Boris Fenster

Fenster, Boris (b Petrograd, 17 Apr. 1916, d Leningrad, 29 Dec. 1960). Soviet dancer, choreographer, and ballet master. He studied at the Leningrad Ballet School and after graduating in 1936 joined the Maly Ballet. He was later appointed chief choreographer (1945-53) after which he was moved to the Kirov. His early ballets tended to be highly dramatic and based on literary themes, including The False Bridegroom (mus. Chulaki, 1946) and Youth (mus. Chulaki, 1949), but in later works like Taras Bulba (mus. Solovyov-Sedoy, 1955) he began to explore the possibilities of more abstract dance imagery. He died at the premiere of his final ballet, Masquerade (mus. Laputin, 1960).