Kouznetsova, Raisse

Shier, Spencer: Raisse Kouznetsova in costume for 'Choreartium', Act IV, Covent Garden Russian Ballet, 1939

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Raisse Kouznetsova, whose real name was Raisse Hirsch, came to Australia in 1934 with the Dandre-Levitoff Russian Ballet, the company led by Olga Spessivtseva and Anatole Vilzak. She returned on the Monte Carlo Russian Ballet tour of 1936 to 1937 and that of the Covent Garden Russian Ballet between 1938 and 1939. At the end of the Covent Garden Russian Ballet tour she elected to remain in Australia along with two of her Polish compatriots, Valery Shaievsky and Edouard Sobichevsky. Following a tour to New Zealand the three Poles, with Kouznetsova as founder, established the Polish Australian Ballet. Kouznetsova choreographed some original works for this company and was the principal of the Polish Australian Ballet School in Sydney.

Around 1952 the company was renamed the Kousnetzova Ballet for which the ballerina staged the first complete 'Coppelia' in Australia and created new works, such as 'Peter and the Wolf' and 'Les nuits des legumes' to be danced by her students.

Bibliography:

Brissenden, Alan. & Glennon, Keith, 2010, 'Australia dances : creating Australian dance, 1945-1965' / Alan Brissenden and Keith Glennon Wakefield Press, Kent Town, S. Aust.

See also: Ballets Russes Australian tours ; Dandre-Levitoff Russian Ballet tour ; Polish Australian Ballet ; Spessivtseva, Olga

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Research Materials

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Find more about Kouznetsova, Raisse in:

• Internet - Google
• Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
• Pictures - Picture Australia