July 26
Born Today:
Alexis Rassine
Ballet dancer Alexis Rassine (1919-1992) performed with the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet) in the 1940s and early 1950s. As a youth he studied in South Africa with Maude Lloyd (1908-2004) - AKA dance writer Alexander Bland (a shared nom de plume with her husband Nigel Gosling), who encouraged him to study in Paris. Even though he studied with famed dancer/teacher Olga Preobrajenska (1871-1962), Rassine was unable to get into the Paris Opera. He relocated to London around the outbreak of WWII and was invited to join Sadler’s Wells Ballet, where he danced from 1942-1955.
Also Born Today: Ballet dancer Børge Ralov (1908-1981) studied at the Royal Danish Ballet and joined the company from 1927-1957, often partnering Margot Lander (1910-1961) and later he choreographed dances for his wife, dancer Kirsten Ralov (1922-1999). Norwegian choreographer Kjersti Alveberg (1948-2021) studied ballet and worked in theatrical dance, later creating ballets for stage and TV productions.