Revered ballerina dies, 84
RIPAlastair Macaulay records the passing of Galina Samsova, principal of London Festival Ballet and artistic director of Scottish Ballet:
The singularly eloquent, heroic, valuable ballerina Galina Samsova, a Russian stylist in a British context, has died, aged eighty-four. Many will never have heard of her, but she left branding memories. She was the first dancer to flood my eyes with tears; she had the most breathtakingly supple back I have ever observed in live performance.
Read Alastair’s full tribute here.
As a teenager in 1969 I was press-ganged by friends into going to a ballet. Callow youth that I was, I said that I would go “just for the music”. Galina Samosa and Andre Prokovsky in Swan Lake. Within two minutes of the prologue, watching Galina dance and then magically enveloped by Von Rothbart’s wings, I was entranced. I have loved and followed ballet ever since. Seen many of the great dancers over the next fifty years but it may never have happened if not for that night. I did meet her in subsequent years, she was a lovely lady and a truly great dancer. RIP Galina.