Victor Gsovsky

Victor Gsovsky (Russian: Виктор Иванович Гзовский; 12 January 1902, Saint Petersburg - 14 March 1974, Hamburg) was a Russian ballet dancer, teacher, balletmaster and choreographer.

Biography

He studied with Mariinsky Theatre prima ballerina Evgenia Sokolova and started his teaching career while still very young.[1][2][3][4]

In 1925 Victor Gsovsky left Soviet Russian with his wife Tatjana Gsovsky, whom he had met in Krasnodar. Their first engagement was in Berlin, Germany,[3][5] where he worked as dancer and choreographer at the Berlin State Opera (1925-1928) before opening a private school in 1928. From 1930 to 1933 he worked as a choreographer for the German UFA Film Company and undertook smaller tours with his wife and the Ballet Gsovsky.[1][4]

From 1937 he was ballet master of the Markova-Dolin company; in 1938 he began teaching in Paris and in 1945 was appointed ballet master of the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1946-1947 he was ballet master with the Ballets des Champs-Élysées and again in 1948 and 1953; with the Metropolitan Ballet in London in 1947. From 1950 to 1952 he was ballet director of the Munich State Opera.

From 1950 to 1952 he was ballet director of the Munich State Opera.[3] After leaving Munich he worked as a choreographer and ballet master in several European locations. He was ballet master in Düsseldorf (1964-1967) and at the Hamburg State Opera (1967–1970). He staged the first post-war production of La Sylphide for the Ballets des Champs-Élysées in 1946. His best-known work by far is the Grand Pas Classique (mus. Auber, 1949), which is still performed in galas around the world. An influential teacher, his students included Yvette Chauviré, Nina Vyroubova, Colette Marchand, Violette Verdy, and Vera Zorina.

Works

Victor Gsovsky's choreography includes:

A Grand Pas Classique is a dance with variations in which classical ballet technique alone prevails without any character variations. Gsovsky's brilliant and exacting choreography has become a classical favorite that has been executed by generations of the foremost ballet dancers. Videos of some of these performances are available to watch:
Grand pas Classique (Mus Auber, Cor. Gsovsky), Sylvie Guillem and Elisabeth Platel; clips of each ballerina performing the female variation; Nov 24, 2006 on YouTube;
GRAND PAS CLASSIQUE - Irina Badaeva & Fethon Miozzi. Mariinsky Kirov Ballet Theatre. Oct 25, 2009 on YouTube;
Somova - Ziuzin - Grand Pas Classique (Auber, Gsovsky), Mariinsky-Gala; 17 nov 2009;
Grand Pas Classique - Elisabeth Platel, Nicolas Le Riche, June 21, 2010 on YouTube;
Grand Pas Classique, music by Daniel Auber, choreography by Victor Gzovsky. Dancers: Michail Kryuchkov — Chinara Alizade; September 2010 on YouTube;
Grand Pas Classique, 22 October 2016, danced by Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin on YouTube;
Victoria Tereshkina, Timur Askerov - Grand Pas Classique, Dance Open Gala, International Ballet Festival, Saint-Petersburg; September 6, 2017 on YouTube;
7 Wonderful GRAND PAS CLASSIQUE Female Variations. A compilation of individual clips of seven famous ballerinas performing the female variation in sequence: 1. Olga Marchenkova, 2. Olga Smirnova, 3. Shania Rasmussen, 4. Oksana Skorik, 5. Elizaveta Kruteleva, 6. Ekaterina Chebykina, and 7. Elisabeth Platel on YouTube.

Many dancing revues and divertissements.

References
  1. ru: The ballet encyclopedia (Источник: Балет. Энциклопедия, СЭ, 1981)
  2. ru: Victor Gsovsky // ГЗОВСКИЙ (Gsovsky) Виктор
  3. Oxford Dictionary of Dance: Victor Gsovsky
  4. ru: Gsovsky Victor Ivanovich // ГЗОВСКИЙ Виктор Иванович
  5. ru: Tatjana Gsovsky // Гзовская, Татьяна Николаевна
  6. Oxford Dictionary of Dance: Grand pas classique
  7. Wladimir Skouratoff: Sa carrière comme danseur étoile
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