Biography
Matilda Kshesinskaya is not just an outstanding ballerina whose technique has significantly exceeded the ability of domestic contemporaries. She is one of the most influential persons of the late XIX - early XX century. An example of its importance is the words of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich. During the First World War, when the army of the Russian Empire suffered a lot from the lack of shells, he argued that she was powerless to do something with the artillery department, since Matilda Kshesinskaya ballerina affects artillery affairs and participates in the distribution of orders between various organizations.
Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 31, 1872 in a creative family. Father - Russian Pole Felix Kshesinsky, discharged from Poland Nikolay I as the best performer of his beloved Mazurka, Mother - Yulia Doming, rich in the widow of the ballet dancer Ice. Sister Matilda - Ballerina Yulia Kshesinskaya (called "Kshesinskaya 1st", in the marriage of Zedader), Brother - Dancer and Chief Makester Joseph Kshesinsky.
The girl enters the Imperial Theater School and in 1890 ends it. At the prom, the entire royal family was attended, and at the solemn dinner Kshesinskaya sat next to the heir to the throne, Nikolai. Then Alexander III, with delight, follow the movements of Matilda, pronounces fateful words:
"Madmoiselle! Be decoration and glorifying our ballet! ".Matilda is accepted into the ballot troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, on the imperial stage of which Kshesinskaya 2nd (1st officially called her sister Yulia) danced for 27 years.
Career in the Mariinsky Theater
Matilda Kshesinskaya danced in the ballet masses Marius Petipa and Lion Ivanova (who was one of her teachers in the school). The first performances of Kshesinsky - Fairy Dragee in the "Nutcracker", dying in the same name, Odetta-Odile in the "Lake Swan", Nikia in "Bayaderka".
After leaving to Italy, the Karlotta of Brianz went to her the role of Princess Aurora in the ballet "Sleeping Beauty".
After 6 years of work in the theater, Kshesinskaya was awarded the status of "Prima-Ballerina Imperial Theaters", despite the objections of the chief balletmaster of Petipa. According to some reports, it was the connection at the courtyard who helped the very top of the ballet hierarchy.
For the sake of it, only a few ballets are delivered, which were subsequently not included in the list of ballet heritage. For example, in 1894, on the occasion of marriage of the Grand Duchess of Ksenia, Alexandrovna and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, the "Awakening of Flora" was presented with the main party of Kshesin.
Despite the steady position in the theater, Matilda Kshesin is constantly improved its technique, since 1898 visiting private lessons from the famous teacher Enrico Chekketney. She became the first Russian ballerina who performed 32 Foute in a row on stage.
In 1904, Matilda Kshesinskaya quit at his own request from the Mariinsky Theater and after the benefit had passed on a contractual basis. She earned 500 rubles for each exit to the stage, and subsequently the payment increased to 750 rubles.
Ballerina has repeatedly said that the artists of the academic learning can dance anything, it was not by chance that it was invited to her performances Mikhail Fokin: "Evenika" (1907), "Butterfly" (1912), "Eros" (1915).
Intrigue
Matilda Kshesinskaya in every possible way opposed the invitation to the troupe of foreign ballerinas. She tried to prove with all ways that Russian ballerinas are worthy of major roles, while most of them were given to foreign artists.
Italian ballerina Pierin Lenyani was often becoming an intrigue, which, despite the mood of Kheshing, worked in the Mariinsky Theater for eight years. But the influence of Matilda did not stand the director of the imperial theaters of Prince Volkonsky, who left the theater after the refusal to restore the ancient ballet "Catarina, daughter of the robber". The influential ballerina itself called the stumbling block of a suit for the Russian dance from the Kamargo ballet.
In 1899, her long-standing dream was fulfilled - Marius Petipov gives her a party of Esmeralda, and since then she has since one role who owns this role, which causes discontent colleagues. Before Matilda, this batch was performed exclusively Italian.
In addition to foreign ballerinas, "his worst enemy" Kshesinskaya considered the organizer of the "Russian seasons" Sergey Dyagilev. He invited her to perform in London, who attracted Matilde much more than Paris. For this, the ballerina was supposed to take advantage of his connections and "punch" for Dyagilev the opportunity to speak with his entrepreneurship in St. Petersburg and to receive a delay of military service for Nizhinsky, who became military-obligatory. For the speech of Kshesinsky, the Swan Lake was chosen, and it was not by chance - thus Dyagilev was gained access to her decorations belonging to her.
The attempt was not crowned with success. Moreover, Dyagilev was so angry due to the futility of the petition, that his servant Vasily seriously offered him to poison the ballerina.
Personal life
The personal life of Matilda Kshesin is an even more complete intrigue than the professional activity of the ballerina. Her destinies closely intertwined with representatives of the Romanov dynasty.
It is believed that from 1892 to 1894 she was the mistress of Cesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich. After acquaintance, he regularly visits her performances, their relationship is developing rapidly, even though everyone is aware that the novel has a happy end. In order to comply with the decency for Kshesinskaya, a mansion on the English embankment was bought, where they met without any interference.
"Fell in love with the heir from the first meeting. After the summer season in the Red Selo, when I could meet and talk to him, my feeling filled my whole soul, and I could only think about him ... "," writes the enthusiastic Matilda Kshesinskaya in his diary.The reason for the collapse of relations with the future Nikolai II was his engagement with the granddaughter of Queen Victoria Alice Hesse-Darmstadt in April 1894.
On this, the direct participation of the ballerina in the life of the royal family was not over - Matilda Kshesinskaya consisted of close relations with the great princes Sergey Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich. On October 15, 1911, at the highest decree, the patronymic "Sergeevich" received her son Vladimir, born on June 18, 1902 in Strelna. In his family, he was called simply "Vova", and he received the name "Krasinsky".
January 17, 1921 in Cannes in the Archangel-Mikhailovsk Church Matilda Kshesinskaya entered a Morganatic marriage with Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich, who adopted her son and gave his middle name. In 1925, Matilda Felixesn moved from Catholicism in Orthodoxy with the name Maria.
On November 30, 1926, the cousin Nikolai II Kirill Vladimirovich assigned her to her descendants of the title and the name of Prince Krasinsky, and on July 28, 1935 - the bright princes of Romanovsky-Krasinsky.
In emigration
In February 1917, Kshesinskaya, together with his son, was forced to wander on someone else's apartments, having lost the luxurious real estate - a mansion that turned into the "Chief Headquarters of Leninists", and cottages. She decides to go to Kislovodsk to the prince Andrei Vladimirovich in the hope of going home soon.
"In my soul fought a sense of joy to see Andrei and feeling a remorse of conscience, which I leave Sergey alone in the capital, where he was in constant danger. In addition, it was hard for me to take the war from him, in which he did not have a challenge, "says Kshesin's memoirs.
July 13, 1917 she leaves Petrograd forever.
In early 1918, the Bolshevism wave, "and Kshesinskaya with Vova, as refugees, are going to Anapa to the decision of Mother Andrei, Great Princess Mary Pavlovna. 1919 was held in a relatively calm Kislovodsk, from where, on the train from 2 cars, Refugees left for Novorossiysk. Interestingly, Maria Pavlovna rushed in the first class, while Matilda with Vova was awarded the third.
The living conditions continued to deteriorate - 6 weeks the highest society lived directly in the wagons while the circle of raw title took people. Then they sail from Novorossiysk and receive French visas. 12 (25) March 1920, the family arrived in Cap d'Aai, where Villa ballerina was located.
In 1929, Matilda Kshesinskaya opened his own ballet studio in Paris. The teacher Kshesinsky was distinguished by a calm temper - she never raised his voice to her wards.
Films and books
The biography of Matilda Kshesinsky is rich in events and well-known persons - the subject is often illuminated in art. So, in the novel "Coronation, or the last of the novels" from the series "Adventures of Erast Fandorin" Boris Akunin describes the preparation for the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II. One of the characters - Isabella Feliciananovna Snezhnevskaya, the prototype of which is Matilda Felixesna herself.In another work, Matilda Kshesinskaya is a key character. On October 26, 2017, a new picture of Alexei Matilda Teacher will be presented, which caused public resonance before his premiere. The plot of the film is in the relations of Kshesinsky with Cesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future emperor Nikolai II.
The scandal arose after the release of the first official trailer, containing scenes of an erotic nature with the participation of performers of the main roles of Mikhalin Olshansky and Lars Idinger.
The Public Traffic "Tsarsky Cross" accused the creators of the painting in the "distortion of historical events" and "anti-Russian and antireligious provocation in the field of culture". This prompted Natalia Poklonskaya, known for his worship Nikolai II, contact the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to check the material.
Check did not reveal violations, but launched a series of mutual appeals and accusations of public figures, politicians and filmmakers.
Death
At the age of 86, 13 years old to death, Matilda Felixesna Kshesinskaya saw a dream - she heard the ringing of bells, church singing and saw the figure of Alexander III, uttered the fatal phrase about the decoration and glory of the Russian ballet. Those in the morning she decided to write memoirs, supported the curtain of the secrets of the legendary Kshesinsky.
Memories of Matilda Kshesinskaya were published in 1960 in Paris in French. In Russian, the work was published only in 1992.
An outstanding ballerina lived a long life - she died at the age of 99 a few months before his century, December 5, 1971.
Her body is buried at St. Geneva de Bou Cemetery in the suburb of Paris in one grave with his spouse and son. The epitaph is applied to the monument: "The silent Princess Maria Felixesna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."