Toumanova was the daughter of Yevgenia (or Eugenia) Dmitrievna Toumanishvili, who was half-Georgian-
Armenian on her father's side, and half-Georgian on her mother's side. Her father was Dmitri Toumanov, originally of Georgian Toumanishvili family; her mother was Yelizaveta Chkheidze. At the time of her daughter's birth, Yevgenia was married to Konstantin Zakharov (a Russian). Both Tamara and her mother used the surname
Khassidovitch (Yevgenia's second husband was Vladimir Khassidovitch (akas: Vladimir Khassidovitch-Boretsky/Vladimir Khazidovich-Boretsky) for most of their lives following the end of Yevgenia's first marriage, including on their paperwork for naturalization as citizens of the United States. At the age of six, Toumanova was invited by the ballerina
Anna Pavlova to perform in one of her gala concerts in 1925. Toumanova danced a polka choreographed by Preobrajenska. Tamara was 10 years old when she made her debut at the
Paris Opera as a child étoile in the ballet ''
L'Éventail de Jeanne'' (for which 10 French composers wrote the music). In 1931, when Toumanova was 12 years old,
George Balanchine saw her in ballet class and engaged her for
de Basil's
Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, along with
Irina Baronova (aged 12) and
Tatiana Riabouchinska (aged 14). The three girls were an immediate success, and writer
Arnold Haskell dubbed them the
"baby ballerinas". Toumanova became recognised as a young prodigy in her time. She came to be called "The Black Pearl of the Russian Ballet", because, as ballet critic
A. V. Coton wrote, "she was the loveliest creature in the history of the ballet", with 'black silky hair, deep brown eyes and pale almond skin'. Toumanova was considered the most glamorous of the trio. Throughout her career, her mother was her companion, nursemaid, dresser, agent and manager – she was always at the helm. Balanchine created the role of the "Young Girl" for Toumanova in his ballet
Cotillon and had her star in his
Concurrence and
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.
Léonide Massine worked closely with Toumanova in the creation of many of his ballets. She played the part of the Top in his ''
Jeux d'Enfants. Balanchine created a role for her in his Le Palais de Cristal
(since re-titled Symphony in C'') in 1947 at the Paris Opera. In 1936, while Toumanova was performing ballet in Chicago, an 18-year-old boy named
Burr Tillstrom came to see her perform. Following the ballet, Burr went backstage to meet her. As they talked, Toumanova and Tillstrom became friends. Some time later, Tillstrom showed her a favorite puppet he had made and she, surprised by his revelation, exclaimed "
Kukla" (Russian for "puppet"). Burr Tillstrom went on to create a very early (1947) television show for children, titled
Kukla, Fran and Ollie.
Chronology • 1925: (6 August 1925) First performs before the public in the
polka choreographed by
Olga Preobrajenska (to
Anatoly Liadov), during an
Anna Pavlova gala at the
Palais du Trocadéro, Paris (Pavlova selected Toumanova from Preobrajenska's school). • 1929: Creates first principal role on 4 March, as guest étoile with the
Paris Opera Ballet, performing the Valse (to Ibert), the Polka (to Milhaud), the Rondeau (to Auric), and the Kermesse-Valse (to Schmitt), in the Yvonne Franck/Alice Bourgat one-act ballet in 10 parts for students, L'Even-tail de Jeanne. • 1929–30: Performs with the
Paris Opera Ballet in Monte Carlo, in Brussels, and in Geneva at the
League of Nations. • 1931: Joins the Blum-de Basil
Original Ballet Russe at Balanchine's invitation. • 1932: Creates principal roles with the
Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo: the Young Girl in Balanchine's
Cotillon; The Girl in his
La Concurrence; Lucille in his
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme; in the Valse in his
Suites de danse; in his Classical Ballet section for the opera-ballet
Patrie; the Chinese Woman and a Poppy in his dances for the opera
Fay-yen-Fah; a Chinese Porcelain in his dances for the opera
Turandot; in his Grand pasclassique for the operetta
A Night in Venice; and the Top in Massine's ''Jeux d'enfants.'' Recreates the Ballerina in Fokine's
Petrushka and the Mazurka and the Valse pas de deux in
Les Sylphides. Privately studies the classics and choreographic theory with Balanchine. Seasons in Monte Carlo and Paris and tour of Europe. • 1933: Joins the Balanchine-James
Les Ballets 1933 at Balanchine's invitation. Creates principal roles: in the
Tema con variazioni and finale in his
Mozartiana, the Ballerina in his
Les Songes, and the Young Girl in his
Fastes. Rejoins Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. Creates principal role in Massine's
Choreartium (to
Brahms's
Fourth Symphony). • 1934: Creates with the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo the Mexican Girl in Massine's
Union Pacific and a principal role in Lichine's
Les Imaginaires. Recreates the Miller's Wife with Massine in his
Le Tricorne and the Tarantella in his
La Boutique fantasque; Odette in
Swan Lake Act II; and the title role in Fokine's
Firebird. Tours of the United States, Canada, Central America, and Europe; seasons in Paris, London, Mexico City, Barcelona, Havana, Montreal, and New York. • 1935: Creates with de Basil's Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo the Poor Couple, with Massine, in his
Jardin public; a principal role in his
Le Bal; and Nijinska's
Lezginka for a
Covent Garden gala. Adds to her repertory Aurora in Tchaikovsky's ''Le Mariage d'Aurore'' and the Girl in Fokine's
La Spectre de la rose. , 1940, by
Max Dupain]
Roles • 1934: The Comet (cr) in
Les Imaginaires (Lichine), de Basil's Ballets Russes, London Tarantella in
La Boutique fantasque (revival; Massine), de Basil's Ballets Russes, London • The Miller's Wife in
Le Tricorne (Massine), (de Basil's) Monte Carlo Ballet Russe, Chicago • The Mexican Girl (cr) in
Union Pacific (Massine), (de Basil's) Monte Carlo Ballet Russe, Philadelphia • 1935: The Poor Couple (cr) in
Jardin public (Massine), (de Basil's) Monte Carlo Ballet Russe, Chicago • Principal dancer (cr) in
Le Bal (Massine), (de Basil's) Monte Carlo Ballet, Chicago • 1936: The Beloved (cr) in Symphonie fantastique (Massine), de Basil's Ballets Russes, London • 1938: Title role in Giselle (after Petipa, Coralli, Perrot) (Denham's) Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, London. • 1940: Aurore (cr) in ''Le Mariage d'Aurore'' (Aurora's Wedding) (Petipa), Original Ballet Russe, Sydney • Illusion (cr) in La Lutte eternelle (Schwezoff), Original Ballet Russe, Sydney • Swanilda in
Coppelia (Obukhov after Petipa, Saint-Leon), Original Ballet Russe, Sydney • 1941: Third and Fourth Movements (cr) in
Balustrade (Balanchine), Original Ballet Russe, New York • Ariadne (cr) in Labyrinth (Massine), Denham's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, New York • The Cakewalk (cr) in Saratoga (Massine), Denham's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, New York • 1944: The Girl (cr) in
Moonlight Sonata (Massine), Ballet Theatre, New York • Principal dancer (cr) in
Harvest Time (Nijinska), Ballet Theatre, New York • Kitri in
Don Quixote Pas de Deux (Obukhov after Petipa), Ballet Theatre. New York • 1944–45: Sugar Plum Fairy in
The Nutcracker Pas de deux (Dolin after Ivanov), Ballet Theatre, New York • Odile in Black Swan Pas de deux (
Swan Lake, Act III; Dolin after Petipa), Ballet Theatre, New York • 1947: Second Movement (cr) in
Palais de cristal (later called
Symphony in C; Balanchine), Paris Opera Ballet, Paris • Title role in
Giselle (Sergeyev after Petipa, Coralli, Perrot), Paris Opera Ballet, Paris • 1949: The Duchess (cr) in
Del Amor y de la muerte (Ricarda), Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, Paris • The Infanta (cr) in Le Coeur de diamond (Lichine), Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, Monte Carlo • 1950: Title role (cr) in
Phedre (Serge Lifar), Paris Opera Ballet, Paris • Principal dancer (cr) in ''L'Inconnue'' (Lifar), Paris Opera Ballet, Paris • Principal dancer (cr) in
La Fee d’Aibee (Aveline), Paris Opera Ballet, Versailles • Principal dancer (cr) in
La Pierre enchantee (Lifar), Paris Opera Ballet, Paris • 1951: Potiphar's Wife (cr) in
Leggenda di Giuseppe (The Legend of Joseph; Wallmann), La Scala, Milan • Principal dancer (cr) in
La Vita dell’uomo (Wallmann), La Scala, Milan • 1952: Principal dancer (cr) in
Reve (pas de deux; Dolin), London Festival Ballet, London • 1956: Principal dancer (cr) in
The Seven Deadly Sins (Char- rat), La Scala, Milan • The Dance of the Seven Veils (cr) in
Salome (opera; mus. Strauss, chor. Toumanova), La Scala, Milan • Principal dancer (cr) in
Epoque romantique (also chor.), Piccola Scala, Milan • The Princess (cr) in
Le Fanfare pour le Prince (Taras), Celebration of the Marriage of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Monte Carlo
Toumanova on film Toumanova appeared in six Hollywood films between 1944 and 1970, always playing dancers. She made her feature film debut in 1944, in
Days of Glory, playing a Russian dancer being saved
from the invading Germans in 1941 by
Soviet partisan leader
Gregory Peck (who also made his debut in that film). In 1966, she played the odious, unnamed lead ballerina in
Alfred Hitchcock's political thriller
Torn Curtain. In 1970, she played Russian ballerina Madame Petrova in
Billy Wilder's
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. ==Personal life==