Ballerina. One of her country's premier performers, she is remembered as a principal artist of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet for over 20 years. Born in what was then the Russian Empire, she was drawn to dance from an early age and became the first "star" trained by Agrippina Vaganova, graduating from her Petrograd school in 1925 and bowing with the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) based Kirov Ballet that same year. Initially assigned secondary roles such as Princess Florine in Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" and the Queen of the Dryads in Marius Petipa's "Don Quixote", she soon took on larger parts and in 1930, under orders from Stalin, was moved to the Bolshoi where she made her debut as Nikia in Petipa's "La Bayadere". Soon after her arrival, Marina met and married Soviet diplomat Lev Karakhan who was to be murdered in 1937 during one of Stalin's purges. (She is thought to have married at least once more). At the Bolshoi, she danced most of her art's leading roles including the title characters of two of Petipa's works, "Raymonda" and "La Esmeralda", Kitri from "Don Quixote", Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty", Masha in Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker", Odette-Odile from the same composer's "Swan Lake", and the title lead of Adolphe Adam's "Giselle". Unusually for a performer during the Stalin years, she was allowed to travel, appearing at the Paris Opera as Giselle in 1935. Leaving the stage in 1952, she was a highly respected Moscow teacher and coach until retiring at age 96. Marina was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941 and named People's Artist of the USSR in 1975. She reportedly remained alert and active until her death from the effects of advanced age.
Ballerina. One of her country's premier performers, she is remembered as a principal artist of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet for over 20 years. Born in what was then the Russian Empire, she was drawn to dance from an early age and became the first "star" trained by Agrippina Vaganova, graduating from her Petrograd school in 1925 and bowing with the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) based Kirov Ballet that same year. Initially assigned secondary roles such as Princess Florine in Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" and the Queen of the Dryads in Marius Petipa's "Don Quixote", she soon took on larger parts and in 1930, under orders from Stalin, was moved to the Bolshoi where she made her debut as Nikia in Petipa's "La Bayadere". Soon after her arrival, Marina met and married Soviet diplomat Lev Karakhan who was to be murdered in 1937 during one of Stalin's purges. (She is thought to have married at least once more). At the Bolshoi, she danced most of her art's leading roles including the title characters of two of Petipa's works, "Raymonda" and "La Esmeralda", Kitri from "Don Quixote", Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty", Masha in Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker", Odette-Odile from the same composer's "Swan Lake", and the title lead of Adolphe Adam's "Giselle". Unusually for a performer during the Stalin years, she was allowed to travel, appearing at the Paris Opera as Giselle in 1935. Leaving the stage in 1952, she was a highly respected Moscow teacher and coach until retiring at age 96. Marina was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941 and named People's Artist of the USSR in 1975. She reportedly remained alert and active until her death from the effects of advanced age.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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