Places

Date: ca1928-ca1995

By: Wassiliewa, Galina, 1925-1999

Reference: PAColl-6125

Description: This collection includes photographs of Galina Wassiliewa's family life in Lithuania, her career in dance in that country and later, her life in Wellington, New Zealand, (including work as a chambermaid in a Salvation Army home), and her activities in ballet in Wellington over the past half century. The collection includes portraits of many prominent dancers with whom she was associated, or admired, and reviews of her school and ballet productions in local and international publications. Accompanying information - Identifying notes placed in print enclosures at PAColl-6125-04 have been made by Judy Siers, a colleague of Galina Wassiliewa's and Library researcher. Arrangement: Negatives at 35mm,25972 to 35mm,27383. Transparencies at PA12-6125. Lantern slides at PA11-216. Albums at PA1-o-935 to 941; PA1-q-731 to 734; PA1-f-216 Galina Wassiliewa was an only child. She was born Galina Ranten (though the most common form of the name used by her on documents and photographs is Rantenaite) in Panevezya, Lithuania, on the 21 September 1925. Her family was well off and able to employ during the 1920s, a maid and a nanny. Her father, Vladimir Ranten (though the most common form of the name used by him was Rantenas), a lawyer, also held the post of Lithuanian State Prosecutor. As a consequence of the Russian occupation of Lithuania in June 1940, her father was dismissed from his position, and in 1941 he and his family fled to Germany. From the age of eight Galina had studied ballet at the Lithuanian State Theatre Ballet School. After graduating she attended master classes in Berlin conducted by Tatjana Gsovsky. She subsequently danced for eight years as a soloist with many of the major ballet companies in Germany, a career, possibly in part resulting from her family's move to Germany in 1941. In September 1944 Galina got a job as a soloist at the Vienna Opera House and was performing there when allied bombing forced the German authorities to close it. In 1945 Galina and her mother fled the advancing Soviet armies, ending up in Munich. There she was employed for three years as a member of a dance group engaged by the American entertainment unit. This work was much better paid than salaries offered by German ballet companies during a period of rampant inflation at the end of the war. Unfortunately, when the occupation ended she found herself unemployed in a displaced persons camp, and being a foreigner she could not get a job. For Galina and her mother return to Lithuania was impossible as Russia had occupied the country for a second time in 1944 and middle class Lithuanians whom it could be construed had collaborated with the Germans were vulnerable. Mass executions and deportations to Siberia were a feature of the new Soviet regime. With her professional experience Galina could have migrated to a number of countries, but only New Zealand would take her 54 year old mother as well. Having lost her Grandmother, her father, and her favourite cousin, during the war, Galina and her mother were all that was left of her immediate family. Determined not to be separated, they signed two-year domestic service contracts and sailed for Wellington in 1949. She met her husband, Wassili (d1983), a musician, in Wellington, very soon after and married him in 1951. They established the Galina Wassiliewa School of Russian Classical Ballet in Wellington in 1953. Sometime in the late 1950s they also became the New Zealand Branch of the British Association of Russian Classical Ballet. In 1987 Galina retired from running the ballet school which continued until about 1992 as a cooperative. Galina continued to teach, taking private pupils, until shortly before her death in November 1999. Though she talked of returning to visit Lithuania and the countries of her youth, Galina Wassiliewa never left New Zealand after settling here. Quantity: 13 album(s). 226 colour original photographic print(s). 2278 b&w original photographic print(s). 1303 b&w original negative(s) comprising 49,414 images. 108 colour original negative(s) comprising 379 images. 8 colour original transparency/ies comprising 12 images, 3 of which are glass lantern slides.

Date: 1914

From: [Programmes for ballet and dance performances in New Zealand. 1910-1919]

Reference: Eph-A-DANCE-1914-03

Description: Programme booklet for a dance recital contains photographs of King Albert in military uniform, and a group of (probably Belgian) children standing in fur coats. The programme lists tableaux and dances. Tableaux include "Belgium" (Mona Mackay), "The Allies" (with women representing England (Miss M Miller), France (Miss Woodham), Russia (Miss Lewis), Servia (Miss E Miller), Japan (Miss Hipkins), and Belgium (Miss Mona Mackay). The dance pupils are all listed with the items they performed. Other variety perfomers were Mr J W Ryan, Mr Alan McElwain, Mr F G Bourke. The programme contains advertisements for many Auckland businesses. There is also a cartoon "Bravo! Belgium" by F H Townsend showing brave Belgium protecting a field from a fierce German soldier carrying sausages and a big stick. Quantity: 1 Programme(s). Physical Description: Booklet of 16 pages, 248 x 189 mm.