Vera Volkova

Vera Volkova (Russian: Bepa Boлкoвa; 1905 – May 5, 1975) was an influential Russian ballet dancer and dance teacher. Born in Tomsk, she trained in Petrograd at Akim Volynsky's School of Russian Ballet, also studying with the renowned Russian ballet mistress Agrippina Vaganova. She danced professionally with the Imperial Russian Ballet, before defecting in 1929. As a teacher, she is most noted for spreading the use of the Vaganova method throughout the West. Most notably, she spent a number of years teaching at the Sadler's Wells Ballet and Sadler's Wells Ballet School, training some of the leading English dancers of the 20th Century. She also taught at the Ballet Schools of the La Scala Theatre in Milan and New York City Ballet. She became a permanent teacher at the Royal Danish Ballet School, again training some of the schools greatest dancers.

Her students include

• Alicia Alonso, Cuban Prima Ballerina Assoluta and founder of the Cuban National Ballet
• Erik Bruhn, former Principal of the Royal Danish Ballet
• Dame Margot Fonteyn, English Prima Ballerina Assoluta of The Royal Ballet
• Henning Kronstam, former Principal of the Royal Danish Ballet
• Gillian Lynne, former Principal of The Royal Ballet, now a renowned musical theatre chroeographer
• Peter Martins, former Principal of the Royal Danish Ballet and New York City Ballet
• Sir Peter Wright, former Principal dancer and Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet
• Eva Evdokimova, international guest dancer, recognised as a Prima Ballerina Assoluta

Bibliography

• Alexander Meinertz, 'Vera Volkova, a biography', Alton, Hampshire : Dance Books, 2007, 186 p. ISBN 9781852731113.
• Camille Hardy, 'Vera Volkova Revealed, A Biography, By Alexander Meinertz', Dance Chronicle, Volume 31, Issue 2, May 2008, pp.279-284. DOI: 10.1080/01472520802118525.