Tatiana Leskova

Tatiana Leskova is one of last surviving pupils of dancers from the golden world of the Imperial Russian Ballet. She was born in Paris in 1922, where she studied with Lubov Egorova and other former Imperial Russian ballerinas. She joined the Ballet de la Jeunesse at the age of sixteen, then Colonel de Basil's Ballet Russe. She remained with the company, travelling to South America and settling in Brazil in 1945. In 1950 she joined the Teatro Municipal in Rio, going on to become a principal dancer, ballet Mistress and artistic director. In her ongoing freelance career, Leskova has continued to revive signature works by Leonide Massine created for the Ballets Russes. She staged Choreartium for Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1991 and for Het Nationale Ballet in 2001, and Les Presages for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1989, the Joffrey Ballet in 1992, Het Nationale Ballet in 1994, Ballet do Teatro Municipal (1998) and for the Australian Ballet in 2007. This riveting biography, first published in Brazil, has been brought up to date with Tatiana's close involvement and translated by Donald E Scrimgeour.