Mathilde Kschessinskaya
| Mathilde Kschessinska | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
31 August 1872 Ligovo, Petergof, Russian Empire |
| Died | 6 December 1971 (aged 99) Paris, France |
| Burial | Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery |
| Spouse | Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia |
| Issue | Prince Vladimir Romanovsky-Krasinsky |
| House | Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov |
| Father | Feliks Krzesiński |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox (previously Roman Catholic) |
| Occupation | Prima ballerina |
Mathilda-Marie Feliksovna Kschessinskaya (Polish: Matylda Maria Krzesińska, Russian: Матильда Феликсовна Кшесинская; 31 August [O.S. 19 August] 1872 – 6 December 1971; also known as Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya after her marriage) was a Russian ballerina from a family of Polish origin. Her father Feliks Krzesiński and her brother both danced in St. Petersburg. She was a mistress of the future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia prior to his marriage, and later the wife of his cousin Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia.
She was known in the West as Mathilde Kschessinska or Matilda Kshesinskaya.
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 of Saint Petersburg with the renowned Imperial Ballet. Kschessinskaya made her début in a pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardée during a graduation performance in 1890 attended by Emperor Alexander III and the rest of the Imperial family, including the future Nicholas II. At the post-performance supper, the emperor sought out the young Kschessinskaya and told her to "...be the glory and adornment of our ballet."
In 1896, she obtained the rank of Prima ballerina of the Saint Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The old maestro Marius Petipa did not consent to Kschessinskaya receiving such a title and although she possessed an extraordinary gift as a dancer, she obtained it primarily via her influence at the Imperial Russian Court.
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