Geltzer, Yekaterina

Geltzer, Yekaterina (Vasilyevna)

(born Nov. 14, 1876, Moscow, Russia—died Dec. 12, 1962, Moscow) Russian prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet. She graduated from the Bolshoi Theatre's ballet school in 1894 and joined the company, becoming prima ballerina in 1901. She was known for dramatic roles, including that of the heroine of The Red Poppy (1927), in a career that lasted more than 40 years. After the 1917 Revolution, she and her husband, Vasily Tikhomirov, helped preserve the classical technique and repertoire of the Imperial Russian ballet.