| BIOGRAPHY: |
| Mia Slavenska was
born in Brod na Savi, Croatia, on February 20, 1916, the daughter of
Milan and Heddwiga (Palme) Corak. Her early teachers include Josephina
Weiss, former Ballerina of the Vienna State Opera, Margarita Froman,
ballerina of the Bolshoi and Maximilian Froman, soloist of the Bolshoi.
Mia Slavenska was a student at the Royal Academy of Music, Zagreb, Croatia
for five years, where she majored in piano. She studied ballet in both
Vienna and Paris. At age 12, in Vienna, she studied with Leopold Dubois,
ballet master and first dancer of the Vienna State Opera, and modern
dance with Gertrud Krauss, later the foremost proponent of modern dance
in Isreal. In Paris, her teachers included Mathilda Kchessinskaja, Olga
Preobrajenska, and Lubov Egorova, Prima Ballerinas of the Maryinsky
Theater. In New York, she completed her ballet training in the Cecchetti
Method under his protégé Maestro Vincenzo Celli. She came
to the United States in 1939 and was naturalized in 1947. She married
Kurt Neumann and had one daughter, Maria. |
| 1919 | First apperance on stage as “Trouble” in Madama Butterfly, National Theater of Zagreb, Croatia. |
| 1920 | Began ballet training with Josephina Weiss |
| 1921 | Training with Margarita and Maximilian Froman and made appearances at the National Theater of Zagreb, Croatia. |
| 1922 | Debut at age 6 at the Zagreb National Theatre dancing the Froman-Rebikoff La Sylphide. |
| 1922-1927 | Appearances with Zagreb National Theatre |
| 1925 | Performed at the age of 9 the leading role in Figurine, music by Shafrensek-Kavic and choreographed by Margarita Froman especially for her. |
| 1928-1933 | First recital at the Zagreb Academy of Music at age 12 dancing a program choreographed by her. Also engaged as soloist of Zagreb National Ballet. Her first role was as the Princess in the Fokine-Stravinsky Firebird. |
| 1933-1935 | Concertized throughout then-Yugoslavia. First performance in Split, Dalmatia. |
| 1934-1935 | Prima Ballerina of the National Theater of Zagreb, Croatia. Proclaimed Prima Ballerina Assoluta at age 18 in 1934. Her debut in that capacity was as “Swanilda” in the Delibes-St. Leon Coppelia and on the same bill, dancing the title role in the Fokine-Stravinsky Firebird. |
| 1936 | Acclaimed
the winner of the World’s First Dance Olympics in Berlin,
Germany. Appeared in Serge Lifar’s David Triomphant opposite Lifar as David’s wife, Melhola, in Paris, France. |
| 1937 | Made
triumphant debut at La Salle Pleyel on July 7 in Paris. Awarded Plaque d’Honneur by France as ambassadress of good will between France and Yugoslavia in Belgrad. Starred in prize-winning motion picture, La Mort du Cygne, (Ballerina, in USA). Concert tours with partner Anton Vujanic throughout Europe and North Africa. |
| 1938 | Guest star with the newly organized Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, in the Principality of Monaco. Her first appearance was as the “Gloveseller” in the Massine-Offenback Gaite Parisienne. |
1938-1941 and |
Prima Ballerina, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Toured in the USA, France, England, North America, Canada, and South America. |
| 1944-1945 | Formed Slavenska, Tihmar and Company. |
| 1946 | Married Dr. Kurt Neumann. |
| 1947 | Gave birth to her daughter, Maria. |
| 1948 | Rejoined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as guest ballerina. |
| 1947-1952 | Toured the United States, Canada and Central America with her own concert ballet company, Slavenska Ballet Variante. |
| 1951 | First appearance at Ted Shawn’s Theatre: Jacob’s Pillow. |
| 1952 | Guest
starred with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in Chicago. Formed Slavenska-Franklin Ballet with Frederic Franklin. Created and produced ballet A Streetcar Named Desire, based on the play by Tennessee Williams and choreographed by Valerie Bettis. Created the lead role of “Blanche.” |
| 1952-1954 | Toured with Slavenska-Franklin Ballet throughout the USA, Canada and Japan. |
| 1954 | Prima Ballerina with Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre). Featured in Guy Lombardo’s Arabian Nights at Jones Beach Marine Theater co-starring with Lauritz Melchoir. |
| 1954-1955 | Prima Ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera, New York City. |
| 1956-1958 | Artistic Director and guest ballerina with the Louisville Ballet. |
| 1957 | Choreographed Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Delibes’ Coppelia for Gus Lambiez’s Children’s Theater in New York City. |
| 1955-1960 | TV
debut in National Broadcasting Company Spectacular. Guest star on: Max Liebman’s Show of Shows The Steve Allen Show The Firestone Hour The Ed Sullivan Show The Bell Tele[phone Hour with Alicia Alonso, Nora Kaye and Melissa Hayden, in Anton Dolin’s Pas de Quatre. Performed with Igor Youskevitch at Wolf Trap near Washington, D.C., before an audience of 28,000. Guest starred with Ballet Theatre at Lewisohn Stadium in New York, and with the London Festival Ballet, in London. Danced many times at Jacob’s Pillow, including an engagement with the Slavenska Ballet Variante. Performed in many summer theaters in Song of Norway, Oh, Jupiter, and as ”Vera” in On Your Toes. |
| 1958-1960 | Artistic
Director, Fort Worth Ballet Arts World Premiere Ballet in the round at Casa Manana World Premiere of her own ballet, Chiaroscuro |
| 1960-1969 | Private teaching in New York City. |
| 1961 | Danced
at the Brooklyn College, New York, partnered by Igor Youskevitch. Retired from the stage on July 17 in American Dance Festival, Metropolitan Arts Center. Her Cavalier was Igor Youskevitch. |
| 1969-1983 | Faculty, Dance Department, University of California at Los Angeles. |
| 1970-1984 | Faculty, Dance Department, California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles. |
| 1971-1991 | Private teaching, Los Angeles, California. |
| Oct. 5, 2002 | Died in Los Angeles, California. |
| April 18, 2005 | Ashes interred at Mirogoj Cemetery, Zagreb, Croatia. |