Nora Kovach
Encyclopedia
Nora Kovach was a Hungarian
ballerina who defected in 1953 together with her husband and fellow ballet dancer Istvan Rabovsky, the first highly-publicized defection of individuals in the field of dance to the West from the Soviet bloc.
Kovach was raised in Budapest
, and was trained as a dancer at the schools of the Budapest Opera Ballet and of the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad
. As the leading dancers of the Budapest State Opera, Kovach and Rabovsky were sent on tour in May 1953 to East Berlin
. With the Cold War
intensifying, they disappeared from a scheduled performance and were able to board a subway train in a station located underneath their hotel and were able to escape to West Berlin
, and freedom, by boarding a train.
Interviewed by Time
magazine a few months after her defection, Kovach described the struggles in her mind after her defection, stating she couldn't sleep for two nights after her departure to the West "because I was thinking of mother, home, family. It's a very big problem. But freedom is better."
Promoted by impresario
Sol Hurok
, the couple performed with the Festival Ballet
in London in their first performance in the West on August 25, 1953, receiving what was described as "an ovation of the first magnitude" for their appearance in Don Quixote
by Ludwig Minkus
.
The couple traveled to the United States, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey
on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam
on November 13, 1953. In an interview with The New York Times
upon their arrival in the U.S., Kovach described how their position as dancers with the Leningrad ballet
meant that they "were members of the privileged class and had money, an automobile and a nice home but never what we wanted most — Freedom".
They appeared on television on Ed Sullivan
's Toast of the Town
in November 1953. Western audiences were dazzled by their strong Soviet-developed technique, but the New York Herald Tribune
noted that "Certainly, the accent is upon virtuosity, occasionally at the expense of what we have come to regard as good balletic line" in a review of the couple's first stage performance on February 10, 1954. Kovach and Rabovsky appeared with ballet around the world, covering the United States, Europe, Japan
and Latin America
.
In 1956, Kovach and Rabovsky were among the passengers rescued from Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria
after its 1956 collision with the MS Stockholm
off of Nantucket, Massachusetts
. The two appeared on the Ed Sullivan show multiple times after their rescue. Shortly after their defection, the two were joined by their one time costume designer from the Budapest Opera House Magda Rosenberg né Markowicz.
They started their own troupe in the early 1960s called Bihari. Kovach opened a ballet school in Plainview, New York
in 1969.
Kovach divorced Rabovsky, and married Tibor Szegezdy, who died in 1985, and was survived by her third husband, Steve Farago. She was also survived by a brother and two stepchildren.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
ballerina who defected in 1953 together with her husband and fellow ballet dancer Istvan Rabovsky, the first highly-publicized defection of individuals in the field of dance to the West from the Soviet bloc.
Kovach was raised in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, and was trained as a dancer at the schools of the Budapest Opera Ballet and of the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. As the leading dancers of the Budapest State Opera, Kovach and Rabovsky were sent on tour in May 1953 to East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. With the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
intensifying, they disappeared from a scheduled performance and were able to board a subway train in a station located underneath their hotel and were able to escape to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, and freedom, by boarding a train.
Interviewed by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine a few months after her defection, Kovach described the struggles in her mind after her defection, stating she couldn't sleep for two nights after her departure to the West "because I was thinking of mother, home, family. It's a very big problem. But freedom is better."
Promoted by impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
Sol Hurok
Sol Hurok
Sol Hurok was a world-famous 20th century American impresario.-Biography:...
, the couple performed with the Festival Ballet
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
in London in their first performance in the West on August 25, 1953, receiving what was described as "an ovation of the first magnitude" for their appearance in Don Quixote
Don Quixote (ballet)
Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...
by Ludwig Minkus
Ludwig Minkus
Ludwig Minkus a.k.a. Léon Fyodorovich Minkus was an Austrian composer of ballet music, a violin virtuoso and teacher.Minkus is most noted for the music he composed while serving as Ballet Composer of the St...
.
The couple traveled to the United States, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam
SS Nieuw Amsterdam
The Nieuw Amsterdam was a Dutch ocean liner built in Rotterdam for the Holland America Line. This Nieuw Amsterdam, the second of four Holland America ships with that name, is considered by many to have been Holland America's finest ship....
on November 13, 1953. In an interview with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
upon their arrival in the U.S., Kovach described how their position as dancers with the Leningrad 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...
meant that they "were members of the privileged class and had money, an automobile and a nice home but never what we wanted most — Freedom".
They appeared on television on Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
's Toast of the Town
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
in November 1953. Western audiences were dazzled by their strong Soviet-developed technique, but the New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
noted that "Certainly, the accent is upon virtuosity, occasionally at the expense of what we have come to regard as good balletic line" in a review of the couple's first stage performance on February 10, 1954. Kovach and Rabovsky appeared with ballet around the world, covering the United States, Europe, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
In 1956, Kovach and Rabovsky were among the passengers rescued from Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria[p] was an ocean liner for the Italian Line home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for its sinking in 1956, when 46 people died. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the ship had a gross register tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and...
after its 1956 collision with the MS Stockholm
MS Athena
MS Athena is a cruise ship owned and operated by Classic International Cruises. She was built in 1948 as the MS Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line...
off of Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
. The two appeared on the Ed Sullivan show multiple times after their rescue. Shortly after their defection, the two were joined by their one time costume designer from the Budapest Opera House Magda Rosenberg né Markowicz.
They started their own troupe in the early 1960s called Bihari. Kovach opened a ballet school in Plainview, New York
Plainview, New York
Plainview is a hamlet located on Long Island in the town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, USA. The population of the CDP as of 2010 was 26,217. The Plainview post office has the ZIP code 11803....
in 1969.
Kovach divorced Rabovsky, and married Tibor Szegezdy, who died in 1985, and was survived by her third husband, Steve Farago. She was also survived by a brother and two stepchildren.