Natalia Danilova

Biography

Natalia Danilova was born in Moscow the 5th of December, 1905. When she turned five, her family moved to St. Petersburg. It was there, in 1917, that Natalia enrolled at the School of Choreography, becoming a pupil of Agrippina Vaganova, the "queen of variations" and an outstanding teacher of the Russian ballet school. While Natasha was studying, the elitist art of ballet had been falling out of favour. Vaganova’s first graduating class was the class of 1924, which included Natalia Danilova.

From 1924–1934, Danilova danced at the Kirov State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Leningrad (formerly, the Mariinsky). The young ballerina’s talent contributed to her rapid career progression. In 1...