Vera Volkova

Who was Vera Volkova?

Vera Volkova was an influential Russian ballet dancer and dance teacher.

Born in Tomsk, she trained in Petrograd at Akim Volynsky's School of Russian Ballet, also studying with the renowned Russian ballet mistress Agrippina Vaganova. She danced professionally with various ensembles such as the GATOB and the Flying Russian Ballet before defecting in 1929.

She spent a number of years teaching at the Sadler's Wells Ballet and Sadler's Wells Ballet School, training some of the leading English dancers of the 20th Century.

She also taught at the Ballet School of the La Scala Theatre in Milan.

She became a permanent teacher at the Royal Danish Ballet School, again training some of the school's greatest dancers.