urn:taro:uh.sc.00023 Tatiana Semenova Papers Text converted by SPI Content Sciences Inc., June 2003. Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Semenova, Tatiana Tatiana Semenova Papers 1920-1996 During Tatiana Semenova's long career as a ballet dancer and teacher, she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and the Paris Opera Ballet, led the American Youth Ballet in Houston, served as Director of the Houston Ballet Academy, and formed the Ballet of Houston. Her collection includes scrapbooks, photograph, programs, and personal materials. 7 boxes; 2.9 linear feet uhstse01 Special Collections & Archives, University of Houston Libraries Biographical Note

Tatiana Semenova was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on July 17, 1920. She moved with her family to Paris when she was five. At the age of seven she began studying at the dancing school of Matilda Kchessinska, a legendary Russian ballerina and wife of Grand Duke Andrei of Russia.

Madame Semenova made her stage debut when she was eleven with a Russian opera company formed in London by Sir Thomas Beecham. The following year she began her formal dance career as a member of the Col. Vassili de Basil's famed Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, touring the United States and South America. In 1937 Semenova joined the Paris Opera Ballet as premiere danseuse starring in stage entertainments with Lucien Boyer, Sascha Guitry, Maurice Chevalier and Charles Trenet.

During World War II, in coordination with the United Service Organizations (USO), Semonova formed a group called the Foxhole Ballet to tour Europe and Africa. While performing in Rome on a bomb damaged stage her leg went through a weak board; she severed the cartilage in her left knee and suffered a compound fracture in her right arm. The accident ended her dancing career.

In early 1946 Semenova returned to America and began her teaching career at the School of Dance Arts, Carnegie Hall, in New York City. Backed by a former USO contact, she formed American Youth Ballet in 1950 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1954, Semonova brought the American Youth Ballet to Houston. The following year, the newly formed Houston Foundation for Ballet invited her to form the Houston Ballet Academy - the precursor to the Houston Ballet. She remained director of the Academy for eleven years. Academy dancers also appeared in selected Houston Grand Opera performances.

In 1966, the Houston Ballet Academy Board of Directors pressed for a professional performing company under a new artistic director. Semonova declined an offer to continue as teacher and advisor. She resigned to form her own company, Ballet of Houston, which debuted in 1968. The company thrived through the middle 1980s. Despite increasing physical problems Semenova continued to teach privately in Houston until her death at the age of 76 on September 24, 1996. She is buried next to her mother, Olga Semenova, in the cemetery of St. Michael Island in Venice, Italy.

 Scope and Contents

The Tatiana Semenova papers consist of seven boxes of personal material dating from 1933 to 1997. It documents Madame Semenova's early dancing career with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and her later teaching career in Baton Rouge and Houston. There are five series in this collection: Scrapbooks, Photographs, Personal, Programs, and Realia. The collection was received in no particular order. The processor has imposed the arrangement.

 Index Terms

Terms are either Library of Congress Subject Headings or taken from local sources.

Subjects (Persons) Semenova, Tatiana Subjects (Organizations) Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo American Youth Ballet Houston Ballet Academy Houston Foundation for Ballet Restrictions:

Photocopy decisions will be made by Special Collections & Archives staff on a case-by-case basis. Patrons are responsible for obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders.

 Preferred Citation

Tatiana Semenova Papers, Courtesy of Special Collections & Archives, University of Houston Libraries.

 Acquisition

Items in this collection were donated by Bette Fitzpatrick in the spring of 200l.

 Processed by:

Edward F. Lukasek, 2001

 Detailed Description 1-3 Scrapbooks

This series consists of five personal scrapbooks of Tatiana Semenova. They contain programs, clippings, and photographs dating from 1933 through 1964. Many items are duplicated amongst the different scrapbooks.

 1 Scrapbook (Ballet Russe and WWII), 1933-1945 2 Scrapbook (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), 1953-1955 2 Spiral Binder (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), 1953-1955 2 Scrapbook (Houston, Texas), 1955-1964 3 Scrapbook (Houston, Texas), 1955-1964 4 1-30 Photographs

This series consists of two boxes of photographs dating from the 1930s to the 1980s. The series has been broken into four sub-series: Publicity, Personal, American Youth Ballet, and Houston Foundation for Ballet. The ten folders of publicity photographs are of Tatiana, both alone and with others, and date from her early dancing career in the 1930s. The seven folders of Personal photographs date from the 1930s to 1950s. The seven folders containing American Youth Ballet photographs show her work with that group during the 1950s. The three folders of Houston Foundation for Ballet photographs are from the 1960s. Each sub-series is arranged chronologically.

 4 1-10 Publicity Shots 4 1 Photographs, 1930s 4 2 Larger format photograph, 1930s 4 3 Photograph, 1930s 4 4 Photographs, 1930s 4 5 Photograph, 1930s 4 6 Photographs, 1930s 4 7 Photographs, 1930s 4 8 Photograph, 1940s 4 9 Photographs, 1950s 4 10 Photographs, 1950s 4 11-19 Miscellaneous 4 11 Photograph, 1930s 4 12 Photograph, 1930s 4 13 Print of a Russian man, 1938 4 14 Photographs, 1940s 4 15 Inscribed photograph of John Frederick, 1945 4 16 Photograph, 1950s 4 17 Inscribed photograph of Jean Delasser, 1950s 4 18 Photograph with her mother Olga, 1950s 4 19 Photographs of a sculpted bust of Semenova, 1950s 4 20-27 American Youth Ballet 4 20 Photographs: Faust, 1950s 4 21 Photographs of workshop, 1950s 4 22 Photographs, 1950s 4 23 Photograph, 1950s 4 24 Photograph, 1950s 4 25 Photographs, 1950s 4 26 Group photograph, 1950s 4 27 Photographs: Circus, March 20, 1955 4 28-30 Houston Foundation for Ballet 4 28 Photograph of Music Hall: Enigma, 1959 4 29 Photographs, 1960s 4 30 Photographs: Suite in White, 1960s 5 1-17 Personal Records

This series consists of one box of personal records including naturalization papers, passports, driver's licenses, and death certificates. Unless otherwise specified, documents relate to Tatiana Seminova. Materials in this series date chronologically from 1944 to 1997.

 5 1 Certificate of Naturalization, May 25, 1944 5 2 Certificate of Literacy, State of New York, Sept. 30, 1948 5 3 Divorce Papers, May, June 1954 5 4 Olga Semenova Papers, 1954-1974 5 5 Cremation Request, July 17, 1975 5 6 Driver's Licenses and Passports, 1975-1985 5 7 Social Security Benefits and Personal List, Apr 5, 1987 5 8 Durable Power of Attorney, Aug 22, 1996 5 9 Obituary Houston Chronicle, Sept 25, 1996 5 10 Death Certificate, Sept 27, 1996 5 11 Funeral Papers, 1996 5 12 Postcards of Tatiana's and Olga's Grave, 1996 5 13 Cremation Papers, Mar 3, 1997 5 14 "Last Apartment" Letter, Nov 25 1997 5 15 Address List for Memorial Cards, 1997 5 16 Memorial Cards, 1997 5 17 Inscribed Memories Book, 1997 6 1-22 Programs / Leaflets

This series consists of one box of ballet programs and leaflets dating chronologically from the 1950s to 1987. They follow Madame Semenova's career in New York, Baton Rouge, and Houston.

 6 1 School of Dance Arts in New York, [1949] 6 2 The Register of Baton Rouge, Feb. 18, 1950 6 3 Programs: American Youth Ballet, 1953-54-55 6 4 Houston Foundation for Ballet Charter, 1955 6 5 Houston Foundation for Ballet Flyers, [1956] 6 6 Program: Enigma, Feb. 23, 1959 6 7 Esther Wolf presents Forty Six Paintings, 1960's 6 8 Houston Foundation for Ballet sixth summer, June 5, 1961 6 9 Pan-American Round Tables of Texas, Apr. 1-5, 1963 6 10 Program: Ballet Evening, Feb. 23, 1960 6 11 Program: Die Fledermaus, Mar. 5 & 7, 1960 6 12 Program: Sound and Motion, May 15-16, 1964 6 13 St. Anthony's Feast Day Annual Party Program, June 13, 1967 6 14 Dance Magazine, Feb. 1964 6 15 Saturday Review, Mar. 28, 1964 6 16 Dance Magazine, May 1964 6 17 Houston Post Sunday Magazine, October 11, 1964 6 18 Houston Chronicle Texas Magazine, June 13, 1965 6 19 Letter from Renzo Sommaruga, 1983 6 20 Houston Ballet Press Kit for Tribute, Nov. 1983 6 21 News Clippings of Ballet Russe Tribute, Oct.-Nov. 1983 6 22 Houston Ballet, The Nutcracker, Dec. 16-30, 1983 6 22 Houston Downtown Magazine, Apri1 4, 1987 7 Realia

This series contains one Russian lacquer wood box, round with a three inch diameter, painted in gold and black.

 7 Russian lacquer box, undated