Origins & Early Life

Tamara Geva (Russian: Тамара Жева, born Tamara Levkievna Zheverzheeva, Russian: Тамара Левкиевна Жевержеева; 17 March 1906 – 9 December 1997) was a Soviet and later an American actress, ballet dancer, and choreographer. She was the daughter of art patron and collector Levkiy Gevergeyev and was the first wife of the well-known ballet dancer and choreographer George Balanchine. Throughout her life, she danced with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and with husband George Balanchine and performed in and choreographed many notable Broadway shows, as well as Hollywood movies. Tamara Geverzheeva was born in St.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Petersburg, Russian Empire on March 17, 1906. Geva's mother Tamara Urtahl was an actress, while her father Levkiy Gevergeyev was a passionate collector and art enthusiast. Levkiy Gevergeyev was known as a freethinker. He sponsored Russian avant garde artists and their projects through his enthusiasm for artistry. Geva described her mother, Tamara Urthal, as a beautiful but selfish woman.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Her parents were unable to marry until their daughter was six years old. As a child, she lived in a huge, 19th-century house (Ivan Zheverzheev's house at Rubinstein Street, 18...

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