Mathilde Kshesinskaya was an eminent Russian dancer and was born into a family of artists. His grandfather was a famous violinist, singer and actor and both his parents were dancers. At the age of eight, Matilda enrolled in the Imperial Theater School, where her brother and sister were already studying. She later became the prima ballerina of the Russian Imperial Ballet. His life and artistic career were closely linked to the Tsar's family. The day of the final exam marked a turning point in his life. Traditionally present at the examination was Tsar Alexander III, the empress and successor to the Russian throne, the future Emperor Nicholas II. After the performance, the Emperor said to her: “Be the fame and ornament of our ballet!”. This event also marked the relationship between the ballerina and Nicholas II. A secret diary revealed last year mentions the affair and the fact that she was carrying the emperor's son, who was lost in a carriage accident. Their two-year relationship ended with Nicholas' engagement to his future wife, Alexandra. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The 2017 film "Mathilde" tells the story of this affair that sparked controversy in Russia. This is because the Tsar and his family massacred in 1918 are considered saints. Mathilde was ambitious and eager to maintain her close relationship with the Romanovs. She subsequently began a long-standing relationship with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia, Nicholas and Andrei's first cousin once estranged. Because she was not in love with Sergei, but enjoyed his company and protection, Mathilde embarked on an affair with Grand Duke Andrei, the third Romanov to have an affair with her. In July 1900 they became lovers, traveling together that summer to Biarritz and Paris and later to several Italian cities, including Venice, Padua, Florence and Rome. The identity of her child's father remained disputed. However, she married Duke Andrei in 1921 and lived with him in France. Dance was his greatest passion since childhood. He amazed his colleagues with his fantastic obsession with work, spending hours at the bar. She was the first Russian dancer to perform 32 fouettés, a rapid raised leg movement that usually accompanies a pirouette. On stage she was irresistibly charming and feminine. His dancing was a combination of the technically faultless Italian style and the lyricism of the Russian school. From her father, Kshesinskaya inherited the talent for pantomime and dramatic interpretation. Her repertoire included, among others, Fairy Dragee in The Nutcracker, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Pakhita, Esmeralda and Princess Aspicia in The Pharaoh's Daughter. After the October Revolution he left Russia with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Thanks to her school in Paris she introduced a generation of internationally renowned dancers, names such as Margaret (Margo) Fonteyn and Pamela May. She died at the age of 99 in 1971 and is buried in the Ste-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery in Paris. Matilda F. Kshesinskaya is not only synonymous with Russian ballet in the early 20th century, but was also a significant personality in the life of St. Petersburg high society and culture in the last decades of the Russian Empire.