The life story of Ukrainian ballerina and American teacher Tumkovska is very interesting and dramatic! She was born on September 21, 1905 in her father's family estate, Stara Basan, Bobrovytsky District, Chernihiv Province. She studied at the famous Kyiv Fundukleivsk Girls' Gymnasium. As a noblewoman by birth, Antonina was not wanted to be admitted to the ballet school, and only exceptional physical data helped her overcome this barrier. She started ballet late, at the age of 12, because no one in her family danced and her parents never thought she would become an artist. But her friend was studying and once she went too, she liked it, according to Tumkovskaya herself. She graduated from the Kyiv Choreographic Studio of I. Chistyakov on St. Reitarska. The school also took in the younger sister, and in 1923, when Tumkovsky was 18 years old, they made their debut together at the Kyiv State Opera and Ballet Theater. Later she became a soloist. She danced in the ballets "Bayadere" by L. Minkus, "Coppelia" by L. Delibes, "Ferenji" by B. Yanovsky, "Red Poppy" by R. Glier, "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" by P. Tchaikovsky, "Hump Horse" by Ts. Pune, "Bakhchisarai Fountain", "Prisoner of the Caucasus" by B. Asafyev, "Laurencia" by O. Crane, in the operas "Zaporozhets za Danube" by S. Gulak-Artemovsky, "Carmen" by J. Bizet, "La Traviata" by J. Verdi , "Eugene Onegin", "Mazepa" by P. Tchaikovsky and others. Under the supervision of the artistic director of the Kyiv Ballet, Galina Berezova, a student of Vaganova, A. Tumkovska also developed as a teacher: in the late 1930s, she taught at the Kyiv Choreographic Studio attached to the theater, later at the Theater Technical School. She also danced in the Veliky and Kirovsky theaters. During the occupation of Kyiv, she danced on the stage of the so-called Grand Kyiv Opera. In 1943, together with other artists, she was deported to Germany. Her younger sister Valentina Tumkovska, who also graduated from the studio, worked in the Kyiv ballet, left with her. Both danced in performances and concert programs of the Vineta propaganda organization on the territory of the Reich and occupied European countries. According to the testimony of A. Tumkovska, up to 2,000 "foreign artists" - artists, singers, musicians, acrobats - were assigned to provide cultural services to the Wehrmacht military and Russians in Germany, the number of whom only as guest workers numbered about 2 million. The Tumkovsky sisters performed as part of an extremely popular pop group "Strokata kachka" ("Spotted duck"), which gave life to dozens of "ducklings". Antonina Tumkovska worked in the staff of the "European Artistic Service" as a director, tutor and choreographer. And her sister danced in the "Yellow Duck" art brigade. On May 10, 1944, most of the artists of this group, who were going to the units and units of the Russian Liberation Army with concerts for Russian soldiers and officers, died as a result of an Allied air raid on the Crai station near Paris. The founder of the Russian Liberation Army, General A. A. Vlasov, highly appreciated the activities of the "Mottled Duck". One of his closest associates was Major General Vasyl Fedorovych Malyshkin (1896-1946), whose wife Antonina Tumkovska became in 1944. Only one year of marital happiness fell to their lot. Complex, but characteristic of the 30s and 40s of the 20th century. the biography of the Soviet general who defended Kyiv, ended up in the "cauldron", was captured, calling himself a private; in October 1941, he was betrayed by "his own" in the concentration camp. He was deported to Germany, began to cooperate with the Germans, met Lieutenant General A. A. Vlasov and became one of the main participants in his movement. In 1944, he received the task of contacting the Americans in order to obtain political asylum for the ranks of the Russian Liberation Army. But he was interned by the Americans: on March 25, 1946, he was handed over to the Soviet occupation zone in handcuffs. In Moscow, on April 18, he received an accusation, with which he fully agreed. On the night of August 1, he was hanged in the yard of the Butyr prison, according to the sentence of the USSR Central Intelligence Agency. Antonina Tumkovska spent several years in DP camps, waiting for permission to leave for the USA. After the war, the Russians wanted her to return home. "We taught you how to teach, so you should come back," she recalled the Soviet government's proposals. But Tumkovska did not allow herself to be deceived by promises, guessing that as the wife of a high-ranking traitor and as an artist who worked for the enemy, she was waiting in her homeland. In 1949, she received a visa to enter the USA. Tumkovsk, her youngest sister and niece sailed to New York. They had relatives in New York; one of them worked at the UN. She didn't speak a word of English and didn't know about the American Ballet School, but her cousin's wife, who spoke English and had heard of Balanchine and his school, arranged for Tumkovsky to meet with its director, Madame Yevgenia Urusova, and she, in turn, brought her with Balanchine. In the same year, A. Tumkovska became a teacher at his school (SAB) and worked there for 54 years, educating three generations of American ballet artists. Antonina Dmitrivna retired in 2003, when she was 94 years old. Antonina Tumkovska died at the age of 102
I have just read about "Tumey" in two different Memoirs, and was delighted to find this video (I am not a dancer, but a former accompanist). OMG--my own legs "burned" watching those endless ronde de jambes en l'air!! One writer described Tumkovsky's classes as "boot camps," and said that her students needed the strength of Navy Seals! I really enjoyed the video (but the piano needs tuning!).
Yes, this video-documentary is a great legacy ! Tumkovsky represents the imperial russian ballet from pre-Vaganova, when they had MANY repetitions of each movement; today it drastically changed in almost the whole world to very few repetitions (Russia is somewhat in the middle).
I am glad there is a documentary about this legendary woman! Thank you!
Completely agree ! And I hope there are many more footages and treasures left to be found of ballet history yet
The life story of Ukrainian ballerina and American teacher Tumkovska is very interesting and dramatic! She was born on September 21, 1905 in her father's family estate, Stara Basan, Bobrovytsky District, Chernihiv Province. She studied at the famous Kyiv Fundukleivsk Girls' Gymnasium. As a noblewoman by birth, Antonina was not wanted to be admitted to the ballet school, and only exceptional physical data helped her overcome this barrier. She started ballet late, at the age of 12, because no one in her family danced and her parents never thought she would become an artist. But her friend was studying and once she went too, she liked it, according to Tumkovskaya herself. She graduated from the Kyiv Choreographic Studio of I. Chistyakov on St. Reitarska. The school also took in the younger sister, and in 1923, when Tumkovsky was 18 years old, they made their debut together at the Kyiv State Opera and Ballet Theater. Later she became a soloist.
She danced in the ballets "Bayadere" by L. Minkus, "Coppelia" by L. Delibes, "Ferenji" by B. Yanovsky, "Red Poppy" by R. Glier, "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" by P. Tchaikovsky, "Hump Horse" by Ts. Pune, "Bakhchisarai Fountain", "Prisoner of the Caucasus" by B. Asafyev, "Laurencia" by O. Crane, in the operas "Zaporozhets za Danube" by S. Gulak-Artemovsky, "Carmen" by J. Bizet, "La Traviata" by J. Verdi , "Eugene Onegin", "Mazepa" by P. Tchaikovsky and others. Under the supervision of the artistic director of the Kyiv Ballet, Galina Berezova, a student of Vaganova, A. Tumkovska also developed as a teacher: in the late 1930s, she taught at the Kyiv Choreographic Studio attached to the theater, later at the Theater Technical School. She also danced in the Veliky and Kirovsky theaters.
During the occupation of Kyiv, she danced on the stage of the so-called Grand Kyiv Opera. In 1943, together with other artists, she was deported to Germany. Her younger sister Valentina Tumkovska, who also graduated from the studio, worked in the Kyiv ballet, left with her. Both danced in performances and concert programs of the Vineta propaganda organization on the territory of the Reich and occupied European countries. According to the testimony of A. Tumkovska, up to 2,000 "foreign artists" - artists, singers, musicians, acrobats - were assigned to provide cultural services to the Wehrmacht military and Russians in Germany, the number of whom only as guest workers numbered about 2 million. The Tumkovsky sisters performed as part of an extremely popular pop group "Strokata kachka" ("Spotted duck"), which gave life to dozens of "ducklings". Antonina Tumkovska worked in the staff of the "European Artistic Service" as a director, tutor and choreographer. And her sister danced in the "Yellow Duck" art brigade. On May 10, 1944, most of the artists of this group, who were going to the units and units of the Russian Liberation Army with concerts for Russian soldiers and officers, died as a result of an Allied air raid on the Crai station near Paris.
The founder of the Russian Liberation Army, General A. A. Vlasov, highly appreciated the activities of the "Mottled Duck". One of his closest associates was Major General Vasyl Fedorovych Malyshkin (1896-1946), whose wife Antonina Tumkovska became in 1944. Only one year of marital happiness fell to their lot. Complex, but characteristic of the 30s and 40s of the 20th century. the biography of the Soviet general who defended Kyiv, ended up in the "cauldron", was captured, calling himself a private; in October 1941, he was betrayed by "his own" in the concentration camp. He was deported to Germany, began to cooperate with the Germans, met Lieutenant General A. A. Vlasov and became one of the main participants in his movement. In 1944, he received the task of contacting the Americans in order to obtain political asylum for the ranks of the Russian Liberation Army. But he was interned by the Americans: on March 25, 1946, he was handed over to the Soviet occupation zone in handcuffs. In Moscow, on April 18, he received an accusation, with which he fully agreed. On the night of August 1, he was hanged in the yard of the Butyr prison, according to the sentence of the USSR Central Intelligence Agency.
Antonina Tumkovska spent several years in DP camps, waiting for permission to leave for the USA. After the war, the Russians wanted her to return home. "We taught you how to teach, so you should come back," she recalled the Soviet government's proposals. But Tumkovska did not allow herself to be deceived by promises, guessing that as the wife of a high-ranking traitor and as an artist who worked for the enemy, she was waiting in her homeland.
In 1949, she received a visa to enter the USA. Tumkovsk, her youngest sister and niece sailed to New York. They had relatives in New York; one of them worked at the UN. She didn't speak a word of English and didn't know about the American Ballet School, but her cousin's wife, who spoke English and had heard of Balanchine and his school, arranged for Tumkovsky to meet with its director, Madame Yevgenia Urusova, and she, in turn, brought her with Balanchine. In the same year, A. Tumkovska became a teacher at his school (SAB) and worked there for 54 years, educating three generations of American ballet artists. Antonina Dmitrivna retired in 2003, when she was 94 years old. Antonina Tumkovska died at the age of 102
Wow, I'm terribly glad that you shared all this information with us ! Thank you so much, it's definitely a great help in preserving our ballet history
I have just read about "Tumey" in two different Memoirs, and was delighted to find this video (I am not a dancer, but a former accompanist). OMG--my own legs "burned" watching those endless ronde de jambes en l'air!! One writer described Tumkovsky's classes as "boot camps," and said that her students needed the strength of Navy Seals! I really enjoyed the video (but the piano needs tuning!).
Yes, this video-documentary is a great legacy ! Tumkovsky represents the imperial russian ballet from pre-Vaganova, when they had MANY repetitions of each movement; today it drastically changed in almost the whole world to very few repetitions (Russia is somewhat in the middle).