Tamara Geva (née Tamara Zheverzheeva) (Russian: Тамара
Ð"ева, Жева, or Жева; March â€" December ) was a
Russian-American actress, ballet dancer, and choreographer. She was
the daughter of art patron and collector Levko Gevergeyev [ru] and she
was the first wife of the well-known ballet dancer/choreographer
George Balanchine. Throughout her life she danced with Diaghilev's
Ballet Russes, performed with husband George Balanchine, and performed
in and choreographed many notable Broadway shows. Geva also wrote an
autobiographical book entitled Split Seconds.Tamara Geva was born in
St. Petersburg, Russia, on March , with the surname Zheverzheeva,
sometimes spelled Gevergeyeva (Russian: Тамара
Жевержеева). Geva's mother was well-known actress Tamara
Urtahl and her father was passionate collector and art enthusiast
Levko Gevergeyev [ru] (or Gevergeyev).Her father was known as a
freethinker. He sponsored Russian avante-garde artists and their
projects through his enthusiasm for artistry. Geva described her
mother, Tamara Urthal, as a beautiful but selfish woman. Her parents
were unable to marry until their daughter was six years old. As a
child, she lived in a huge th-century house (Ivan Zheverzheev′s
house at Rubinstein Street, ) which had an extensive art, book and
theater collection as well as a miniature theater all organized by her
father and his years of collecting such artifacts. Her father had
agents all over who found art, writings, and artifacts from a variety
of well-known artists to add to his massive collection. Geva has said
that this collection was her father's most prized possession. After
the Russian Revolution ended and Levko had passed away, his extensive
theatre memorabelia collection was preserved and put into an exhibit
at Saint Petersburg State Museum of Theater and Music [ru]. Geva grew
up in the midst of the Bolshevik Revolution where she experienced true
hardships in her youth.Tamara began her ballet training by taking
private lessons in dance studios with notable teachers such as Evgenia
Sokolova and Alexander [ru] & Ivan Chekrygin [ru]. At age she began
to attend dance classes at the St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre
School, when it began to accept older students for evening classes
shortly after the revolution. These evening classes were segregated
by gender, so the only time the boys and girls interacted was during
ballroom dance classes. It was here that she met dancer and
choreographer George Balanchine, who at the time was the teacher for
the ballroom dance classes. Her and Balanchine became close shortly
after this and he began choreographing pieces for them both. One of
the first things they did was La Nuit to Anton Rubenstein's Romance in
E-flat. Geva remembers audiences thinking it was "terribly erotic."
During the Revolution Balanchine moved in with Geva's family. To make
ends meet the two would perform in small theaters dances choreographed
by Balanchine as well as music sung by Geva accompanied by Balanchine.
She married Balanchine in , when she was years old. Soon after, she
shortened her surname and the couple left Russia in .
Ð"ева, Жева, or Жева; March â€" December ) was a
Russian-American actress, ballet dancer, and choreographer. She was
the daughter of art patron and collector Levko Gevergeyev [ru] and she
was the first wife of the well-known ballet dancer/choreographer
George Balanchine. Throughout her life she danced with Diaghilev's
Ballet Russes, performed with husband George Balanchine, and performed
in and choreographed many notable Broadway shows. Geva also wrote an
autobiographical book entitled Split Seconds.Tamara Geva was born in
St. Petersburg, Russia, on March , with the surname Zheverzheeva,
sometimes spelled Gevergeyeva (Russian: Тамара
Жевержеева). Geva's mother was well-known actress Tamara
Urtahl and her father was passionate collector and art enthusiast
Levko Gevergeyev [ru] (or Gevergeyev).Her father was known as a
freethinker. He sponsored Russian avante-garde artists and their
projects through his enthusiasm for artistry. Geva described her
mother, Tamara Urthal, as a beautiful but selfish woman. Her parents
were unable to marry until their daughter was six years old. As a
child, she lived in a huge th-century house (Ivan Zheverzheev′s
house at Rubinstein Street, ) which had an extensive art, book and
theater collection as well as a miniature theater all organized by her
father and his years of collecting such artifacts. Her father had
agents all over who found art, writings, and artifacts from a variety
of well-known artists to add to his massive collection. Geva has said
that this collection was her father's most prized possession. After
the Russian Revolution ended and Levko had passed away, his extensive
theatre memorabelia collection was preserved and put into an exhibit
at Saint Petersburg State Museum of Theater and Music [ru]. Geva grew
up in the midst of the Bolshevik Revolution where she experienced true
hardships in her youth.Tamara began her ballet training by taking
private lessons in dance studios with notable teachers such as Evgenia
Sokolova and Alexander [ru] & Ivan Chekrygin [ru]. At age she began
to attend dance classes at the St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre
School, when it began to accept older students for evening classes
shortly after the revolution. These evening classes were segregated
by gender, so the only time the boys and girls interacted was during
ballroom dance classes. It was here that she met dancer and
choreographer George Balanchine, who at the time was the teacher for
the ballroom dance classes. Her and Balanchine became close shortly
after this and he began choreographing pieces for them both. One of
the first things they did was La Nuit to Anton Rubenstein's Romance in
E-flat. Geva remembers audiences thinking it was "terribly erotic."
During the Revolution Balanchine moved in with Geva's family. To make
ends meet the two would perform in small theaters dances choreographed
by Balanchine as well as music sung by Geva accompanied by Balanchine.
She married Balanchine in , when she was years old. Soon after, she
shortened her surname and the couple left Russia in .
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