Valentin Zeglovsky

Who was Valentin Zeglovsky?

Valentin Zeglovsky was a ballet dancer with the Ballets Russes. Zeglovsky was a Ukrainian Russian dancer who toured Australia with the De Basil Company. In January 1942 he joined the Kirsova company during its Melbourne season which began at His Majesty's Theatre. He subsequently started a ballet school in Australia and then London. He was one of the de Basil dancers who is considered to have contributed to Australian ballet. His book Ballet Crusade is an account of the key events in Zeglovsky's life: his childhood in Kharkov in the Ukraine, where he was born in 1908, the Russian Revolution, his apprenticeship in Riga with the State Opera House and Ballet School, his tours with the De Basil Company, and his decision to live and work in Melbourne. First published in December 1943, it was reprinted in slightly different form by Reed & Harris in September 1944 and again in November 1944. John Reed's correspondence indicates that Reed & Harris wanted to print 5,000 copies of the book; however, a Reed letter, dated 12 November 1943, states that paper shortages at the Advertiser in Adelaide limited the printing of the first edition to 1,500 copies. In Zeglovsky's ballet school in London, Zbyshek Lisak trained under him.