Victor Gzovsky

Victor Gsovsky (Russian: Виктор Иванович Гзовский; January 12, 1902, Saint Petersburg - March 14, 1974, Hamburg) was a Russian ballet dancer, teacher, balletmaster and choreographer.

He studied with Mariinsky Theatre prima ballerina Evgenia Sokolova and started his teaching career while still very young.

In 1925 Victor Gsovsky left Soviet Russian with his wife Tatjana Gsovsky, whom he had met in Krasnador. Their first engagement was in Berlin, Germany, where he worked as dancer and choreographer at the Berlin State Opera 1925-28 before opening a private school in 1928. From 1930 to 1933 he worked as a choreographer for the German UFA Film Company and undertook smaller tours with his wife and the Ballet Gsovsky.

From 1937 he was ballet master of the Markova-Dolin company; in 1938 he began teaching in Paris and in 1945 was appointed ballet master of the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1946-7 he was ballet master with the Ballets des Champs-Elysées and again in 1948 and 1953; with the Metropolitan Ballet in London in 1947. From 1950 to 1952 he was ballet director of the Munich State Opera.

From 1950 to 1952 he was ballet director of the Munich State Opera. After leaving Munich he worked as a choreographer and ballet master in several European locations. He was ballet master in Düsseldorf (1964-7) and at the Hamburg State Opera (1967–70). He staged the first post-war production of La Sylphide for the Ballets des Champs-Elysées in 1946. His best-known work by far is the Grand Pas Classique (mus. Auber, 1949), which is still performed in galas around the world. An influential teacher, his students included Yvette Chauviré, Nina Vyroubova, Colette Marchand, Violette Verdy, and Vera Zorina.

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