Elvin, Violetta (1925–)

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Elvin, Violetta (1925–)

Russian-born ballerina. Name variations: Violette Elvin. Born Violetta Vasilevna Prokhorova, Nov 3, 1925, in Moscow, USSR (now Russia); m. Harold Elvin (div.); m. Siegbert J. Weinberger (div.).

Made stage debut as a child in Moscow, later becoming a soloist with the Bolshoi; evacuated to Tashkent, Central Asia, during the war, appearing there with the Tashkent State Theater (1942); moved to England (1945), making London debut at the Royal Opera House as Princesse Florisse in The Sleeping Beauty (1946); became a permanent member of Sadler's Wells, appearing there as prima ballerina in Swan Lake, Giselle, Sylvia, Cinderella, The Rake's Progress, Checkmate, Ballet Imperial, Tiresias, Le Tricorne, Symphonic Variations, Don Juan, and Veneziana; films include The Queen of Spades, Twice Upon a Time, and Melba; retired (1956).