Elena Smirnova

Elena Smirnova
Elena Smirnova and Anatoly Obukhov at the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg
Born	Elena Aleksandrovna Smirnova (1888-05-18)18 May 1888 Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died	15 January 1934(1934-01-15) (aged 45) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality	Russian
Other names	Helena Smirnova, Yelena Smirnova, Elena Smirnowa
Occupation	dancer, choreographer, dance instructor
Years active	1900-1934
Known for	co-founding the Russian Romantic Theater in Berlin and as the 1st professor of dance at the Argentine National Conservatory

Elena Smirnova (Russian: Елена Александровна Смирнова, 6 May 1888 (O.S.)/18 May 1888 (N. S.) – 15 January 1934) was the last prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater in the Imperial period of Russia. Starring in many leading roles, she often performed choreography created by Marius Petipa and Boris G. Romanov (). Participating in early films of Germany and Russia, she made eight silent films and participated in the premiers of both the Ballets Russes in Paris and in the first performance of Russian ballet in Japan.

When the Soviets took over Russia, Smirnova fled with a group of artists, making their way to Berlin, where she and her husband founded the Russian Romantic Theater and performed throughout Europe until 1926. Experiencing a serious illness, she recuperated in Milan before relocating to Argentina, where she gave her last performance and became a dance instructor. She was the first professor of dance at the recently created Conservatorio Nacional de Música y Declamación. An annual award is given in her name by the National Dance School of Uruguay.

Elena Aleksandrovna Smirnova was born on 18 May 1888 in Saint Petersburg, during the Russian Empire. She began her studies at the Imperial Ballet School under the instruction of Michel Fokine and Pavel Gerdt. Noted as a child prodigy, she began to perform at the Mariinsky Theater while she was still a student. In 1900, she played the role of Manu, in the ballet La Bayadère and in 1905, in the choreographic debut of Fokine, she played the part of Hymen in the ballet Acis and Galatea () written by Andrei Kadlec (). Because of her good reviews, that same year, Fokine paired her with Georgi Rozai () to dance to Polka with a Little Ball based on Pizzicato Polka () by Johann and Josef Strauss. Completing her studies, Smirnova graduated in 1906, with her final performances as Titania in Marius Petipa's ballet of A Midsummer Night's Dream choreographed by Folkine and in two duets with Vaslav Nijinsky in a dance to Flight of the Butterflies by Chopin and to Waltz-Fantasia by Mikhail Glinka.