September 24
Born Today:
Svetlana Beriosova
Ballerina Svetlana Beriosova (1932-1998) danced with the Royal Ballet for over 20 years and was instrumental in the career development of dance partner Donald MacLeary (1937-). Beriosova came from a ballet family - she was the daughter of ballet master Nicolas Beriosoff (1906-1996), who danced with Leonid Massine (1869-1979) and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in the 1930s. After her family relocated to the United States from Lithuania, she studied with married duo and revered ballet teachers Anatole Vilzak (1896-1998) and Ludmila Schollar (1888-1978) in New York. Beriosova retired in 1975 and, like MacLeary, coached younger dancers in the company.