Tamara Toumanova

TAMARA TOUMANOVA d1996. Georgian-American prima ballerina and actress. A child of exiles in Paris after the Russian Revolution of 1917, she made her debut at the age of 10 at the children's ballet of the Paris Opera. She became known internationally as one of the Baby Ballerinas of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo after being discovered by her fellow émigré, balletmaster and choreographer George Balanchine. She was featured in numerous ballets in Europe. He featured her in his productions at Ballet Theatre New York, making her the star of his performances in the United States. While most of her career was dedicated to ballet, she appeared as a ballet dancer in several films from1944. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1943 in California. She died in California aged 77 on May 29th 1996