2 3 Throwback Thursday and Paul Petroff | Ballet Webb

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Throwback Thursday and Paul Petroff



Throwback Thursday and Paul Petroff

Born Paul Elif Wilhelm Pederson in Elsinore, Denmark, Paul Petroff studied dance in Copenhagen with Kate Lindhart. In 1930 he made his professional debut, and in 1931 performed with the Folies-Bergère in Paris.

From 1932 to 1934 he was premier danseur of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Original Ballet Russe. In the 1940s he danced with Ballet Theatre, Ballet America and the International Ballet. He became known for his excellent partnering and was much in demand by many ballerinas.

The strange part of Petroff’s life is described in the website Andros on Ballet http://michaelminn.net/andros/biographies/petroff_paul/index.html  as follows:

“…he was knifed in the lobby of his hotel here in New York City. Sol Hurok kept the incident out of the press and the assailant was never found. According to Frederic Franklin, Petroff used the knifing attack as a bargaining chip during contract negotiations; he would not let the press know the details if he got the roles, terms and salary he wanted.

Paul Petroff died of a heart attack on April 27, 1981 in Antwerp, Belgium, where he and his wife, Nana Gollner, had a ballet school.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dancer Paul Petroff was attacked in the lobby of a hotel in NYC.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“You do not write your life with words...You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.”
― Patrick NessA Monster Calls

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1 comment:

  1. Paul Petroff was attacked because of his involvement with de Basils wife, Olga Morozova

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