Tatiana Semenova
Encyclopedia
Tatiana Semenova was the founding director of the Houston Ballet Academy
.
Semenova was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, but moved with her family to Paris, France when she was five. At the age of seven, Semenova began studying with Mathilde Kschessinska
.
After several years of practice, Semenova made her dancing debut at the age of 11 with a Russian opera company formed in London
. The next year she began her formal ballet career as a member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
, touring the United States
and South America
.
In 1937 Semenova joined the Paris Opera Ballet
as its premiere danseuse. During World War II
, she formed a group called the Foxhole Ballet to tour military installations in Europe
and Africa
with the USO
. While performing in Rome, Italy on a bomb-damaged stage, she severed the cartilage in her knee and fractured her arm. Unable to dance any longer, in 1946 Semenova moved to the U.S. to begin her teaching career at Carnegie Hall
's School of Dance.
In 1950, she formed the American Youth Ballet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. In 1954, Semenova moved the American Youth Ballet to Houston, Texas
. The following year, the newly-formed Houston Foundation for Ballet asked her to help found the Houston Ballet Academy, which still exists today. She was director of the academy for 11 years.
In 1968, Semenova formed her own company, Ballet of Houston, which thrived until the mid-1980s. After the company disbanded, Semenova continued to teach privately until her death in 1996.
Semenova is buried next to her mother in the cemetery of St. Michael Island in Venice, Italy.
Houston Ballet
The Houston Ballet, operated by the Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, based in Houston, Texas. The foundation also maintains a ballet academy, the Ben Stevenson Academy, which trains more than half of the company's dancers...
.
Semenova was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, but moved with her family to Paris, France when she was five. At the age of seven, Semenova began studying with Mathilde Kschessinska
Mathilde Kschessinska
Mathilda-Marie Feliksovna Kschessinskaya She was known in the West as Mathilde Kschessinska or Matilda Kshesinskaya.- Life :Kschessinska was born at Ligovo, near Peterhof. Like all her Polish family, to whom she was known as Matylda Krzesińska, Mathilde performed at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre...
.
After several years of practice, Semenova made her dancing debut at the age of 11 with a Russian opera company formed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The next year she began her formal ballet career as a member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was a ballet company created by members of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1938 after Léonide Massine and René Blum had a falling-out with the co-founder Wassily de Basil...
, touring the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
In 1937 Semenova joined the Paris Opera Ballet
Paris Opera Ballet
The Paris Opera Ballet is the oldest national ballet company in the world, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it...
as its premiere danseuse. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she formed a group called the Foxhole Ballet to tour military installations in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
with the USO
United Service Organizations
The United Service Organizations Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military, with programs in 160 centers worldwide. Since 1941, it has worked in partnership with the Department of Defense , and has provided support and...
. While performing in Rome, Italy on a bomb-damaged stage, she severed the cartilage in her knee and fractured her arm. Unable to dance any longer, in 1946 Semenova moved to the U.S. to begin her teaching career at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
's School of Dance.
In 1950, she formed the American Youth Ballet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. In 1954, Semenova moved the American Youth Ballet to Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. The following year, the newly-formed Houston Foundation for Ballet asked her to help found the Houston Ballet Academy, which still exists today. She was director of the academy for 11 years.
In 1968, Semenova formed her own company, Ballet of Houston, which thrived until the mid-1980s. After the company disbanded, Semenova continued to teach privately until her death in 1996.
Semenova is buried next to her mother in the cemetery of St. Michael Island in Venice, Italy.
External links
- http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/uhsc/00023/hsc-00023.htmlSemenova's personal papers at the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
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