Kirsova, Helene (1910–1962)

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Kirsova, Helene (1910–1962)

Danish ballet dancer. Born Ellen Wittrup Hansen, 1910, in Copenhagen, Denmark; died Feb 22, 1962, in London, England; trained with Lyubov Egorova; m. Erik Fischer (Danish vice-consul in Sydney), 1938.

As a founding member of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, created a role in Fokine's Don Juan and performed in Fokine's Diaghilev revivals of Les Sylphides, Le Carnaval, and Petrouchka, among others (1932–36); moved to Sydney, Australia (1938), where she founded the Kirsova Ballet (1940), the 1st professional ballet company in Australia; choreographed numerous works for her company until her retirement (1947), including Faust (1941), Vieux Paris (1942), Harlequin (1944), Waltzing Mathilda (1946) and A Dream and a Fairy Tale (1947).