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  13. "Grace's children: Who is Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess of Hanover?". Royal Central. 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  14. Seung-hyun, Song (2020-02-03). "Kang Sue-jin reappointed Korean National Ballet artistic director". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  15. Quinn, Michael (2019-05-08). "Obituary: Katherine Lewis – 'formidable advocate of Irish dance' | Obituaries". The Stage. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  16. "Nathalie Baye, floue artistique". Libération.fr (in French). 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  17. "Grow older with Grace: ballet dancer Jane Magain prepares to hang up her pumps". independent. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  18. S.G (2015-05-29). "Gil Roman couronné chevalier". 24Heures (in French). ISSN 1424-4039. Retrieved 2020-02-21.


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