Informations Biographiques

Olga Spessivtseva was born on July 18, 1895, in Rostov-on-don, Russia, into a family of opera singers. Her father's sudden death left her and her siblings orphaned, and they were placed in a St. Petersburg orphanage. It was there that Spessivtseva discovered her love for ballet, which would shape her life and career. Despite the trauma of losing her father and being separated from her family, Olga Spessivtseva excelled in her studies at the Imperial Ballet Academy, where she trained under some of the most renowned teachers of the time, including Klavdia Kulichevskava, Yevgenia Sokolova, and Agrippina Vagnova. Her hard work and talent paid off when she joined the Mariinsky Theater company after graduating from the academy in 1913. She quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to soloist in 1916, establishing herself as one of the company's most promising dancers.

                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                       1915 Photo of Olga as Esmeralda