Hilda Butsova

Hilda Butsova (July 11, 1896 – March 21, 1976),[1] born Hilda Boot, was an English ballet dancer, a member of the companies of Russian dancers Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Mordkin.

Hilda Butsova
Born
Hilda Boot

July 11, 1896
Nottingham
DiedMarch 21, 1976
Scarsdale, New York
NationalityBritish
Other namesHilda Boot Mills (after marriage)
OccupationDancer

Early life

Hilda Boot was born in Nottingham.[2] She trained as a dancer at Stedman's Dancing Academy,[3] and then with Alexandre Volinine and Enrico Cecchetti.

Career

Boot was selected in 1912 to join Anna Pavlova's touring company, along with fellow English dancer Muriel Stuart, when both were young.[4] Boot's professional name was changed to "Butsova" at this time.[5] Boot and Stuart were soloists with the Pavlova company until 1925.[6][7][8] She danced on the London stage in productions of The Fairy Doll (1920, 1924, 1925), Visions (1924, 1925), A Polish Wedding (1924, 1925), Amarilla (1924, 1925), La fille mal gardée (1925), Coppélia (1925), and Magic Flute (1927).[9]

Butsova joined Mikhail Mordkin's company,[10] and toured with them for a few years.[11][12] In 1931, she was ballet mistress at the Little Playhouse in Cincinnati, Ohio.[13] She retired from full-time performing in 1932.[14]

In her later years she was a dance instructor in New York City,[15] and the North Carolina School of the Arts.[16] In 1940s she taught courses with the Dance Educators of America.[17][18] She and Muriel Stuart spoke at a commemorative event in New York in 1956, marking the 25th anniversary of Anna Pavlova's death.[19] She directed a ballet in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1959.[20] In 1974, she created original choreography, Dress Rehearsal, for the civic ballet of Greenville, South Carolina.[21] She gave an oral history interview about her dancing years in 1975.[22]

Personal life

Hilda Butsova married theatrical manager Harry Mills in 1925.[16] They had a son, Alan. She died in 1976, aged 79 years, after a heart attack in Scarsdale, New York.[14]

References
  1. "Hilda Butsova". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  2. "Twinkling Toes: Few dancers can aspire to such romantic success as that of Hilda Butsova, the Nottingham girl who became Pavlova's understudy". Answers. 71: 5. December 1, 1923 – via ProQuest.
  3. "Star Ballerina to Appear Here". The Pomona Progress Bulletin. 1927-01-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Kinney, Margaret West (1924). The Dance; Its Place in Art and Life. Frederick A. Stokes Company. p. 304.
  5. Clark, Margy (1972-11-05). "The World of Dance Remains Her Life". Kingsport Times-News. p. 37. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Anna Pavlowa Ends Season Here After Fine Series of Performances". Musical Courier. 83: 44. November 17, 1921.
  7. "Pavlowa Tour Starts in Quebec". Musical Courier. 83: 31. September 1, 1921.
  8. "Pavlowa Brings Distinguished Ballet Artists". Musical Courier. 83: 41. October 27, 1921.
  9. Wearing, J. P. (2014-03-27). The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 40, 316, 388, 392. ISBN 978-0-8108-9302-3.
  10. "Butsova in Mordkin Ballet to Appear at Prudden Auditorium". Lansing State Journal. 1926-11-27. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Amberg, George (2013-05-31). Ballet in America - The Emergence of an American Art. Read Books Ltd. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4733-8000-4.
  12. Jones, Isabel Morse (1927-01-10). "Russian Ballet is Gayly Accoutered". The Los Angeles Times. p. 25. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Soloist for Charity Ball". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1931-11-08. p. 72. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Hilda Butsova, 78, Ballerina in Pavlova's Company, Dead". The New York Times. 1976-03-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  15. "It May Interest You To Know". Journal of Physical Education and Recreation. 14: 388. September 1943.
  16. Jackson, Dot (1972-10-25). "She Danced with Best in World". The Charlotte Observer. p. 26. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Newest in Dances is 'Defense Swing'". The New York Times. July 29, 1941. p. 12 – via ProQuest.
  18. "Masters' Dance Course". The New York Times. July 26, 1943. p. 14 – via ProQuest.
  19. "Talks Here Mark Pavlova's Death". The New York Times. January 23, 1956. p. 22 – via ProQuest.
  20. Connolly, Maureen (1959-01-10). "Understudy of Famed Pavlova Arrives Here to Begin Rehearsal for Ballet Next Month". The Times-Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Oroginal Ballet Set for Show". The Greenville News. 1974-03-31. p. 21. Retrieved 2020-04-23 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. Kendall, Elizabeth (1975), Interview with Hilda Butsova, OCLC 82990064, retrieved 2020-04-23
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