Ida Rubinstein

Ida Rubinstein was a Russian actress, dancer and director. She came from a wealthy family, who sent her to music, dancing and acting classes with some of the most prominent teachers in the field. Her performance in a private showing of "Salome" in 1908 created a scandal in conservative Russia when, in the course of her performance of "The Dance of the Seven Vails", she removed most of the veils. The next year she joined the Ballet Russes under the direction of Sergei Diaghilev. She performed in productions of "Cleopatra" and "Scheherezade", but left the organization in 1911 to start her own ballet company. She put on a series of large-scale--and expensive--productions, such as "Le Martyre of Saint-Sebastian". World War I slowed down her career somewhat, but after the war she made appearances in Europe, including a performance of "Istar" at the Paris Opera. From 1928-29 she had her own ballet company, and produced and directed several productions in Paris, with choreography by the famous Bronislava Njinska. She was one of the very few female ballet directors of her time, and her productions were lavish and well-received. In 1935 she closed down her ballet company in Paris and only made a few more appearances on stage before she retired, her last performance occurring in 1939 in Paris. She died in 1960.