Nina Vyroubova
Nina Vyroubova was born in 1921 en Crimea (Ukraine), to a Russian father and a Breton mother. Her parents fled the Revolution in 1924 and sought refuge in France. She began to dance soon after arriving in France with renowned teachers: Olga Preobrajenska, Vera Trefilova, Lubov Egorova and Boris Kniassef.
In 1937, she performed her first solo in Coppélia, where she danced the role of Swanilda. The early days of her professional life were difficult and to earn a living she was obliged to dance in cabarets. Her career took a great turning point after the Second World War; first of all she was noticed dancing in the “Soirées de la danse” at the Sarah Bernardt Theatre but, more particularly, when Roland Petit engaged her to work at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées she would experience triumphant acclaim. He cast her in the role of “Sleeping Beauty” in Les Forains, which brought her great success. In this company, she danced Victor Gsovsky’s version of the “La Sylphide” (the Sylph) along with Roland Petit. Serge Lifar engaged her in 1949 at the Opéra de Paris, as Étoile, where she would recreate Yvette Chauviré’s roles. Nina Vyroubova made her debut at the Opera on 12 October 1949 in Tchaikovsky’s Divertissement and, for her second appearance, she danced the highly-difficult “Cigarette” variation in Lifar’s Suite en Blanc.
She left the Opera in 1956 and a year later joined the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas where she created numerous roles. She danced Sleeping Beauty, partnering Rudolf Nureyev in his first appearances in the west. She left the troupe in 1962 and moved into teaching. She established a class at the Salle Pleyel, which was highly successful and which included leading dancers of the time: Claire Sombert, Yannick Stephan (Principal Dancer at the Opera) and Simone Courtheoux. In 1983, following a leasehold matter, she was forced to end her classes.
Nina Vyroubova appeared in a film made by Dominique Delouche “Les carnets oubliés de Nina Vyroubova” (1996).
Nina Vyroubova was one of the most exquisite Étoiles of her time, an artist who could successfully set aside techniques and centre stage expression. Her greatest role was Giselle, which she danced on the greatest stages of the world.
Nina Vyroubova passed away in June 2007.
