Essen, Viola (1926–1969)

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Essen, Viola (1926–1969)

American ballet dancer. Born Violeta Vassieva Colchagova, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri; died Jan 1, 1969, in New York, NY.

Trained with Mikhail Mordkin and Mikhail Fokine in New York City, and soon began performing professionally with both of their companies; at 14, danced role of Mythe in Giselle to great acclaim for Mordkin Ballet; was featured in Fokine's productions of Les Sylphides and Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor (1940); became charter member of Ballet Theater (1940), where she was featured in numerous works until 1950s, including Bolm's Ballet Méchanique and Fokine's Carnaval; danced intermittently with Ballet International, creating roles in Simon Semenoff's Memories, Boris Romanoff's Prince Goudal's Festival, and Edward Caton's Sebastien (all 1944); appeared in dramatic roles on stage, and on Broadway in Follow the Girls (1944) and Hollywood Pinafore (1945).