Thursday, January 7, 2016

Throwback Thursday and Nina Novak


Throwback Thursday and Nina Novak

Nina Novak was born in Warsaw, Poland, and began her dance training at age eight at the Warsaw Opera Ballet School. She studied with many famous dancers including Bronislava Nijinska. In 1948 she came to New York and joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, rising through the ranks from soloist to Prima Ballerina. She also choreographed, and her first work, Variations Classique, stayed in the repertoire of the Ballet Russe for many years.

In 1964 she created her own company in Caracas, Venezuela called the Venezuelan Classical Ballet Company. Here she trained many young dancers including Alexis Zubiria who competed in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.

In 1987 the President of the Republic bestowed upon Nina Novak the Order of Andres Bello of the First Order. Novak also served on the 2002 and 2006 juries for the USA International Ballet Competition.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #98:  
Nina Novak was a dancer with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Whoever wants to study ballet must, first of all, have the physical and mental ability and must really love this art. You have to be disciplined. Ballet is not only a profession; it's a vocation.”
-Nina Novak

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1 comment:

  1. the showcase is a great time for our students to perform what they have worked on and gain some of the benefits of Ballroom Dancing.






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