Avdotia Istomina
Encyclopedia
Evdokia or Avdotia Ilyinichna Istomina was the most celebrated Russia
n ballerina
of the 19th century.
She was orphaned early. But she was lucky: she was accepted into the Imperial Theater School, where children can live in complete security.
A pupil of Charles Didelot
, she debuted in the Imperial Russian Ballet
in 1815 to immediate acclaim. Several people were killed duelling for her heart, and her honour was defended in the fourfold duel (1817): Count Zavadovsky killed Count Sheremetev
, while the Decembrist Yakubovich shot through a palm of the playwright Alexander Griboedov. Her dancing is the subject of a brilliant stanza in Eugene Onegin
, which was described by Vladimir Nabokov
as the most mellifluous lines in the whole of Russian poetry.
She danced nearly all the principal roles in ballets by Didelot. She became the first Russian dancer en pointe
. She served in the Imperial Ballet for twenty years. She married a young actor, but he soon died. Late in life she married once again for dramatic actor Pavel Ekunin (ru: Павел Семенович Экунин). By this time she has not performed the leading roles, her wage was reduced by half. In season 1835/1836 she have been injured during the performance and asked to leave her for treatment. Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
saw this request and wrote the order: to dismissed. January 30, 1836 Avdotya Istomina came on the scene one last time and danced a little Russian dance.
She died of cholera on June 26 (July 8) in 1848 in St. Petersburg. No one could remember her as a famous ballerina. The inscription on her tomb: "Avdotya Ilyinichna Ekunina, a retired actress".
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
of the 19th century.
She was orphaned early. But she was lucky: she was accepted into the Imperial Theater School, where children can live in complete security.
A pupil of Charles Didelot
Charles Didelot
Charles-Louis Didelot was a French dancer and choreographer. The son of Charles Didelot, the dance mastor of the King of Sweden, he studied dance with his father, who was an instructor in dance at the Swedish Opera, and debuted as dancer in the theatre of Bollhuset in Stockholm 1786.He then...
, she debuted in the Imperial Russian Ballet
Mariinsky Ballet
The Mariinsky Ballet is a classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies...
in 1815 to immediate acclaim. Several people were killed duelling for her heart, and her honour was defended in the fourfold duel (1817): Count Zavadovsky killed Count Sheremetev
Sheremetev
The Sheremetev family was one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families of Russia.The family held many high commanding ranks in the Russian military, governorships and eventually the rank of Count of the Russian Empire...
, while the Decembrist Yakubovich shot through a palm of the playwright Alexander Griboedov. Her dancing is the subject of a brilliant stanza in Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin.It is a classic of Russian literature, and its eponymous protagonist has served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes . It was published in serial form between 1825 and 1832...
, which was described by Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
as the most mellifluous lines in the whole of Russian poetry.
She danced nearly all the principal roles in ballets by Didelot. She became the first Russian dancer en pointe
En pointe
En pointe means "on the tip" and is a part of classical ballet technique, usually practised using specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the...
. She served in the Imperial Ballet for twenty years. She married a young actor, but he soon died. Late in life she married once again for dramatic actor Pavel Ekunin (ru: Павел Семенович Экунин). By this time she has not performed the leading roles, her wage was reduced by half. In season 1835/1836 she have been injured during the performance and asked to leave her for treatment. Emperor Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
saw this request and wrote the order: to dismissed. January 30, 1836 Avdotya Istomina came on the scene one last time and danced a little Russian dance.
She died of cholera on June 26 (July 8) in 1848 in St. Petersburg. No one could remember her as a famous ballerina. The inscription on her tomb: "Avdotya Ilyinichna Ekunina, a retired actress".