Chiriaeff, Ludmilla (1924–1996)

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Chiriaeff, Ludmilla (1924–1996)

Latvian ballet dancer and choreographer. Born Jan 10, 1924, in Riga, Latvia; died Sept 22, 1996.

Raised in Berlin, performed as dance soloist at Berlin Opera Ballet; during WWII, was interned in concentration camp (1941); moved to Switzerland at the end of the war and danced with numerous companies, including Lausanne Municipal Theater and Les Ballets des Artes in Geneva; immigrated to Canada and founded Les Ballets Chiriaeff (1950s), later renamed Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal (1957); choreographed a large repertory for her company as well as numerous short ballets for the French-language CBC; founded École Supérieure de Danse du Québec (1966) and played a major role in developing dance education in public schools throughout Quebec. Works of choreography include Jeu de Cartes (1954), Pierre et le Loup (1954), Les Ruses d'Amour (1955), Les Noces (1956), Dances Symphonique (1956), Les Clowns (1956), Scherzo Capriccioso (1957), Etude (1959) and Jeux d'Arlequins (1963).