Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Mathilde Kschessinska

Role / Field:

Polish-Russian ballerina, famous for her association with the Romanov Imperial Family.

Born:

1872-08-19

Died:

1971-12-06

Century / Era:

1872s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Mathilde-Marie Feliksovna Kschessinska (31 August [O.S. 19 August] 1872 – 6 December 1971), also known as Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya upon her marriage, was a Polish-Russian ballerina from the noble Krzesiński family. Her father, Felix Kschessinsky, and her brother and sister danced in Saint Petersburg. She was a mistress of the future Emperor Nicholas II of Russia before his marriage, and later the wife of his cousin Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

She was known in the West as Mathilde Kschessinska or Matilda Kshesinskaya. Kschessinska was born at Ligovo, near Peterhof, the youngest child of Adam-Felix Kschessinsky (Polish: Adam Feliks Krzesiński) and Julie Kschessinska. Her Polish father arrived in St. Petersburg on 30 January 1853, one of five Warsaw mazurka dancers invited by the tsar, where he performed in the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1880, at the age of eight, Mathilde entered into the Imperial Theatre School, where she studied under Yekaterina Vazem, and was inspired by Virginia Zucchi.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

On 30 August 1881, she danced for the first time on the Grand Theatre stage in the ballet Don Quixote. Kschessinska's graduation exam dance was the pas de deux from...

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Frequently Asked Questions about Mathilde Kschessinska