Mathilde Kshesinskaya was a prominent Russian ballerina and was born into a family of artists. Her grandfather was a famous violinist, singer and actor and both of her parents were ballet dancers. At the age of eight, Mathilde enrolled at the Imperial Theater School, where her brother and sister were already studying. She later became the principal assoluta ballerina of the Imperial Russian Ballet. His life and artistic career are closely linked to the Tsar's family. The day of his final exam became a turning point in his life. The exam was traditionally attended by Tsar Alexander III, Empress and successor to the Russian throne, the future Emperor Nicholas II. After the show, the Emperor said to him: “Be the fame and decoration of our ballet!” ". This event also spearheaded the relationship between the ballerina and Nicholas II. A secret diary revealed last year mentions the relationship and the fact that she was carrying the emperor's child, lost in a car accident. Their two-year relationship ended with Nicholas' engagement to his future wife, Alexandra. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe 2017 film “Matilda” tells the story of this case and sparked controversy in Russia. Indeed, the tsar and his family, massacred in 1918, are considered saints. Mathilde was ambitious and eager to maintain her close relationship with the Romanovs. She then began a long-term affair with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia, Nicholas and Andrei's first cousin once removed. As she was not in love with Sergei, but enjoyed his company and protection, Matilda maintained a relationship with Grand Duke Andrei, the third Romanov to become involved with her. In July 1900, they became lovers and traveled together that summer to Biarritz and Paris, then to several Italian cities, including Venice, Padua, Florence and Rome. The identity of her son's father remained controversial. However, she married Duke Andrei in 1921 and lived with him in France. Dancing was her greatest passion since childhood. She amazed her colleagues with her fantastic obsession with work, spending hours at the bar. She was the first Russian dancer to perform 32 foutés, a rapid whipping movement of the raised leg that usually accompanies a pirouette. On stage, she was irresistibly charming and feminine. His dance combines the technically impeccable Italian style and the lyricism of the Russian school. From her father, Kshesinskaya inherited a talent for pantomime and dramatic performance. Her repertoire included, among others, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Pakhita, Esmeralda and Princess Aspicia in The Pharaoh's Daughter. After the October Revolution, she left Russia with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Through her school in Paris, she introduced a generation of internationally renowned dancers, such as Margaret (Margo) Fonteyn and Pamela May. She died at the age of 99 in 1971 and is buried in the Parisian cemetery of Ste-Geneviève-des-Bois. Matilda F. Kshesinskaya is not only synonymous with Russian ballet at the turn of the 20th century, but was also a notable personality. in the life of high society and culture of St. Petersburg during the last decades of the Russian Empire.