Boris Fenster

Boris Fenster (17 (30) April 1916 – 29 December 1960) was a Soviet dancer, choreographer and ballet master whose career was closely associated with the development of Soviet drambalet (dramatised ballet, officially promoted at the Kirov Ballet to replace works based primarily on choreographic display and innovation) in the mid-20th century. He was awarded the titles of Honoured Artist of the RSFSR in 1955 and People’s Artist of the RSFSR in 1957, and was a two-time laureate of the Stalin Prize (1948, 1950).

Early life and education

Fenster was born in Petrograd on 17 (30) April 1916 into a working-class family. His father was employed by the Nikolaevskaya railway. He entered the Leningrad Choreographic School at the age of nine, where he studied under Leonid Leontiev, Vasily Ponomaryov, and Leonid Petrov.

His choreographic debut took place while he was still completing his formal education, with Tom Sawyer set to music by Konstantin Gladkovsky, followed by his diploma production Ashik-Kerib (1940), staged at the Maly Opera Theatre to mark the centenary of the death of Mikhail Lermontov.

Leadership, teaching, and final years

From 1945 to 1953, Fenster served as artistic director of the ballet company of the Maly Opera Theatre, later becoming its chief ballet master, and from 1956 to 1959 held the position of chief ballet master of the Kirov Theatre. In parallel, he taught at the Leningrad Conservatory between 1949 and 1959 and later served on the Artistic Council of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR.

Death

Fenster died suddenly of a heart attack on 29 December 1960 during a general rehearsal of Masquerade at the Kirov Theatre. He was buried at the Serafimovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad.