Kshesinskaya in old age. Matilda Kshesinskaya - biography, photo, Nicholas II, personal life of the great ballerina. Career of Matilda Kshesinskaya

From the first performances on stage, she was accompanied by rumors, the increased interest of tabloid newspapers and numerous fans. Interest in this peculiar and bright woman does not weaken even today. Who was Matilda Kshesinskaya - an ethereal creature wholly devoted to art, or a greedy hunter for power and wealth?

First student

Kshesinskaya began her memoirs, written at the end of her life, with a legend. Once a young offspring county family Krasinsky fled from Poland to Paris from relatives who hunted for his enormous fortune. Fleeing from assassins, he changed his surname to "Kshesinsky". His son Jan, nicknamed the "golden word", that is, the nightingale, sang in the Warsaw opera, and became famous as a dramatic actor. He died at the age of 106, passing on to his descendants not only longevity, but also a craving for art. Son Felix became a dancer, shone on stage Mariinsky Theater, already elderly, married the ballerina Yulia Dominskaya, the mother of five children. Four more were born in the new marriage, all of them, except for the early deceased first-born, made successful career in ballet.

Including the younger Matilda, who was called Malechka in the family.

Miniature (153 cm), graceful, big-eyed, she conquered everyone with a cheerful and open disposition. From the first years of her life, she loved to dance, willingly attended rehearsals with her father. He made a wooden model of the theater for his daughter, where Malechka and her sister Yulia played whole performances. And soon the games were replaced by hard work - the girls were sent to a theater school, where they had to study for eight hours a day. However, Matilda comprehended ballet science easily and immediately became the first student. A year after admission, she received a role in Minkus' ballet Don Quixote. Soon they began to recognize her on stage, the first fans appeared ...

From righteous labors, Malechka rested in the parental estate of Krasnitsa near St. Petersburg. She will always remember trips for berries, boat rides, crowded receptions - her father adored guests and prepared exotic Polish dishes for them. At one of the family receptions, a young coquette upset someone's wedding, falling in love with the groom. And early I realized that men like it - not with beauty (the nose is too long, the legs are short), but with brightness, energy, sparkle in the eyes and ringing laughter. And, of course, talent.

Brooch for memory

Matilda describes her romance with an unmarried heir in her memoirs very sparingly. At the beginning of 1894, Nikolai announced that he was marrying Alice, their engagement took place in April, and in November, after his ascension to the throne, their wedding. But there is not a single line about wounded female pride in Kshesinskaya's memoirs, designed for the mass reader:

"The sense of duty and dignity was extremely highly developed in him ... He was kind and easy to handle. Everyone was always fascinated by him, and his exceptional eyes and smile conquered hearts" - about Nicholas II. And this is about Alexandra Feodorovna: "In her, the Heir found himself a wife who fully accepted the Russian faith, principles and foundations royal power, smart, warm-hearted, big woman spiritual qualities and debt."

They parted, as they would say now, in a civilized manner. That is why Nicholas II continued to patronize Kshesinskaya, moreover, together with his wife, they chose a gift for Matilda for the 10th anniversary of her ballet career - a brooch in the form of a sapphire snake. The snake symbolizes wisdom, the sapphire symbolizes memory, and the ballerina had the wisdom not to make her career based on very personal memories of the past.

Alas, contemporaries did their best for her, spreading gossip around the country, where both fables were intertwined, and descendants who published more than a hundred years later Kshesinskaya's diaries, not intended for prying eyes. He articulated this in an interview, Russian newspaper"bishop Egorevsky Tikhon(Shevkunov) after the release of the trailer for the film "Matilda", which shoots famous director Alexey Uchitel (see below).

Unfortunately, as often happens, behind the scandalous discussions, no one has ever been interested in the personality of an extraordinary woman and a magnificent ballerina, who was made famous after all by not high-profile novels (including with Grand Dukes Sergei Mikhailovich, from whom she gave birth to a son, and Andrei Vladimirovich ), but talent and hard work.

Escape with a suitcase

In 1896, she received the coveted title of prima ballerina, danced the leading roles in The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. To the expressiveness of the Russian school, Matilda added the virtuoso Italian technique. At the same time, she tried to oust foreign competitors from the St. Petersburg stage and promoted local young talents, including the brilliant Anna Pavlova. Kshesinskaya shone in Paris, Milan, her native Warsaw, where Gazeta Polska wrote: “Her dance is as diverse as the brilliance of a diamond: either it is light and soft, or it breathes fire and passion; at the same time, it is always graceful and delights the viewer with a wonderful harmony of movements.

After leaving the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, she began to tour independently, taking 750 rubles for her performance - huge money at that time. (Carpenters and joiners earned in July 1914 from 1 ruble 60 kopecks to 2 rubles a day, laborers - 1 ruble - 1 ruble 50 kopecks. - Auth.). The highlight of her speeches was main party in the ballet "Esmeralda" based on the novel by Victor Hugo, last time performed shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. On that day, she was especially warmly applauded, and at the end they brought a huge basket of flowers. It was rumored that the flowers were sent by the king himself, who was present at the performance.

Neither he nor she knew that they were seeing each other for the last time.

During the war, Matilda helped the wounded: she equipped two hospitals with her own money, took soldiers to the theater, and sometimes, throwing off her shoes, danced for them right in the ward. For friends who went to the front or came on vacation, she arranged receptions - court connections helped to get food and even champagne prohibited by the "dry law". The last appointment was the day before February Revolution, after which the "royal kept woman" fled the house in what she was, taking her son, a suitcase with jewelry and her beloved fox terrier Djibi.

She settled with her faithful maid Lyudmila Rumyantseva, and the Swiss butler who remained in the mansion brought her saved things along with sad news. Her mansion was looted by soldiers, and then the headquarters of the Bolsheviks was located there. Kshesinskaya sued them, but the laws in Russia were no longer in effect. She fled to Kislovodsk, where she lived for three and a half years: she starved, hid jewelry in the leg of the bed, and fled from the Chekists. Sergei Mikhailovich saw her off at the Kursk railway station.

Already in Paris, the investigator Sokolov visited her, who told about the death of the Grand Duke, who, along with other Romanovs, was thrown into a mine near Alapaevsky ...

Prima's tears

In 1921, after the death of the parents of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, he married Matilda, who received the "hereditary" surname Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya. The husband entered politics, supporting the claims of his brother Cyril to the Russian throne that had sunk into oblivion. The son did not want to work - using his beauty, "Vovo de Russe" lived on the content of elderly ladies. When the savings ran out, Matilda had to feed the family. In 1929, she opened a ballet studio in Paris. And she regained fame: the best ballerinas in the world came to her school, she was invited to meetings of the World Ballet Federation, journalists asked how she manages to keep in shape. She honestly answered: two hours of walking and exercise everyday.

In 1936, the 64-year-old prima danced the legendary "Russian Dance" on the stage of Covent Garden, earning a storm of applause. And in 1940, she fled the war to the south of France, where her son was arrested by the Gestapo, suspected (apparently not in vain) of participating in the Resistance. Kshesinskaya raised all ties, even visited the head of the secret state police (Gestapo), SS Gruppenführer Heinrich Muller, and Vladimir was released. With the end of the war, the old life returned, interspersed with sad events - friends left, in 1956 her husband died. In 1958, the Bolshoi Theater came to Paris on tour, and Matilda burst into tears right in the hall: her favorite art had not died, the imperial ballet was alive!

She died on December 5, 1971, a few months short of her centenary. She was buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, next to her husband, and a few years later her son lay in the same grave, who never continued the Kshesinsky-Krasinsky family.

"Not a demand for bans, but a warning about truth and untruth..."

BISHOP OF EGORIEVSK TIKHON (SHEVKUNOV):

Alexei Uchitel's film claims to be historic, and the trailer is titled nothing less than "The Main Historical Blockbuster of the Year." But after watching it, I, frankly, cannot understand: why did the authors do it this way? Why touch the subject like this? Why do they make the viewer believe in the historicity of the heartbreaking scenes they invented " love triangle", in which Nikolai, both before and after marriage, melodramatically rushes between Matilda and Alexandra. Why is Empress Alexandra Feodorovna depicted as a demonic fury walking with a knife (I'm not kidding!) At her rival? Vengeful, envious Alexandra Feodorovna, unhappy, wonderful, magnificent Matilda, weak-willed Nikolai, rushing to one, then to another. Embrace with Matilda, embrace with Alexandra ... What is this - the author's vision? No - slander on real people. "< >

The heir considered it his duty to tell the bride about Matilda. There is a letter from Alix to her fiancé, where she writes: "I love you even more since you told me this story. Your trust touches me so deeply ... Will I be able to be worthy of him?!" The love of the last Russian Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, striking in the depth of feelings, fidelity and tenderness, continued on earth until their last martyr's hour in the Ipatiev House in July 1918.< >

Not demands for bans, but a warning about truth and untruth - this is the goal that can and should be set in connection with the upcoming wide screening of the film. If the film matches the trailer, it will be enough just to talk widely about the real former history. Actually, what we are doing now. And then the viewer will decide for himself.

DIRECTOR OF THE FILM "MATILDA" ALEXEY UCHITEL:

For me, the main thing is to avoid aesthetic vulgarity. Fiction is possible when it helps to get to know the main characters of the picture better.< >

I believe that "bloody" and "weak-willed" are not the most fair characteristics of Nicholas II. This man ascended the throne in 1896 and until 1913 - for 17 years of rule - led the country with the help of the people he gathered in power, to a flourishing political, economic, military. Yes, he had flaws, he was controversial, but he created the most powerful Russia ever. It was the first in Europe, the second in the world in finance, economy, in many respects.

Prima ballerina of the Imperial Theater Matilda Kshesinskaya was not only one of the brightest stars Russian ballet, but also one of the most scandalous and controversial figures in the history of the twentieth century. She was the mistress of Emperor Nicholas II and two Grand Dukes, and later became the wife of Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov. Such women are called fatal - she used men to achieve her goals, weaved intrigues, abused personal connections for career purposes. She is called a courtesan and seductress, although no one disputes her talent and skill.

Maria-Matilda Krzezinska was born in 1872 in St. Petersburg in a family of ballet dancers who came from the family of the ruined Polish counts Krasinski. From childhood, the girl, who grew up in an artistic environment, dreamed of ballet.

At the age of 8, she was sent to the Imperial Theater School, from which she graduated with honors. The imperial family attended her graduation performance on March 23, 1890. That's when I first saw her future emperor Nicholas II. Later, the ballerina admitted in her memoirs: “When I said goodbye to the Heir, a feeling of attraction to each other had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine.”

After graduating from college, Matilda Kshesinskaya was enrolled in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater and in her first season took part in 22 ballets and 21 operas. On a gold bracelet with diamonds and sapphires - a gift from the Tsarevich - she engraved two dates, 1890 and 1892. It was the year they met and the year the relationship began. However, their romance did not last long - in 1894, the engagement of the heir to the throne with the princess of Hesse was announced, after which he broke up with Matilda.

Kshesinskaya became a prima ballerina, and the entire repertoire was selected specifically for her. The director of the imperial theaters, Vladimir Telyakovsky, without denying the outstanding abilities of the dancer, said: “It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but here it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya. She considered the ballets her property and could give or not let others dance them.

Prima weaved intrigues and did not allow many ballerinas to go on stage. Even when foreign dancers came on tour, she did not allow them to perform in "their" ballets. She herself chose the time for her performances, performed only at the height of the season, allowed herself long breaks, during which she stopped classes and indulged in entertainment. At the same time, Kshesinskaya was the first of the Russian dancers to be recognized as a world star. She impressed foreign audiences with her skill and 32 fouettes in a row.

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich took care of Kshesinskaya and indulged all her whims. She went on stage in insanely expensive jewelry from Faberge. In 1900, on the stage of the Imperial Theater, Kshesinskaya celebrated the 10th anniversary creative activity(although before her, ballerinas gave benefit performances only after 20 years on stage). At dinner after the performance, she met Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, with whom she began whirlwind romance. At the same time, the ballerina continued to officially live with Sergei Mikhailovich.

In 1902, a son was born to Kshesinskaya. Paternity was attributed to Andrei Vladimirovich. Telyakovsky did not choose expressions: “Is this really a theater, and am I really in charge of this? Everyone is happy, everyone is happy and glorifies the extraordinary, technically strong, morally impudent, cynical, impudent ballerina, who lives simultaneously with the two Grand Dukes and not only does not hide this, but, on the contrary, weaves this art into her stinking cynical wreath of human carrion and debauchery ".

After the revolution and the death of Sergei Mikhailovich, Kshesinskaya and her son fled to Constantinople, and from there to France. In 1921, she married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, receiving the title of Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya. In 1929, she opened her ballet studio in Paris, which was a success thanks to her big name.

She died at the age of 99, outliving all her eminent patrons. The debate about her role in the history of ballet continues to this day. And out of her entire long life, only one episode is usually mentioned:

Matilda Kshesinskaya

Prima ballerina of the Imperial Theater Matilda Kshesinskaya was not only one of the brightest stars of Russian ballet, but also one of the most scandalous and controversial figures in the history of the twentieth century. She was the mistress of Emperor Nicholas II and two Grand Dukes, and later became the wife of Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov. Such women are called fatal - she used men to achieve her goals, weaved intrigues, abused personal connections for career purposes. She is called a courtesan and seductress, although no one disputes her talent and skill.

Matilda's parents Julia and Felix Kshesinsky

Maria-Matilda Krzezinska was born in 1872 in St. Petersburg in a family of ballet dancers who came from the family of the ruined Polish counts Krasinski. From childhood, the girl, who grew up in an artistic environment, dreamed of ballet.


famous prima ballerina

Nicholas II and Matilda Kshesinskaya

At the age of 8, she was sent to the Imperial Theater School, from which she graduated with honors. The imperial family attended her graduation performance on March 23, 1890. It was then that the future Emperor Nicholas II saw her for the first time. Later, the ballerina admitted in her memoirs: “When I said goodbye to the Heir, a feeling of attraction to each other had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine.”


Matilda Kshesinskaya

After graduating from college, Matilda Kshesinskaya was enrolled in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater and in her first season took part in 22 ballets and 21 operas. On a gold bracelet with diamonds and sapphires - a gift from the Tsarevich - she engraved two dates, 1890 and 1892. It was the year they met and the year the relationship began. However, their romance did not last long - in 1894, the engagement of the heir to the throne with the princess of Hesse was announced, after which he broke up with Matilda.


famous prima ballerina

Matilda Kshesinskaya in *The Pharaoh's Daughter*, 1900

Kshesinskaya became a prima ballerina, and the entire repertoire was selected specifically for her. The director of the imperial theaters, Vladimir Telyakovsky, without denying the outstanding abilities of the dancer, said: “It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but here it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya. She considered the ballets her property and could give or not let others dance them.


famous prima ballerina

ballet star with scandalous reputation

Photo portraits of Kshesinskaya based on the ballet *Comargo*, 1902

Prima weaved intrigues and did not allow many ballerinas to go on stage. Even when foreign dancers came on tour, she did not allow them to perform in "their" ballets. She herself chose the time for her performances, performed only at the height of the season, allowed herself long breaks, during which she stopped classes and indulged in entertainment. At the same time, Kshesinskaya was the first of the Russian dancers to be recognized as a world star. She impressed foreign audiences with her skill and 32 fouettes in a row.


Matilda Kshesinskaya

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and his wife Matilda Kshesinskaya

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich took care of Kshesinskaya and indulged all her whims. She went on stage wearing insanely expensive Faberge jewelry. In 1900, on the stage of the Imperial Theater, Kshesinskaya celebrated the 10th anniversary of her creative activity (although before her ballerinas gave benefit performances only after 20 years on stage). At dinner after the performance, she met Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, with whom she began a stormy romance. At the same time, the ballerina continued to officially live with Sergei Mikhailovich.


Ballet star with a scandalous reputation

famous prima ballerina

In 1902, a son was born to Kshesinskaya. Paternity was attributed to Andrei Vladimirovich. Telyakovsky did not choose expressions: “Is this really a theater, and am I really in charge of this? Everyone is happy, everyone is happy and glorifies the extraordinary, technically strong, morally impudent, cynical, impudent ballerina, who lives simultaneously with the two Grand Dukes and not only does not hide this, but, on the contrary, weaves this art into her stinking cynical wreath of human carrion and debauchery ".


Left - Matilda Kshesinskaya with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and son Vladimir, 1906. Right - Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son, 1916

Left - M. Thomson. Portrait of Matilda Kshesinskaya, 1991. On the right - Matilda Kshesinskaya, photo in color

After the revolution and the death of Sergei Mikhailovich, Kshesinskaya and her son fled to Constantinople, and from there to France. In 1921, she married Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, receiving the title of Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya. In 1929, she opened her own ballet studio in Paris, which was a success thanks to her big name.


Matilda Kshesinskaya at her ballet school

Matilda Kshesinskaya, 1954

She died at the age of 99, outliving all her eminent patrons. The debate about her role in the history of ballet continues to this day. And out of her entire long life, only one episode is usually mentioned: what connected the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II

Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya (Maria-Matilda Adamovna-Feliksovna-Valerievna Kshesinskaya, Polish Matylda Maria Krzesińska). Born August 19, 1872 in Ligovo (near St. Petersburg) - died December 6, 1971 in Paris. Russian ballerina, prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre, Honored Artist of His Majesty the Imperial Theatres, teacher. Mistress of Nicholas II.

Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 19, 1872 in Ligovo (near St. Petersburg) in a family of ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theater.

She is the daughter of the Russian Pole Felix Kshesinsky (1823-1905) and Yulia Dominskaya (widow ballet dancer Lede, from her first marriage she had five children).

Her sister is the ballerina Yulia Kshesinskaya ("Kshesinskaya 1st", married Zeddeler, husband - Zeddeler, Alexander Logginovich).

Brother - Joseph Kshesinsky (1868-1942), dancer, choreographer, died during the blockade of Leningrad.

According to family legend, Matilda's great-grandfather lost his fortune, count title and noble family Krasinsky: having fled to France from the assassins hired by the villainous uncle, who dreamed of taking possession of the title and wealth, having lost the papers certifying his name, former earl went to acting - and later became one of the stars of the Polish opera.

In the family, Matilda was called Malechka.

At the age of 8, she entered the ballet school as a visiting student.

In 1890 she graduated from the Imperial Theater School, where her teachers were Lev Ivanov, Christian Ioganson and Ekaterina Vazem. After leaving school, she was admitted to ballet troupe Mariinsky Theater, where at first she danced as Kshesinskaya 2nd - Kshesinskaya 1st was officially called her older sister Yulia.

She danced on the imperial stage from 1890 to 1917.

Early in her career she was strongly influenced by the art of Virginia Zucchi. “I even had doubts about the correctness of my chosen career. I don’t know what it would have led to if Zucchi’s appearance on our stage had not immediately changed my mood, revealing to me the meaning and significance of our art,” she wrote in her memoirs .

She danced in ballets by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov: the Dragee fairy in The Nutcracker, Paquita in the ballet of the same name, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Nikiya in La Bayadère.

After leaving for Italy, Carlotta Brianza took over the role of Princess Aurora in the ballet Sleeping Beauty. On November 18, 1892, on the day of the 50th performance of the ballet, the ballerina wrote in her diary: "Tchaikovsky came to the theater, and he was asked to the stage (and even I led him to the stage) to bring him a wreath."

In 1896 she received the status of prima ballerina of the imperial theaters.- obviously due to his connections at court, since chief choreographer Petipa did not support her promotion to the very top of the ballet hierarchy.

In order to complement the soft plastique and expressive hands characteristic of the Russian ballet school, with a distinct and virtuoso foot technique, which the Italian school perfectly mastered, since 1898 she took private lessons from the famous teacher Enrico Cecchetti.

The first among Russian dancers performed 32 fouettes in a row on stage- a trick that until then the Russian public was surprised only by Italians, in particular, Emma Besson and Pierina Legnani. It is not surprising that, returning his popular ballets to the repertoire, Marius Petipa, when they were resumed, often modified the choreographic text of the main parts, based on the physical abilities of the ballerina and her strong technique.

Although the name of Kshesinskaya often occupied the first lines of posters, her name is not associated with productions of great ballets from the list of classical ballet heritage.

Only a few performances were staged specially for her, and all of them did not leave a special mark in the history of Russian ballet. In The Awakening of Flora, shown in 1894 in Peterhof especially on the occasion of the marriage of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, and then remaining in the theater repertoire, she was assigned the main part of the goddess Flora. For the ballerina's benefit performance at the Hermitage Theater in 1900, Marius Petipa staged Harlequinade and The Four Seasons.

In the same year, the choreographer resumed La Bayadere especially for her, which disappeared from the stage after Vazem left. Kshesinskaya was also the main performer in two failed productions - the ballet "The Mikado's Daughter" by Lev Ivanov and latest work Petipa's "Magic Mirror", where the choreographer staged a magnificent pas d'action for her and Sergei Legat, in which the prima ballerina and the premiere were surrounded by such soloists as Anna Pavlova, Yulia Sedova, Mikhail Fokin and Mikhail Obukhov.

She participated in summer performances of the Krasnoselsky Theater, where, for example, in 1900 she danced a polonaise with Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Alexander Shiryaev and other artists and Lev Ivanov's classical pas de deux with Nikolai Legat. Creative individuality Kshesinskaya was characterized by a deep dramatic study of roles (Aspicia, Esmeralda).

Being an academic ballerina, she nevertheless participated in the productions of Evnika (1907), Butterflies (1912), Eros (1915) by the innovative choreographer Mikhail Fokin.

In 1904, Kshesinskaya resigned from the theater for own will, and after the due farewell benefit performance, a contract was signed with her for one-time performances - first with a payment of 500 rubles. for each performance, since 1909 - 750.

Kshesinskaya in every possible way opposed the invitation to the troupe of foreign ballerinas, intrigued against Legnani, who, nevertheless, danced in the theater for 8 years, until 1901. Under her, the practice of inviting famous guest performers began to fade away. The ballerina was famous for her ability to build a career and defend her position.

In some way, it was she who caused Prince Volkonsky to leave the theater: refusing to restore the old ballet Katarina, the Robber's Daughter for Kshesinskaya, he was forced to resign from the post of director of the Imperial Theaters. According to the memoirs of the ballerina herself, the visible reason for the conflict was the figs of the costume for the Russian dance from the Camargo ballet.

During German war when the troops Russian Empire suffered greatly from a shortage of shells, the supreme commander Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich claimed that he was powerless to do anything with the artillery department, since Matilda Kshesinskaya influences artillery affairs and participates in the distribution of orders between various firms.

In the summer of 1917, she left Petrograd forever, initially to Kislovodsk, and in 1919 to Novorossiysk, from where she sailed abroad with her son.

On July 13, 1917, Matilda and her son left Petersburg, arriving in Kislovodsk by train on July 16. Andrei with his mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and brother Boris occupied a separate house.

At the beginning of 1918, “a wave of Bolshevism came to Kislovodsk” - “until that time, we all lived relatively peacefully and quietly, although there were searches and robberies before under all sorts of pretexts,” she writes. In Kislovodsk, Vladimir entered the local gymnasium and successfully graduated from it.

After the revolution, he lived with his mother and brother Boris in Kislovodsk (Kshesinskaya also came there with her son Vova). On August 7, 1918, the brothers were arrested and transported to Pyatigorsk, but a day later they were released under House arrest. On the 13th, Boris, Andrei and his adjutant, Colonel Kube, fled to the mountains, to Kabarda, where they hid until September 23.

Kshesinskaya eventually ended up with her son, sister's family and ballerina Zinaida Rashevskaya (the future wife of Boris Vladimirovich) and other refugees, of whom there were about a hundred, in Batalpashinskaya (from October 2 to October 19), from where the caravan moved under guard to Anapa, where the traveler decided to settle under escort grand duchess Maria Pavlovna.

In Tuapse, everyone boarded the Typhoon steamer, which took everyone to Anapa. There, Vova fell ill with a Spanish flu, but they let him out.

In May 1919, everyone returned to Kislovodsk, which they considered liberated, where they remained until the end of 1919, having departed from there after disturbing news to Novorossiysk. The refugees traveled by train of 2 cars, with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna traveling in the 1st class car with her friends and entourage, and Kshesinskaya and her son in the 3rd class car.

In Novorossiysk, they lived for 6 weeks right in the cars, and typhus raged all around. February 19 (March 3) sailed on the steamer "Semiramide" of the Italian "Triestino-Lloyd". In Constantinople they received French visas.

On March 12 (25), 1920, the family arrived in Cap d'Ail, where the 48-year-old Kshesinskaya owned a villa by that time.

In 1929 she opened her own ballet studio in Paris. Among the students of Kshesinskaya was the "baby ballerina" Tatyana Ryabushinsky. During the lessons, Kshesinskaya was tactful, she never raised her voice to her students.

The elder brother of Matilda Feliksovna, Iosif Kshesinsky, remained in Russia (danced at the Kirov Theater) and died during the siege of Leningrad in 1942.

In exile, with the participation of her husband, she wrote memoirs, originally published in 1960 in Paris on French. First Russian edition in Russian was implemented only in 1992.

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. Epitaph on the monument: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya".

Matilda Kshesinskaya. Mysteries of life

Growth of Matilda Kshesinskaya: 153 centimeters.

Personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya:

In 1892-1894 she was the mistress of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich - the future.

Everything happened with the approval of the members royal family starting from emperor Alexander III, who organized this acquaintance and ending with Empress Maria Feodorovna, who still wanted her son to become a man.

After the exam, there was dinner, mutual flirting between two young people, and years later, an entry in Kshesinskaya's memoirs: "When I said goodbye to the Heir, a feeling of attraction to each other had already crept into his soul, as well as into mine."

For Matilda, the young Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich was just Nicky.

Relations with the Tsarevich ended after the engagement of Nicholas II with Alice of Hesse in April 1894. By her own admission, Kshesinskaya, she had a hard time with this gap.

Later she was the mistress of the Grand Dukes Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich.

The Grand Duke idolized his beloved so much that he forgave her everything - even a stormy romance with another Romanov - the young Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Soon after the coup, when Sergei Mikhailovich returned from Headquarters and was relieved of his post, he proposed marriage to Kshesinskaya. But, as she writes in her memoirs, she refused because of Andrei.

On June 18, 1902, the son Vladimir was born in Strelna, who was called "Vova" in the family. By the Imperial Decree of October 15, 1911, he received the surname "Krasinsky" (according to family tradition, the Kshesinskys came from the counts Krasinsky), the patronymic "Sergeevich" and hereditary nobility.

Matilda Kshesinskaya. Ballet and power

In 1917, Kshesinskaya, having lost her dacha and famous mansion, wandered through other people's apartments. She decided to go to Andrei Vladimirovich, who was in Kislovodsk. “Of course, I expected to return from Kislovodsk to St. Petersburg in the fall, when, as I hoped, my house would be vacated,” she thought naively.

“A feeling of joy to see Andrei again and a feeling of remorse fought in my soul that I was leaving Sergei alone in the capital, where he was in constant danger. ballerina.

In 1918, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich was, among other Romanovs, executed by the Bolsheviks in Alapaevsk. The Romanovs were pushed to the bottom of an abandoned mine, dooming them to a slow, painful death. When, after the arrival of the White Guards, the bodies were raised to the surface, it turned out that Sergei Mikhailovich was clutching a medallion with a portrait of Matilda in his hand.

On January 17 (30), 1921, in Cannes, in the Archangel Michael Church, she entered into a morganatic marriage with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, who adopted her son (he became Vladimir Andreevich).

In 1925, she converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy with the name Maria.

On November 30, 1926, Kirill Vladimirovich awarded her and her offspring the title and surname of the princes Krasinsky, and on July 28, 1935, the most serene princes Romanovsky-Krasinsky.

Repertoire of Matilda Kshesinskaya:

1892 - Princess Aurora, "Sleeping Beauty" by Marius Petipa
1894 - Flora *, "The Awakening of Flora" by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
1896 - Mlada, "Mlada" to the music of Minkus
1896 - goddess Venus, "Astronomical pas" from the ballet "Bluebeard"
1896 - Lisa, " A futile precaution» Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
1897 - goddess Thetis, "Thetis and Peleus" by Marius Petipa
1897 - Queen Nizia, " King Candaulus» Marius Petipa
1897 - Gotaru-Gime *, "Daughter of the Mikado" by Lev Ivanov
1898 - Aspicia, Pharaoh's Daughter by Marius Petipa
1899 - Esmeralda Jules Perrot's "Esmeralda" new edition Marius Petipa
1900 - Kolos, queen of summer *, "The Seasons" by Marius Petipa
1900 - Columbine *, "Harlequinade" by Marius Petipa
1900 - Nikiya, La Bayadère by Marius Petipa
1901 - Rigoletta *, "Rigoletta, a Parisian milliner" by Enrico Cecchetti
1903 - Princess *, "Magic Mirror" by Marius Petipa
1907 - Evnika*, "Evnika" by Mikhail Fokin
1915 - Girl *, "Eros" by Mikhail Fokin

* - the first performer of the part.

Bibliography of Matilda Kshesinskaya:

1960 - Matilda Kshessinskaya. Dancing in Petersburg
1960 - S.A.S. la Princesse Romanovsky-Krassinsky. Souvenirs de la Kschessinska: Prima ballerina du Théâtre impérial de Saint-Petersbourg (Reliure inconnue)
1992 - Memories

Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya (August 19, 1872 – December 6, 1971), Russian ballerina.
The figure of Matilda Kshesinskaya is so tightly wrapped in a cocoon of legends, gossip and rumors that it is almost impossible to see a real, living person .. A woman full of irresistible charm. Passionate, captivating nature. The first Russian fouette performer and ballerina who could manage her repertoire herself. A brilliant, virtuoso dancer who ousted foreign guest performers from the Russian stage ...
Matilda Kshesinskaya was tiny, only 1 meter 53 centimeters tall. But, despite the growth, the name of Kshesinskaya for many decades did not leave the pages of gossip, where she was presented among the heroines of scandals and "fatal women".
Kshesinskaya was born into a hereditary artistic environment that has been associated with ballet for several generations. Matilda's father was a famous dancer, was the leading artist of the imperial theaters.

Father became the first teacher of his youngest daughter. Already from the very early age she showed an aptitude for 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 study very diligently - she had long studied 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 an 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 of the 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 Male to show off his talent. But one talent was not enough to receive such a number of parties - one important circumstance played its role: the heir to the throne was in love with Matilda.
With Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich - the future Emperor Nicholas II - Malya met 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. Their truly 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 Tsarevich's engagement to Alice of Hesse was officially announced, Nicholas never visited Matilda again. However, as you know, he allowed her to address him in letters to "you" 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, 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 did not remain alone. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, with whom I became friends from the day when the heir first brought him to me, stayed with me and supported I never had a feeling for him that could be compared with my feeling for Nicky, but with all his attitude he won my heart, and I sincerely fell in love with him, "Matilda Kshesinskaya wrote later in her memoirs. She fell in love ... but quickly and again ... Romanov.

Due to the mourning, there were practically no performances at the Mariinsky, and Kshesinskaya accepted the invitation of the entrepreneur Raul Gunzburg to go on tour to Monte Carlo. She performed with her brother Joseph, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, Alfred Bekefi and Georgy Kyaksht. The tour took place with great success. In April, Matilda and her father performed in Warsaw. Felix Kshesinsky was well remembered here, and at the performances of the family duet, the audience literally went on a rampage. She returned to St. Petersburg only in the season of 1895 and performed in R. Drigo's new ballet The Pearl, which Petipa staged especially for the accession to the throne of Nicholas II.

And it is not surprising that her career went uphill. She became the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater and in fact the entire repertoire was built for her. Yes, her contemporaries did not deny her recognition of her talent, but implicitly everyone understood that this talent made its way to the top not with the help of a terrible struggle for existence, but in a slightly different way. The world of the theater is not so simple, if for ordinary spectators it is a holiday, then for the ministers of Melpomene it is a struggle for life, intrigues, mutual claims and the ability to do everything so that you are noticed by the superiors of this world. Ballet dancers have always been loved in the upper class: the grand dukes and nobles of a lower rank did not shy away from patronizing this or that ballerina. Patronage often did not go beyond a love affair, but still some dared even to take these charms as wives. But these were a minority, while the majority was destined for the sad fate of "flashing like a bright star" on the stage and then quietly fading out of 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 virtuoso technique, but also showed an outstanding dramatic gift. Already after Kshesinskaya's debut in P. Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty, Petipa began to stage choreographic parts specifically based on her "coloratura" dance. Only a long mourning after the death of Alexander III prevented their joint work.
The ballerina was distinguished not only by her talent, but also by her great diligence. She was the first after the Italian virtuosos to perform a rare ballet number for that time - thirty-two fouettes. As one of the reviewers noted, “having performed thirty-two fouettes, without leaving the spot, literally nailed to the fulcrum, she, having answered the bows, again went to the middle of the stage and unscrewed twenty-eight fouettes.”

From this time begins the ten-year period of domination of Kshesinskaya in Russian ballet stage. It ended in 1903 when M. Petipa retired. At this time, at the request of Emperor Nikolai Kshesinskaya, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich took care of him. 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 civil wife grand duke. True, they got married many years later, in 1921, when they were in exile.

Kshesinskaya found it difficult to get used to innovations in choreographic art. For a long time she could not find a suitable choreographer for herself, and only teamwork with M. Fokin helped her overcome the crisis. Their relationship changed several times. Kshesinskaya either idolized Fokine, or fussed about removing him from the St. Petersburg stage. However, Fokin's popularity could not leave her indifferent, and, in spite of everything, they continued to work together.

In general, Kshesinskaya was always sharp and often came to right decision only after making a lot of mistakes. So, for example, her relationship with S. Diaghilev developed. He turned to her in 1911 with a request to become the main soloist in the program he had conceived. ballet performances. At first, Kshesinskaya rejected his offer, 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 maybe just learning that the largest dancers of that time, M. Fokin and V. Nizhinsky, agreed to perform in the Diaghilev troupe, she gave her consent. After that, especially for Kshesinskaya, Diaghilev bought the scenery and costumes for the ballet " Swan Lake”, made according to the sketches of A. Golovin and K. Korovin.
The performances of the Diaghilev troupe in Vienna and Monte Carla turned into a real triumph for Kshesinskaya, while the cooperation itself continued for many years.
Only after the outbreak of World War I did the ballerina stop performing abroad, and on February 2, 1917, she appeared on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater for the last time.

Kshesinskaya understood that after the February Revolution she needed to disappear from the field of view of journalists for several months. Therefore, together with her son, she went to Kislovodsk to her husband. After the Bolsheviks came to power, they left for Constantinople, and then settled for several years in Villa Alam on the Mediterranean coast of France. Soon Kshesinskaya realized that she did not have to count on returning to the stage, and that she needed to look for another way to earn money. She moved to Paris and opened a ballet studio at the Monitor Villa.
At first, she had only a few students, but after visiting the studio of Diaghilev, as well as A. Pavlova, their number rapidly increased, and soon more than a hundred students studied with Kshesinskaya. Among them were the daughters of F. Chaliapin Marina and Dasia. Later, such well-known ballerinas as R. Nureyev's partner M. Fontaine and I. Shovire studied with Kshesinskaya.

The outbreak of World War II turned her well-established life upside down. Fearing bombings, she moves to the suburbs, and when she approaches german army goes with his family to Biarritz, on the border with Spain. But soon German troops arrived there. The situation of Kshesinskaya 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 Fontaine, organized a traveling ballet troupe that performed in front of 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 has published several books. The most famous were her memoirs, which were simultaneously published in France and the United States.
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."