The famous Russian ballerina did not live to see her centenary for several months - she died on December 6, 1971 in Paris. Her life was like an unstoppable dance, which to this day is surrounded by legends and intriguing details.
Romance with the Tsarevich
The graceful, almost tiny Little Boy, it seemed, was destined by fate itself to devote herself to the service of Art. Her father was a talented dancer. It was from him that the baby inherited priceless gift- not just perform the part, but live in the dance, fill it with unbridled passion, pain, captivating dreams and hope - everything with which her own destiny will be rich in the future. She adored the theater and could watch the rehearsals go on for hours with a fascinated gaze. Therefore, it was not surprising that the girl entered the Imperial Theater School, and very soon became one of the first students: she studied a lot, grasped it on the fly, charming the audience with true drama and easy ballet technique. Ten years later, on March 23, 1890, after a graduation performance with the participation of a young ballerina, Emperor Alexander III admonished the prominent dancer with the words: “Be the glory and adornment of our ballet!” And then there was a gala dinner for the pupils with the participation of all members of the imperial family.
It was on this day that Matilda met the future Emperor of Russia, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.
What's in the novel between the legendary ballerina and heir? Russian throne fact and what is fiction - they argue a lot and greedily. Some argue that their relationship was pure. Others, as if in revenge, immediately recall Nikolai’s visits to the house where his beloved soon moved with her sister. Still others are trying to suggest that if there was love, it came only from Mrs. Kshesinskaya. The love correspondence has not been preserved; in the emperor’s diary entries there are only fleeting mentions of Malechka, but there are many details in the memoirs of the ballerina herself. But should we trust them unquestioningly? A charmed woman can easily become “deluded.” Be that as it may, there was no vulgarity or triviality in these relations, although St. Petersburg gossips competed, setting out the fantastic details of the Tsarevich’s “romance” with the actress.
"Polish Malya"
It seemed that Matilda was enjoying her happiness, while being perfectly aware that her love was doomed. And when in her memoirs she wrote that “priceless Nicky” loved her alone, and the marriage with Princess Alix of Hesse was based only on a sense of duty and determined by the desire of her relatives, she, of course, was cunning. How wise woman V right moment she left the “scene”, “letting go” of her lover, as soon as she learned of his engagement. Was this step precise calculation? Hardly. He most likely allowed the “Pole Mala” to remain a warm memory in the heart of the Russian emperor.
The fate of Matilda Kshesinskaya was generally closely connected with the fate of the imperial family. Her good friend and was a patron Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich.
It was him who Nicholas II allegedly asked to “look after” Malechka after the breakup. The Grand Duke will take care of Matilda for twenty years, who, by the way, will then be blamed for his death - the prince will stay in St. Petersburg for too long, trying to save the ballerina’s property. One of the grandchildren of Alexander II, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, would become her husband and the father of her son, His Serene Highness Prince Vladimir Andreevich Romanovsky-Krasinsky. It was precisely the close connection with the imperial family that ill-wishers often explained all of Kshesinskaya’s “successes” in life
Prima ballerina
The prima ballerina of the Imperial Theater, who is applauded by the European public, the one who knows how to defend her position with the power of charm and the passion of her talent, who supposedly has influential patrons behind her - such a woman, of course, had envious people.
She was accused of “tailoring” the repertoire to suit herself, going only on profitable foreign tours, and even specially “ordering” parts for herself.
Thus, in the ballet “Pearl”, which was performed during the coronation celebrations, the part of the Yellow Pearl was introduced especially for Kshesinskaya, allegedly on the Highest instructions and “under pressure” from Matilda Feliksovna. It is difficult, however, to imagine how this impeccably mannered lady, with innate feeling tact, could disturb the former Beloved with “theatrical trifles,” and even at such an important moment for him. Meanwhile, the part of the Yellow Pearl became a true decoration of the ballet. Well, after Kshesinskaya persuaded “Corrigan,” presented at the Paris Opera, to insert a variation from her favorite ballet “The Pharaoh’s Daughter,” the ballerina had to encore, which was “for the Opera” exceptional case" So isn’t it based on true talent and dedicated work? creative success Russian ballerina?
Bitchy character
Perhaps one of the most scandalous and unpleasant episodes in the ballerina’s biography can be considered her “unacceptable behavior,” which led to the resignation of Sergei Volkonsky from the post of Director of the Imperial Theaters. “Unacceptable behavior” was that Kshesinskaya replaced the uncomfortable suit provided by the management with her own. The administration fined the ballerina, and she, without thinking twice, appealed the decision. The case was widely publicized and inflated into an incredible scandal, the consequences of which were voluntary departure(or resignation?) Volkonsky.
And again they started talking about the ballerina’s influential patrons and her bitchy character.
It is quite possible that at some stage Matilda simply could not explain to the person she respected that she was not involved in gossip and speculation. Be that as it may, Prince Volkonsky, having met her in Paris, took an enthusiastic part in setting up her ballet school, gave lectures there, and later wrote an excellent article about Kshesinskaya the teacher. She always complained that she could not stay “on an even note,” suffering from prejudice and gossip, which eventually forced her to leave the Mariinsky Theater.
"Madame Seventeen"
If no one dares to argue about the talent of Kshesinskaya the ballerina, then about her teaching activities Sometimes their responses are not very flattering. On February 26, 1920, Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia forever. They settled as a family in the French city of Cap de Ail in the Alam villa, purchased before the revolution. “The imperial theaters ceased to exist, and I had no desire to dance!” - wrote the ballerina.
For nine years she enjoyed a “quiet” life with people dear to her heart, but her searching soul demanded something new.
After painful thoughts, Matilda Feliksovna goes to Paris, looks for housing for her family and premises for her ballet studio. She worries that she won’t have enough students or will “fail” as a teacher, but the first lesson goes brilliantly, and very soon she will have to expand to accommodate everyone. It’s hard to call Kshesinskaya a secondary teacher; one only has to remember her students, world ballet stars Margot Fonteyn and Alicia Markova.
While living at the Alam villa, Matilda Feliksovna became interested in playing roulette. Together with another famous Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, they whiled away the evenings at the table in the Monte Carlo casino. For her constant bet on the same number, Kshesinskaya was nicknamed “Madame Seventeen.” The crowd, meanwhile, savored the details of how the “Russian ballerina” squandered the “royal jewels.” They said that Kshesinskaya was forced to decide to open a school by the desire to improve her financial situation, undermined by the game.
"Actress of Mercy"
The charitable activities that Kshesinskaya was involved in during the First World War usually fade into the background, giving way to scandals and intrigues. In addition to participating in front-line concerts, performances in hospitals and charity evenings, Matilda Feliksovna took an active part in the arrangement of two modern exemplary hospital-infirmaries for that time. She did not personally bandage the sick and did not work as a nurse, apparently believing that everyone should do what they know how to do well. She organized trips for the wounded to her dacha in Strelna, arranged trips for soldiers and doctors to the theater, wrote letters from dictation, and decorated chambers of flowers, or, throwing off her shoes, without pointe shoes, she simply danced on her fingers. She was applauded, I think, no less than during her legendary performance in London’s Covent Garden, when 64-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya, in a silver embroidered sundress and a pearl kokoshnik, easily and flawlessly performed her legendary “Russian”. Then she was called 18 times, and this was unthinkable for the prim English public.
It often happens that, for political reasons, surnames are removed from the memory of descendants talented people who did not accept ideas ruling class. And if a representative of art and literature also emigrated, then his name was not condemned, but was consigned to complete oblivion.
The most important
After the revolution, the general population Soviet Russia the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya was known only for the fact that at one time he lived in her mansion on Kronversky Prospekt, worked and made speeches from the balcony of the palace, made in the style of V. I. Lenin.
The Petrograd newspaper building itself was dubbed the “Leninist headquarters.” And this immoral “lady”, the mistress of three most illustrious princes and the heir to the throne, could not interest a generation new Russia. This woman, because of whom representatives of the elite fought in duels, and those who were much younger than her (future husband, His Serene Highness Prince Andrei Vladimirovich - by 6 years, lover, Russian ballet star Pyotr Vladimirov - by 21 years), fell out of sight of the programmed completely different people. And yet, unlike most Soviet people, who considered the decadent dancer Anna Pavlova to be the star of the Russian ballet school, Maurice Petipa considered Matilda Kshesinskaya, deliberately and unfairly forgotten, as ballerina No. 1. But she was called “the Generalissimo of Russian ballet.”
Kshesinskaya Matilda, or simply Malya, as her family and friends called her, was born into a family of “ballet dancers” in 1872. Her father Felix came from the Krzesinski family, a famous theater family in Poland (Krzesinski is a theatrical pseudonym). Matilda's grandfather, Jan, was a virtuoso violinist, had a wonderful voice and sang at the Warsaw Opera. Polish king Stanislav August, his big admirer, called him nothing more than “my nightingale.”
And great-grandfather Wojciech was a famous dancer. But family legend, constantly fueling the girl’s vanity, said that Wojciech was a representative of one of the best Polish families and was to inherit the enormous fortune of Count Krasinski. Having lost everything - inheritance, family name and homeland - due to the machinations of his uncle, he was forced to flee to France, where he began to earn a living by dancing.
Beginning of the Russian period
Jan's son Felix studied dancing professionally; his highlight was a brilliant performance of the mazurka, which was adored by Nicholas I, who invited the Polish dancer to Russian capital. He made his debut in 1853 on the stage of the Imperial Alexandrinsky Theater in “The Peasant Wedding.” There were legends about his performance of the mazurka, and it was, as one of his contemporaries put it, that it was with his “light feet” that the dance became so popular in high society Russia. On the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Felix Kshesinsky always performed with continued success. Here he meets the widow of the dancer Lede, ballerina Yulia Dominskaya. From her first marriage the dancer had five children, from her second marriage with Felix - four.
The Birth of a Prima
Kshesinskaya Matilda was last child mother-heroine, whom children did not interfere with either getting married or dancing. Matilda-Maria was a charming child and everyone’s favorite, but she was especially adored by her father, who foresaw in her a future ballerina assolute, of which there were only 11 in the history of the entire world ballet. Malechka was born in the town of Ligovo near St. Petersburg, on the 13th km along Peterhof highway, famous for the fact that the future Great Empress Catherine II spent one night in the local “Red Zucchini”. The elder brother Stanislav died in infancy. The other three are the beautiful Julia, who went down in ballet history as Kshesinskaya I, brother Joseph, who remained in Soviet Russia and became an Honored Artist of the country, and Kshesinskaya Matilda herself, famous for that who were the first of the Russian ballerinas to perform 32 fouettés and removed the foreign primos that dominated here from the domestic stage - were virtuoso dancers.
Seductive baby
Her father often took her with him to the theater and once even forgot her there. The girl was familiar with the acting world from childhood and could not imagine any other path other than the stage. She grew up to be a talented ballerina and an incomparable seductress. The girl was inferior in beauty to her sister, but was filled with that charm that does not leave people - especially men - indifferent. Not tall (Matilda Kshesinskaya’s height was 1.53 m), with full legs and a surprisingly narrow waist, she was full of life. The funny and joyful Malya attracted everyone's attention, which she used more than successfully.
Incredible Performance
She, a person who survived the revolution and the hardship of emigration, can still be called the darling of fate. Let's say right away that she was a hard worker. Not everything fell into her hands from heaven, moreover, no connections would have helped her perform 32 fouettés on stage, the first of all Russian dancers. The girl achieved this through hard work, constantly improving her technique, bringing it to the heights of mastery. There were legends about her performance. So who is she - Matilda Kshesinskaya, whose biography is due to strong character this little woman does not know failures (there were, of course, small failures - 1-2, no more), sometimes she looks like a fairy tale?
Well-deserved adoration
She appeared on stage in the ballet “Don Quixote” at the age of 9, having studied only a year at school, and performed in the solo part at 17. But the talented girl really became interested in ballet after she saw the dance performed by someone who came to Russia on tour Virginia Zucchi. It was this dancer who became the idol of Mali, thanks to her, Kshesinskaya began taking lessons from the Italian dancer Enrico Cecchetti and achieved that incomparable skill and brilliance that allowed her to become a prima dancer, oust foreign entrepreneurs from the Russian stage and win the hearts of true ballet lovers. There were cases when, after performances, fans unharnessed the horses from her carriage and took her home themselves.
Worthy girlfriend
On graduation party in honor of graduation great empress Maria Feodorovna, preoccupied with gloominess and constant loneliness son, immediately drew attention to the miniature young girl-mercury Kshesinskaya-2. She was amazingly built: prominent muscles, a very thin waist, high breasts. Matilda Kshesinskaya, whose weight did not exceed 50 kg (although given her height this was a bit too much for ballet), her shape compared favorably with most of her thin friends. At a gala dinner, Emperor Alexander III himself seated her between himself and his son Nicholas. According to some sources, the young people immediately fell in love with each other; according to others, more evil ones, Kshesinskaya energetically pursued him. Be that as it may, there is evidence that Tsar Nicholas II retained his affection for her all his life, although the relationship was officially terminated after his engagement to Alex.
Breadth of soul
It so happened that from the moment she met the heir to the throne, the ballerina Kshesinskaya Matilda forever connected her life with the house of the Romanovs. Who wasn’t listed as her “close friend”! She was awarded all sorts of epithets: “the champagne of the Romanov house,” “the muse of royal men,” or, more angrily, “Matilda Kshesinskaya, the mistress of kings.”
It should be noted that Kshesinskaya, in addition to the advantages listed above, had great wisdom: she let Niki down the aisle without a single word, was always friendly with his wife, left the theater without a scandal when they began to accuse her of intrigue, and returned there with dignity and triumph, when her innocence became clear. In addition, possessing countless treasures (the contents of her jewelry boxes were estimated at 2 million royal rubles), she used her own money to maintain two infirmaries for the wounded at her dacha - the most luxurious in Strelna. About the breadth of this soul amazing woman It also says that, having lost them in the revolution, Matilda Kshesinskaya, whose biography contains a lot interesting facts, she only regretted the rose preserved in alcohol, which - as recognition of the skill of the Russian ballerina - was given to the prima by Virginia Zucchi, her idol.
Ingratitude is always black
In addition, very often performances were staged at the Mariinsky Theater, which were fully paid for by her - scenery, costumes, and other expenses. But burning envy of a woman who could manage her repertoire herself, did not lose her skill over the years, owned one of the most beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg and received her own benefit performance not after 20 years of service, but only after 10, brought the backstage world, always full dirt, crazy. And, as he said (albeit on a completely different occasion): “... the gossip, the gossip that exposed her, became more and more angry.” It was they who forced Kshesinskaya to leave the Mariinsky Theater. Her enemies were especially choked by her constant strong relationship with the ruling dynasty.
Great love
“Nicholas 2 and Matilda Kshesinskaya” - the servants of Terpsichore somehow experienced this connection. The romance was stormy, but short - it lasted only a year. But the ballerina did not remain abandoned. She was sincerely and doomed from the first meeting in a two-story mansion bought for a friend by the future last emperor He fell in love with Russia, where he visited with his friends and numerous cousins, and became its “knight without fear or reproach” for the rest of his life. His love, his spending and fulfillment of the slightest whims closed the most evil mouths.
He regularly proposed to her, including before breaking up. Matilda Kshesinskaya, whose son was conceived by another Grand Duke Romanov, Andrei Vladimirovich, immediately received the patronymic Sergeevich and, in addition to it, noble origin and the surname Krasinsky, in memory of a distant ancestor, which was taken care of by the faithful Sergei Mikhailovich. He himself, having sent his beloved from revolutionary Petrograd, could not leave on time, was shot and thrown into a mine in Alapaevsk in 1918, along with other representatives of the Romanov dynasty. What can one say about him? great love more than the fact that in his clenched fist at the moment of raising his body to the surface they found the inscription “Malya”?
Everything is at the feet of the goddess
He, being the inspector general of artillery, had uncontrolled funds at his disposal, and the arms companies did not skimp on kickbacks. The legendary mansion of Matilda Kshesinskaya was built with his money. He always wanted to give his beloved a special status in high society. The construction was supervised by the author of the project, fashionable architect Alexander von Gauguin. As a result, for the construction of this pearl Northern capital The city government awarded the architect a silver medal.
The house of Matilda Kshesinskaya in St. Petersburg overlooked the Neva, as did the Senate, the Academy of Sciences, and Saint Isaac's Cathedral. There were legends about the interior structure and decoration of the mansion. Everything, right down to the nails, was sourced from the best construction companies in Paris. The premises were made in different styles: if the salon is furnished in style Louis XVI, the toilet symbolized the achievements of the British in providing housing with modern amenities. You can’t count its merits! One can only note the fact that in this palace, located in the “central center” of the capital, there was a cowshed with, obviously, the best cow in the world, since the thief of the artillery inspector’s heart loved fresh milk...
The long-awaited and well-deserved finale
Evil tongues attribute to Matilda a connection with the grandson of Alexander II, Vladimir Alexandrovich. Whether it happened or not, Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya immediately married his fourth son Andrei Vladimirovich. This happened in Paris, as soon as his mother, Maria Pavlovna, who had opposed her son’s wedding all her life, left for another world. The boy Vova, or, as Kshesinskaya jokingly called him, “Vovo de Russi” (Vova of All Rus'),” was immediately transferred to his true father, and the family lived happily.
Loving, strong and brave
In the biography of this extraordinary personality There was also the fact that the great ballerina, without fear, rescued her beloved son from the Gestapo when Paris was occupied by the Germans. The Parisian house of Matilda Kshesinskaya remained a center of attraction in emigration - F. Chaliapin, A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina and S. Diaghilev visited here.
Kshesinskaya had a gift for mimicry and drama, which made her ballet roles unique. But, as it turned out later, the writer’s talent was not alien to the prime. This is evidenced by her book “Matilda Kshesinskaya. Memories", released in Paris in 1960. Having survived her husband and cancer, a fractured femur, chained to a chair, this Strong woman began to write a book, which - as evidence of history - is priceless in itself, because the author was the great Matilda Kshesinskaya. The memoirs were written good language and presented in excellent style. They are very interesting to read, we recommend them (they are widely available).
Lived happily ever after
Genetically this woman was programmed to long life- her grandfather, the already mentioned Jan, lived to be 106 years old and died not of his own death, but of intoxication. So the legendary Malya did not live to see her centenary for 9 months. The ballet megastar died in 1971 and was buried in the “Russian cemetery” of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois along with her husband and son (died in 1974). The inscription on her grave says that she lies here Grand Duchess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theatres, Kshesinskaya Matilda Feliksovna.
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya (August 19, 1872 – December 6, 1971), Russian ballerina.
The figure of Matilda Kshesinskaya is so tightly shrouded in a cocoon of legends, gossip and rumors that it is almost impossible to discern a real, living person... A woman full of irresistible charm. Passionate, addicted nature. The first Russian fouetté performer and ballerina who could manage her own repertoire. A brilliant, virtuoso dancer who ousted foreign touring performers from the Russian stage...
Matilda Kshesinskaya was petite, only 1 meter 53 centimeters tall. But, despite the growth, the name of Kshesinskaya for many decades did not leave the pages of gossip columns, where she was presented among the heroines of scandals and “femme fatales.”
Kshesinskaya was born into a hereditary artistic environment, which for several generations was associated with ballet. Matilda's father was a famous dancer and a leading artist in the imperial theaters.
Father became his first teacher youngest daughter. Already from the very early age she showed an ability and love for ballet - which is not surprising in a family where almost everyone dances. At the age of eight, she was sent to the Imperial Theater School - her mother had previously graduated from it, and now her brother Joseph and sister Julia were studying there.
At first, Malya did not practice particularly diligently - she had long learned the basics of ballet art at home. Only at the age of fifteen, when she got into the class of Christian Petrovich Ioganson, Malya not only felt a taste for learning, but began to study with real passion. Kshesinskaya discovered extraordinary talent and enormous creative potential. In the spring of 1890, she graduated from college as an external student and was enrolled in the troupe Mariinsky Theater. Already in her first season, Kshesinskaya danced in twenty-two ballets and twenty-one operas. The roles were small, but responsible, and allowed Mala to show off her talent. But talent alone was not enough to obtain so many games - one important circumstance played a role: the heir to the throne was in love with Matilda.
Malya met Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich - the future Emperor Nicholas II - at a dinner after the graduation performance, which took place on March 23, 1890. Almost immediately they began an affair, which proceeded with the full approval of Nikolai’s parents. truly them serious relationship began only two years later, after the heir came home to Matilda Kshesinskaya, under the name of Hussar Volkov. Notes, letters and... gifts, truly royal. The first was a gold bracelet with large sapphires and two diamonds, on which Matilda engraved two dates - 1890 and 1892 - the first meeting and the first visit to her home. But... Their love was doomed and after April 7, 1894, when the engagement of the Tsarevich to Alice of Hesse was officially announced, Nicholas never came to Matilda again. However, as you know, he allowed her to contact him in letters on a first name basis and promised to help her in everything if she needed help.
On October 20, 1894, Emperor Alexander III died in Livadia - he was only 49 years old. The next day Alice converted to Orthodoxy and became Grand Duchess Alexandra Fedorovna. A week after the emperor's funeral, Nicholas and Alexandra were married in Winter Palace- for this purpose, the mourning imposed at court for a year was specially interrupted.
Matilda was very worried about parting with Nikolai. Not wanting anyone to see her suffering, she locked herself at home and hardly went out. But... as they say, a holy place is never empty: “In my grief and despair, I was not left alone. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, with whom I became friends from the day the heir first brought him to me, stayed with me and supported I never felt a feeling for him that could be compared with my feeling for Niki, but with all his attitude he won my heart, and I sincerely fell in love with him,” Matilda Kshesinskaya later wrote in her memoirs. She fell in love... but quickly and again... Romanov.
Due to mourning, there were practically no performances at the Mariinsky Theater, and Kshesinskaya accepted the invitation of entrepreneur Raoul Günzburg to go on tour to Monte Carlo. She performed with her brother Joseph, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Alfred Bekefi and Georgy Kyaksht. The tour was a great success. In April, Matilda and her father performed in Warsaw. Felix Kshesinsky was well remembered here, and the audience literally went wild at the performances of the family duet. She returned to St. Petersburg only in the 1895 season and performed in R. Drigo’s new ballet “The Pearl,” which Petipa staged specifically for the accession to the throne of Nicholas II.
And it is not surprising that her career was going uphill. She became the prima of the Mariinsky Theater and virtually the entire repertoire was built around her. Yes, her contemporaries did not refuse to recognize her talent, but latently everyone understood that this talent made its way to the top not through a terrible struggle for existence, but in a slightly different way. The world of theater is not so simple, if for ordinary spectators it is a holiday, then for the servants of melpomene it is a struggle for life, intrigue, mutual claims and the ability to do everything to be noticed by the superiors of this world. Ballet dancers have always been loved by the upper class: grand dukes and nobles of lower rank did not shy away from patronizing this or that ballerina. Patronage often did not go beyond a love affair, but still some even dared to take these beauties as wives. But such people were in the minority; the majority were destined for the sad fate of “flashing up as a bright star” on the stage and then quietly fading away outside it. Matilda Kshesinskaya escaped this fate...
The beginning of Kshesinskaya’s activity was associated with performances in classical ballets staged by the famous choreographer M. Petipa. They not only revealed her virtuosic technique, but also revealed her extraordinary dramatic talent. After Kshesinskaya’s debut in P. Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Sleeping Beauty,” Petipa began choreographing parts specifically for her “coloratura” dance. Only long mourning after death Alexandra III interfered with their collaboration.
The ballerina was distinguished not only by her talent, but also by her enormous hard work. She was the first after the Italian virtuosos to perform a rare ballet number for that time - thirty-two fouettés. As one of the reviewers noted, “having performed thirty-two fouettés, without leaving her place, literally nailed to the fulcrum, she, having answered the bows, again went to the middle of the stage and unscrewed twenty-eight fouettés.”
From this time on, a ten-year period of Kshesinskaya’s dominance on the Russian ballet stage began. It ended in 1903, when M. Petipa retired. At this time, at the request of Emperor Nicholas, Kshesinskaya was under the care of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. At his house she met cousin Tsar, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Many believed that their relationship would not last long, but soon their son Vladimir was born, and Kshesinskaya became common-law wife Grand Duke. True, they got married many years later, in 1921, when they were in exile.
Kshesinskaya had a hard time getting used to innovations in choreographic art. For a long time she could not find a suitable choreographer for herself, and only collaboration with M. Fokin helped her overcome crisis situation. Their relationship changed several times. Kshesinskaya either idolized Fokin or tried to remove him from the St. Petersburg stage. However, Fokin’s popularity could not leave her indifferent, and, despite everything, they continued to work together.
In general, Kshesinskaya was always sharp and often came to the right decision only after making many mistakes. This is how, for example, her relationship with S. Diaghilev developed. He approached her in 1911 with a request to become the main soloist in the program of ballet performances he had planned. At first, Kshesinskaya rejected his proposal, since shortly before that she had triumphantly performed in Paris and London in several performances staged by the influential French newspaper Le Figaro. However, after thinking, or perhaps simply learning that the largest dancers of that time - M. Fokin and V. Nijinsky - agreed to perform in Diaghilev’s troupe, she gave her consent. After this, especially for Kshesinskaya, Diaghilev bought the scenery and costumes for the ballet from the directorate of the imperial theaters. Swan Lake", made according to sketches by A. Golovin and K. Korovin.
The performances of Diaghilev's troupe in Vienna and Monte Carlo turned into a real triumph for Kshesinskaya, and the collaboration itself continued for many years.
Only after the outbreak of the First World War did the ballerina stop performing abroad, and on February 2, 1917, she last time appeared on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater.
Kshesinskaya understood that after February Revolution she needs to disappear from the view of journalists for several months. Therefore, together with her son, she went to Kislovodsk to see her husband. After the Bolsheviks came to power, they left for Constantinople and then settled for several years at the Villa Alam on the Mediterranean coast of France. Soon Kshesinskaya realized that she could not count on returning to the stage, and she needed to look for another way to earn money. She moves to Paris and opens a ballet studio at the Villa Monitor.
At first she had only a few students, but after visiting the studio by Diaghilev, as well as A. Pavlova, their number rapidly increased, and soon more than a hundred students studied with Kshesinskaya. Among them were F. Chaliapin’s daughters Marina and Dasia. Later, such famous ballerinas as R. Nureyev’s partner M. Fontein and I. Shoviré studied with Kshesinskaya.
The outbreak of World War II upended her well-established life. Fearing bombing, she moves to the suburbs, and when she approaches German army Together with his family he goes to Biarritz, on the border with Spain. But soon they came there too German troops. Kshesinskaya's situation was complicated by the fact that her son was soon arrested for anti-fascist activities. And only a few months later he was able to escape from the camp, and then from France.
After the liberation of France in 1944, Kshesinskaya returned to Paris and, with the help of her students Ninette de Valois and Margot Fonteyn, organized a traveling ballet troupe that performed concerts for the soldiers. At the same time, classes resumed in her studio. In 1950, Kshesinskaya went to England, where she began to lead the Federation of Russian Classical Ballet, which included fifteen choreographic schools.
During the first tour Bolshoi Theater In France, Kshesinskaya specially went to Paris to attend performances on the stage of the Grand Opera, in which G. Ulanova performed.
Kshesinskaya published several books. The most famous were her memoirs, which were simultaneously published in France and the USA.
Matilda Feliksovna lived a long life and died on December 5, 1971, a few months before her centenary. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris in the same grave with her husband and son. On the monument there is an epitaph: “The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya.”