Australia Dancing - Borovansky, Xenia (1903

Borovansky, Xenia (1903 - 1985)

Borovansky, Edouard: Portrait of Xenia Borovansky, 1940s

Born in Moscow, Xenia Borovansky (nee Xenia Nicoleva Smirnova) trained privately as a dancer in her home city. The family escaped to Berlin during the October Revolution where Xenia joined the Pavlova company. She met Edouard Borovansky in the Pavlova company when he joined it in 1928. She married him in London in 1933.

Xenia came to Australia with Edouard on the Covent Garden Russian Ballet tour of 1938-1939. She was not employed as a dancer but did work with the wardrobe mistress and gave dancing lessons to local girls. Xenia and Edouard remained in Australia at the conclusion of the Russian Ballet tour and established a ballet school, Borovansky's Ballet Academy, in Melbourne in 1939. Xenia did the major part of the teaching at the school and, once the Borovansky Ballet became established, ran the school while Edouard led the company on its various tours of Australia and New Zealand. When Edouard died in 1959 the J. C. Williamson organisation reputedly offered the directorship of the Borovansky Ballet to Xenia but she declined.

Bibliography:

Frank Salter, Borovansky: the man who made Australian ballet (Sydney: Wildcat Press, 1980).

Research Materials

Manuscript | Moving picture | Oral history | Picture | All

Stringer, Walter: Paul Grinwis and Kathleen Gorham in 'Corrida', Borovansky Ballet, 1956

[Borovansky Ballet: Xenia Borovansky Collection], 1950s (Moving picture): Cast: Edouard Borovansky, Royes Fernandez, Kathleen Gorham, Peggy Sager, David Lichine, Paul Grinwis and artists of the Borovansky Ballet; 16 mm film; black and white and colour, no sound, 125 mins; This footage, thought to have been at least in part shot by Edouard Borovansky, includes excerpts from a variety of ballets from the Borovansky repertoire. Ballets represented include The Black Swan, La Boutique fantasque (which includes sequences showing Borovansky dancing the role of the Shopkeeper), Le Carnaval, Giselle, Graduation Ball, Nutcracker, Petrouchka, Pineapple Poll, The Sleeping Beauty, Los Tres Diablos, Aurora's Wedding and Swan Lake. In addition David Lichine is seen conducting a rehearsal onstage for his ballet Corrida and there is brief footage of Margot Fonteyn, who guested with the Borovansky Ballet in 1957, in excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty. The recording also contains some non-dance footage including scenes of Borovansky on fishing expeditions with his friends, travel footage from Czechoslovakia, New York and other destinations, and some footage of the Melbourne Olympic Games.; Borovansky Ballet ; Borovansky, Edouard ; Fonteyn, Margot ; Petrouchka ; Gorham, Kathleen ; Sager, Peggy ; Grinwis, Paul ; Swan Lake ; Ingram, Geoffrey ; Fernandez, Royes ; Lichine, David ; Black Swan, The ; Nutcracker ; Sleeping Beauty, The ; Carnaval, Le ; Graduation Ball ; Boutique fantasque, La ; Aurora's Wedding ; Sleeping Beauty, The ; Pineapple Poll; Location:; The Xenia Borovansky Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 1465

Photographer unknown: Edouard and Xenia Borovansky with pet dogs at their holiday cottage, Hastings, c. 1950

Photographer unknown: Edouard and Xenia Borovansky with pet dogs at their holiday cottage, Hastings, c. 1950 (Picture): Borovansky, Edouard; Location:; Geoffrey Ingram Archive of Australian Ballet; National Library of Australia; PIC P348/EB/21, Album 810/1
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Eric Clapham, 1987 (Moving picture): 16 mm film, produced by Peter Campbell; colour, sound, 62 mins; Eric Clapham discusses his career as a pianist and conductor including his recollections of Xenia and Edouard Borovansky, their studio, the beginnings of their school and their company. Clapham also talks about the National Theatre Ballet Company, including its production of Swan Lake and Corroboree, and his work with various opera companies.; Borovansky Ballet ; Borovansky, Edouard ; National Theatre Ballet ; Swan Lake ; Corroboree [Dance work made to the score of John Antill]; Location:; Australia Council Archival Film Series; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 56418

Interview with Barry Kitcher, 1994 (Oral history): Interviewee: Kitcher, Barry; Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Audiotape, 90 mins; Barry Kitcher discusses his career as a dancer with the Borovansky and the Australian Ballets. He begins with an account of the reunions of ex-Borovansky dancers that he has organised and goes on to talk about his early dancing experiences. He discusses his career with the Borovansky Ballet and gives his recollections of Xenia and Edouard Borovansky. He talks at length about touring witht he Borovansky Ballet and mentions some of the leading dancers including especially Kathleen Gorham. He speaks about Borovansky's death and the nature of the company after that event. He then discusses his career with the Australian Ballet speaking in particular about his role as the Lyrebird Robert Helpmann's ballet The Display and about the company's first artistic director, Peggy van Praagh.; Borovansky Ballet ; Australian Ballet, The ; Borovansky, Edouard ; Helpmann, Robert ; van Praagh, Peggy ; Gorham, Kathleen; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 3102
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Interview with Bruce Morrow, 2000 (Oral history): Interviewee: Morrow, Bruce; Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Audiotape; 195 mins; Bruce Morrow discusses his career with the Borovansky Ballet. Topics covered include Xenia Borovansky and her teaching methods, studio performances in the early years of the Borovansky school, Edouard Borovansky as director, touring to New Zealand with the Borovansky company, leading dancers with the Borovansky Ballet, some of his career highlights with the Borovansky Ballet and Leon Kellaway and his teaching methods. Morrow also talks about backstage life in a ballet company, working with the National Theatre Ballet Company, dancing in Rex Reid's Corroboree, starting up a ballet school, teaching at the Australian Ballet School, Russian ballet training and his involvement in the visual arts.; Borovansky Ballet ; Borovansky, Edouard ; National Theatre Ballet ; Reid, Rex ; Corroboree [Dance work made to the score of John Antill] ; Kellaway, Leon; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Oral History Project; National Library of Australia; TRC 4588
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Interview with Eric Clapham, 1992 (Oral history): Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Interviewee: Clapham, Eric; Audiotape; 350 mins; Pianist and conductor Eric Clapham talks about his childhood in New Zealand and his family background before going on to discuss his arrival in Australia and his work with the National Theatre Movement in Melbourne and with the Borovansky Ballet. He speaks about Edouard and Xenia Borovansky and discusses in particular the New Zealand tour by the Borovansky Ballet in 1947, the work of the Melbourne-based National Theatre Opera and the National Theatre Ballet's production of Corroboree. He also speaks about conducting technique for opera and ballet.; Borovansky Ballet ; Borovansky, Edouard ; National Theatre Ballet ; Corroboree [Dance work made to the score of John Antill]; Location:; Esso Performing Arts and Oral History Archive Project; National Library of Australia; TRC 2818
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Interview with Margaret Walker, 1974 (Oral history): Interviewee: Walker, Margaret; Interviewer: Hazel de Berg; Audiotape; 54 mins; Margaret Walker discusses the formation of her performing group Dance Concert. The interview is interspersed with Walker's thoughts on the concept of dance as life, on social dancing, on folk and character dancing, and on the dances of the Australian Aborigines. Also included is information about Walker's family, her interest in the Ballets Russes, the importance of the Borovansky Ballet and Edouard Borovansky and his wife Xenia in the development of dance in Australia.

A brief audio extract from this interview is contained in the National Library of Australia's exhibition Dance people dance. See 'Diversity'.; Borovansky Ballet ; Ballets Russes Australian tours ; Borovansky, Edouard ; Walker, Margaret ; Dance Concert; Location:; National Library of Australia; deB 767
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Papers of Geoffrey Ingram, 1918-1993 (Manuscript): 15 boxes, 1 folio item; This collection contains significant policy documents and correspondence relating to the establishment and early years of the Australian Ballet. Other material includes papers concerning the history of the Borovansky Ballet and the careers of Edouard Borovansky and Xenia Borovansky. Further information relating to the scope and content of the papers can be found at MS 7336 - Papers of Geoffrey Ingram; Australian Ballet, The ; Borovansky Ballet ; Borovansky, Edouard ; Ingram, Geoffrey; Location:; Geoffrey Ingram Archive of Australian Ballet; National Library of Australia; MS 7336
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Photographer unknown: Portrait of Xenia Borovansky, 1930s (Picture): Location:; Geoffrey Ingram Archive of Australian Ballet; National Library of Australia; PIC P348/EB/117, Album 810/2
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Photographer unknown: Portrait of Xenia Borovansky, Between 1940 and 1949

Photographer unknown: Portrait of Xenia Borovansky, Between 1940 and 1949 (Picture): Location:; Geoffrey Ingram archive of Australian ballet; National Library of Australia; PIC P348/BB/102 LOC Album 810/7
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Edouard Borovansky in Capriccio italien, c. 1943

Spotlight on Australian Ballet, 1948 (Moving picture): 16 mm film, directed by Doc K. Sternberg; black and white, sound, 47 mins; This film traces the early history of dance in Australia showing the importance of tours to the country by companies from overseas, and highlighting the development of local companies such as the Kirsova Ballet, Ballet Guild and the Bodenwieser Ballet. Footage includes scenes of Laurel Martyn rehearsing her work En Saga and excerpts from the repertoire of the Bodenwieser Ballet including Waterlilies, Demon Machine and Blue Danube. Most attention, however, is given to the Borovansky Ballet. The company is seen in a variety of works including Le Beau Danube, Capriccio italien, Terra Australis, Swan Lake and Les Sylphides. Backstage activities are also shown. The dancers who appear include Martin Rubinstein, Tamara Tchinarova, Kathleen Gorham, Vassilie Trunoff, Serge Bousloff, Edna Busse and Edouard Borovansky. Xenia Borovansky is seen conducting a class, Edouard Borovansky is seen directing rehearsals and Bill Constable is seen painting cloths for Terra Australis.; Finch, Tamara Tchinarova ; Rubinstein, Martin ; Trunoff, Vassilie ; Gorham, Kathleen ; En Saga ; Borovansky Ballet ; Kirsova Ballet ; Ballet Guild ; Bodenwieser Ballet ; Terra Australis ; Busse, Edna ; Borovansky, Edouard ; Demon Machine ; Constable, William (Bill) ; Bousloff, Serge ; Blue Danube, The ; Beau Danube, Le ; Sylphides, Les; Location:; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 11165

Studio Batlles (Barcelona): Tamara Tchinarova in gypsy costume, Ballets Russes, c. 1935

Studio Batlles (Barcelona): Tamara Tchinarova in gypsy costume, Ballets Russes, c. 1935 (Picture): Photograph dedicated to 'dear Xenitchka' (Xenia Borovansky) in 1939.; Finch, Tamara Tchinarova ; Ballets Russes Australian tours; Location:; Geoffrey Ingram Archive of Australian Ballet; National Library of Australia; PIC P348/BR/63, album 810/5
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Photographer unknown: Tamara Tchinarova in mazurka costume with Xenia Borovansky before a Borovansky Ballet production of 'Coppelia', ca. 1946

Photographer unknown: Tamara Tchinarova in mazurka costume with Xenia Borovansky before a Borovansky Ballet production of 'Coppelia', ca. 1946 (Picture): Borovansky Ballet ; Finch, Tamara Tchinarova ; Coppelia; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9733, Series 5, Item 167
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