Australia Dancing - Vassilkovsky, Kiril (1919

Vassilkovsky, Kiril (1919 - )

Photographer unknown: Portrait of Kiril Vassilkovsky, c.1953

Kiril Vassilkovsky was born in Riga to Russian parents. He migrated to England with his parents in 1924 and was educated in England at a boarding school for 'British gentlemen'. He began his dance training in England with Marie Rambert and later studied with Igor Schwezoff. In 1939 Schwezoff arranged for him to audition for Colonel de Basil and Vassilkovsky came to Australia with de Basil's Original Ballet Russe on the company's tour of 1939-1940. In Australia he danced a wide range of the company repertoire including in the world premiere season of David Lichine's Graduation ball.

At the end of the Russian season in Australia Vassilkovsky left with the company for America and spent the next few years dancing with across North and South America. When the company disbanded in 1947 he worked in a number musicals in New York. In the following years he danced across Europe with a variety of ballet companies and also produced extracts from Leonide Massine's Symphonie fantastique for a film The gentlemen of the night. In 1954 he was personal assistant to Bronislava Nijinska who was then working in Paris with the ballet company of the Marquis de Cuevas.

At the end of 1953 Vassilkovsky met Edouard Borovansky in Paris and was invited by Borovansky to come to Australia. Vassilkovsky returned to Australia for the 1954 season of the Borovansky Ballet. He was engaged as a dancer and repetiteur/ballet master. For the Borovansky Ballet he staged Symphonie fantastique and Graduation ball and created an original work for the company, Candide. Candide was set to music by Rossini and had sets by William Constable and costumes by Jean Miotte. It premiered on 2 April 1954 with Vassilie Trunoff and Peggy Sager in the leading roles. Vassilkovsky's engagement with the Borovansky Ballet lasted until the end of the 1957-1958 season after which he worked in Sydney with Robert Pomie and his company. In Sydney he also produced a number of ballets for ABC Television including a version of Petrushka. He also directed and choreographed for the student group the Young Australia Ballet.

Vassilkovsky worked with West Australian Ballet during the 1960s and 1970s producing several original ballets for the company. While in Perth he again produced a number of ballets for ABC Television including Petrushka and Candide.In 1980 he worked with Ken McSwain and the Tasmanian Ballet staging a full program for this company. He also established a ballet school at Busselton and taught there until his retirement in 1991.

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