Sofia Golovkina Bolshoi Principal Ballerina 1933 1959

Sofia Golovkina was a Bolshoi principal ballerina that has only just come onto my radar. I suspect this invisibility outside Russia has in part been due to her being a Soviet era dancer, being an exponent of the sometime acrobatic style of that period and appearing in propagandadriven ballets. On retiring from the stage, Golovkina turned to teaching, with her most famous student being Natalia Bessmertnova. She became director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet School, a position she held for 41 years. Here are br, br,