Hélène Kirsova

Hélène Kirsova (18 June 1910 – 22 February 1962) was a Danish ballerina, choreographer, and director who started the first professional ballet company in Australia.[1] Kirsova was born in Copenhagen as Ellen Elisabeth Kiersten Wittrup. In Denmark, she received ballet training from Emilie Walborn and Jenny Møller. She continued her studies in Paris with Olga Preobrajenska, Léo Staats, and Lubov Egorova.[2] She toured with various companies in the 1920s and 1930s. Most notably, she was a founding member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.[1] Kirsova toured to Australia as a principal artist in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1936. She returned in 1938 to wed the Danish vice-consul Dr. Erik Fisher, who was living in Sydney.[1] Her company, the Kirsova Ballet, was based in Sydney and presented its first show in 1941. The Kirsova Ballet continued to present works on and off until 1944, when it folded due to war-time financial constraints and difficulty receiving backing from J. C. Williamson Theatres, which largely controlled Australian theatrical productions at the time.[1]

Helene Kirsova stars in the De Basil Ballet Russe Petrouchka, Theatre Royal, Sydney, 11 January 1937. Photo from the Sam Hood collection.
Hélène Kirsova
Hélène Kirsova in 1941
Born18 June 1910
Copenhagen
Died22 February 1962 (age 51)
London, England

Hélène Kirsova's company did not last as long as Edouard Borovansky's (which would later turn into the Australian Ballet.) As such, Kirsova is often mentioned only in passing as Borovansky's failed rival. Kirsova's school and company played an important role in exposing Australians to ballet.

She dedicated profits from performances to establish a chain of children’s playgrounds in Sydney’s inner suburbs,[3] namely

  • Kirsova Park 1 at 67 MacDonald St, Erskineville NSW 2043
  • Kirsova Park 2 at 136-140 George St, Erskineville NSW 2043
  • Kirsova Park 3 at Wigram Lane, Glebe NSW 2037

The set designer Loudon Sainthill worked with Kirsova in the early part of his career.

She died in London in 1962, aged only 51.

References
  1. Potter, M. (1995). ""A Strong Personality and a Gift for Leadership": Hélène Kirsova in Australia". Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research. 13 (2): 62–76. doi:10.2307/1290914. JSTOR 1290914.
  2. O'Neill, Sally and Mary Rutledge. "Kirsova, Hélène (1910-1962)." Australian Dictionary of Biography: Online Edition 15. Melbourne University Press, 2000.
  3. "Hélène Kirsova". April 6, 2013.
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