Olga Preobrajenska

Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (; born Preobrazhenskaya; – 27 December 1962) was a Russian ballerina of the Russian Imperial Ballet and a ballet instructor.

Biography She was born in Saint Petersburg as Olga Preobrazhenskaya (the final syllable of her surname was dropped to shorten her name for professional purposes, and she used the French transliteration, Preobrajenska).

Olga—born frail and with a crooked spine and one hyper-extended knee—was an unlikely prima ballerina. But she had dreams of being a dancer, and for years her parents tried unsuccessfully to get her enrolled in dance school. The selection committee repeatedly rejected her as a candidate. But after three years of trying, her parents succeeded and the eight-year-old Olga entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1879.

Despite her physical shortcomings, Preobrajenska grew strong with training under Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and Anna Johansson. She developed excellent turnout and toe point, though her hunched back remained troublesome.

Preobrajenskaya in the title role of the ballet Raymonda, 1903. Preobrajenskaya was the first ballerina to perform the role after its originator, Pierina Legnani, retired in 1901.

In addition to her love of dance, Preobrajenska had musicality to go with it; she studied singing, performed opera arias, and played the piano masterfully. Margarete Wallmann Belinda Wright Igor Youskevitch Nina Youskevitch Vera Zorina George Zoritch Marina Olenina Nina Kirsanova