Moscelyne Larkin

Edna Moscelyne Larkin Jasinski was one of the “Five Moons”, Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma who gained international fame in the 20th century, along with Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower and sisters Maria Tallchief and Marjorie Tallchief. After dancing with the Original Ballet Russe and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, she and her husband moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1956 they founded the Tulsa Ballet and its school. The Tulsa Ballet became a major regional company in the American Southwest and made its New York City debut in 1983.

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Rosella Hightower

Rosella Hightower was an American ballerina who achieved fame in the United States and Europe. Along with Yvonne Chouteau, Moscelyne Larkin, and sisters Maria Tallchief and Marjorie Tallchief, she was one of the “Five Moons”, Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma who gained international fame in the 20th century.

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Joan Benesh

Born: 24 March 1920, United Kingdom Died: 27 September 2014 Country most active: United Kingdom Also known as: Joan Rothwell Joan Benesh was a British ballet dancer who, with her […]

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Ludmilla Chiriaeff

Ludmilla Chiriaeff CC GOQ was a Latvian-Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director, who created more than 300 ballets for television and stage. She founded Les Ballets Chiriaeff and its affiliated school in 1952; the company was renamed Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1957. At the request of the Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Québec, she established the first fully professional ballet school in the province, the Académie des Grands Ballets Canadiens, which in 1976 became the École Supérieure de Danse des Grands Ballets Canadiens. She also introduced intensive ballet programs into all levels of Montréal’s educational system, and is known as “la mère de la danse au Québec” (“the mother of dance in Quebec”).

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