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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: 1957-1960

From: Wassiliewa, Galina (estate) :Photographs relating to life and ballet career of Galina Wassiliewa in Lithuania and Wellington.

By: Andrew, Earle William, 1909-1986

Reference: PA1-o-940

Description: Ballets performed by students of the Galina Wassiliewa School of Russian Classical Ballet Those photographs not marked "Earle Andrew Wellington NZ" were probably taken by Wassili Wassiliew Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s).

Date: 1982-[1987]

From: Creative New Zealand: Collections relating to the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council and Creative NZ

Reference: PA12-5845

Description: Photographs taken of people at the Newtown Festival, Wellington, 1982. Dancers at the Hawke's Bay Summer School. Quantity: 19 colour original transparency/ies.

Date: ca 1950s-1960s

By: Robin Smith Photography Ltd

Reference: PAColl-0530

Description: Set of photographs of work and leisure in New Zealand, the majority of cattle and sheep mustering and skiing but including a woman water skiing, a woman painting a vase of flowers in oils, a Maori man carving wood, portraits of individual Maori, a procedure in the wine making process, men in the oyster fishing industry, a woman testing eggs, a man looking up at a tree with a chain saw etc. Photographer was Robin Smith. Quantity: 60 b&w original photographic print(s).

Date: 1959

Reference: Eph-D-DANCE-NZB-1959-02

Description: Shows an arrangement of text, white and yellow, on a red background. The lower part of the sheet is handwritten in felt pen, showing the location and dates of two performances. Other Titles - April Quantity: 1 colour art print(s) on poster. Physical Description: Screen print and felt pen on sheet 660 x 330 mm. Provenance: Donated by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2004; previously collected by Gloria Pickering.

Date: 1960s

From: Wassiliewa, Galina (estate) :Photographs relating to life and ballet career of Galina Wassiliewa in Lithuania and Wellington.

By: Wassiliew, Wassili, 1916-1983

Reference: PA1-o-941

Description: Photographs of the Leningrad Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet on its 1962 tour, and a Mexican dance company performing in Wellington. Photographed by Wassili Wassiliew in the 1960s. According to one of Galina Wassiliewa's ex students, Keith McEwing, Wassili Wassiliew knew the Edgleys of the Australian theatre entrepreneur partnership, Edgley and Dawe who toured these companies through Australia and New Zealand. As a result he was able to get into the theatre wings and photograph the dancers in rehersal and during performances. Some of his photographs of the Bolshoi's 1962 performances in Wellington were published in "Ballet Today" a British based magazine (May/June 1963, pp 35-36). Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s).

Date: 1956

Reference: Eph-D-DANCE-NZB-1956-01

Description: Shows a semi-abstract illustration of a couple dancing under a spotlight, the man wearing a red jacket and feathered cap. Quantity: 1 colour art print(s) on poster. Physical Description: Screen print 750 x 336 mm. Provenance: Donated by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2004.

Date: 1940-1950

From: Wassiliewa, Galina (estate) :Photographs relating to life and ballet career of Galina Wassiliewa in Lithuania and Wellington.

Reference: PAColl-6125-02

Description: Photographs of Galina and her mother with friends, and Galina working in Germany and Austria. This group of photographs has the largest number of images recording Galina's career as a professional dancer. Except for one occasion in New Zealand in 1953, there are no photographs of Galina dancing after 1949. There are photographs which may be of the trip out to New Zealand (on the other hand they may have been taken by her husband Wassili on his journey out here in 1950). Finally there are photographs of Galina and her mother in Wellington, and others of Galina posing as a dancer in her work cloths at the time she was employed as a domestic at the Central Park Hospital. Quantity: 216 b&w original photographic print(s).

Date: ca1912-1997

From: Wassiliewa, Galina (estate) :Photographs relating to life and ballet career of Galina Wassiliewa in Lithuania and Wellington.

Reference: PA1-f-216

Description: The photographs relate to the lives of Galina and Wassili Wassiliew, though most relate to Galina. There are many Ranten family photographs, most from the mid 1920s to ca 1940, but a few dating from the early 20th century and possibly the late 19th century. Throughout these Galina can be traced from a baby to a teenaged girl. Most of these are probably those photographs missing from the earlier family albums. There are a few photographs showing the students and teachers of the Lithuanian State Ballet School, 1939 and 1940, which Galina entered in about 1933 when she was eight. Other ballet photographs are of productions in Lithuania and Germany. A number show Galina when she was in Germany and Austria during the 1940s. Some of these show her with friends or collegues in European cities or outside theatres. The balance of the photographs show Galina, her mother and Wassili after their move to New Zealand. Most of these are of their domestic lives. There are few photographs of her New Zealand students or ballet productions. Lithuania, and especially the capital city, Kaunas, feature in a number of coloured postcards. Others show theatres, probably in Germany or Austria. There is also one hand drawn and coloured anti-semetic postcard with postmarks dated 1926 Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s).

Date: 1958-1960s

From: Wassiliewa, Galina (estate) :Photographs relating to life and ballet career of Galina Wassiliewa in Lithuania and Wellington.

By: Wassiliew, Wassili, 1916-1983

Reference: PAColl-6125-22

Description: Photographs of Galina and friends taken in the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park during a visit to Christchurch. The rest are of unidentified visiting ballet dancers In 1958 Galina toured her production of the ballet Coppelia produced for the Lower Hutt Festival, to Christchurch. The Christchurch photographs may have been taken at this time. Quantity: 41 b&w original photographic print(s).

Date: 1950s

From: Wassiliewa, Galina (estate) :Photographs relating to life and ballet career of Galina Wassiliewa in Lithuania and Wellington.

Reference: PA1-q-733

Description: Mainly photographs of performances by students of Galina Wassiliewa's School of Russian Ballet. Many of the students are identified. There is also a press clipping and photographs of dances performed at a French Club Soiree Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s).

Date: 2003

By: Kalnins, Anne, active 2003

Reference: MS-Papers-7961

Description: Biography by Kalnins of her mother-in-law, Irina Kalnins, a ballerina, describing her beginnings in Russia, the family's move to Riga in Latvia, and then to Austria. She describes their arrival in New Zealand in 1949 as displaced persons and subsequent settling in Christchurch where Kalnins established the Kalnins Ballet School in 1953 and in 1959 the Kalnins Ballet Theatre, a touring company was formed. Much of the biographical information comes from family letters and memorabilia, newspaper articles etc. Includes photocopies of illustrations, programmes etc. Source of title - Transcribed Quantity: 1 folder(s). 0.01 Linear Metres. Physical Description: Typescript Provenance: Donor/Lender/Vendor - Donated by Mrs A Kalnins, Hamilton, Mar 2004

Date: January 1954

From: Woods, Keith, 1928-1997 :Photographs relating to dance in New Zealand

Reference: KW-0001-G

Description: Poul Gnatt and Julie Barker on the sand dunes at Bethells Beach, taken January 1954 by Keith Woods. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Dry plate glass negative 8.2 x 10.8 cm

Date: 1938-1940, 1942 [1950s]

From: National Dance Archive of New Zealand: Photographs

By: Deighton, Leslie Howard, -1955; Houston Rogers (Firm)

Reference: PAColl-9630-2

Description: Comprises photographs collected by the National Dance Archive of New Zealand including: Group portraits of dance students, taken 1938-1940 and 1942 by Deighton of Napier Photographs of ballet dancers Philip Chatfield and Rowena Jackson, taken ca 1950s by Houston Rogers of London Quantity: 13 b&w original photographic print(s).

Date: 1955-1971

By: Hill, Morris James, 1929-2002

Reference: PA-Group-00375

Description: Wellington, openings of Parliament, politicians, Governors General, show personalities, Antarctic teams, police, army, visiting diplomats and heads of state, ship visits, memorials, RNZAF, fighter planes and fighter plane training, rugby and rugby players and selectors, film censorship, conferences, agricultural air shows, artists, royalty, manufacturing industries, models and fashion parades, New Zealand Players, etc Source of title - Title supplied by Library Arrangement: Negatives housed at 35mm-18037 to 18703, 120-0881 to 0959, 1/4-071736 to 072044, 1/2-177020 to 177461. Quantity: 1483 b&w original negative(s) 78 120 strips comprising 158 images, 666 35mm strips comprising 1,976 images, 308 1/4 plate negs, 441 1/2 plate negs. Total images 2,883. Finding Aids: Library generated negative registers provide a good access point to this collection. The negatives are listed within subject groupings.. Processing information: Originally arranged and described in 1995. Reference number changed from PAColl-4814 to PA-Group-00375 in 2009.

Date: 1961

From: New Zealand Ballet :[Posters advertising performances of the New Zealand Ballet. 1953-1969].

Reference: Eph-C-DANCE-NZB-1961-01

Description: Shows a male and female dancer in a black starry shape in a red-striped background. Nora Kovach and Istvan Rabovsky performed in New Zealand with the New Zealand Ballet Company in 1961. Quantity: 1 colour photo-mechanical print(s) on card poster.. Physical Description: Screenprint, on card 510 x 315 mm.