Born: 1924 (Riga, Latvia)
Died: 1996 (Montreal, Quebec)
Biography:
Ludmilla Chiriaeff CC GOQ (January 10, 1924 September 22, 1996) was a Latvian-Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director.
Ludmilla Alexandrovna Otsup was born in Riga to a Russian-Jewish father, Alexandr Otsup, a writer known under the pen name Sergej Gorny, and her mother, Ekaterina Otsup (née Abramova), who was of Polish descent. Although she was born in Latvia, Ludmilla considered herself Russian by birth since her parents were in Latvia only as refugees from the conflict in Russia.
Ludmilla was raised and trained in Berlin, where she studied ballet with renowned teachers. She trained with Alexandra Nikolaeva, a former ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet, as well as with Nikolaeva’s daughter and son-in-law, Xenia Krüger and Edouard Borovansky. Later, she continued her training with Eugenie Eduardowa.
During World War II, Ludmilla’s promising career was interrupted as she was confined to a Nazi labor camp due to suspicion of having Jewish ancestry. However, she managed to escape during a bombing raid with the assistance of the Red Cross. Ludmilla then made her way to Switzerland, where she resumed her ballet training and successfully revived her professional career in Lausanne and Geneva.
While living in Switzerland, Ludmilla married the Russian artist Alexis Shiriaev. After immigrating to Canada in 1952, they settled in Montreal, Quebec. Ludmilla opened a ballet school and quickly began creating dances for Société Radio-Canada, the French-language public television service. Her television appearances gained immense popularity, leading her to establish Les Ballets Chiriaeff in 1957, a small ballet troupe that eventually evolved into Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
Under Ludmilla’s joint artistic direction with choreographer Fernand Nault, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens achieved international prominence during Canada’s Expo 67 World Festival and subsequent tours of the United States and western Europe in 196667. Ludmilla retired as co-artistic director of the company in 1974 but continued to dedicate herself to the leadership of the company’s associated schools.
Throughout her career, Ludmilla Chiriaeff created over three hundred ballets for both television and stage. In 1952, she choreographed Cendrillon (Cinderella), a three-act ballet set to music by Mozart, for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s French-language television service. This work’s success led to Ludmilla being offered a regular slot to create ballets for various programs.
Ludmilla’s choreographies for television included Jeu de Cartes (Card Game, 1954) set to music by Igor Stravinsky, Une Nuit sur le Mont Chauve (Night on Bald Mountain) to music by Modest Mussorgsky, and Carnaval des Animaux (Carnival of Animals, 1957) to music by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Ludmilla Chiriaeff’s contributions to the world of ballet and dance were immense. She played a pivotal role in the development of ballet in Canada and left a lasting impact through her innovative choreographies and dedication to nurturing young talent. Her legacy continues to inspire generations of dancers and her influence on women’s history in the arts is undeniable.
Awards:
– Companion of the Order of Canada (CC)
– Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec (GOQ)