Shelest, Alla (1919–1998)

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Shelest, Alla (1919–1998)

Soviet ballerina. Born Feb 26, 1919, in Smolensk, Russia; died Dec 7, 1998, in St. Petersburg, Russia; studied at the Leningrad Ballet (1927–37); m. Yuri Grigorovich.

Performed with Kirov Ballet for 26 years, dancing solo roles at the outset; 1st prominent role was that of the Girl-Swan in Agrippina Vaganova's Swan Lake (1938–39); appeared as Zarema in The Fountain of Bakhchisary, Nikia in La Bayadére, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Myrtha in Giselle, the Lilac Fairy and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Yekaterina in The Stone Flower, Bird-Girl in Shurale, and the Tsar-Maiden in The Humpbacked Horse; during 1960s, appearances became less frequent; became ballet master of Kirov Ballet.