Nesta Toumine

Nesta Toumine (October 28, 1912 – February 1, 1996^[1]) was a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and teacher in Canada.

She was born Nesta Williams in Thonrhill Heath, Croydon, England, the daughter of Alfred Edward Williams and Agmes Mary Seivers, and was educated in Ottawa. She studied ballet in Ottawa, New York, with Nikolai Legat, Serafina Astafieva and Margaret Craske in London, in Paris and with Julia Sedova in Nice. Williams performed as Nesta Markova^[1] with the Ballets Russes de Paris and Léonide Massine's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1941, she married Sviatoslov Toumine. The couple settled in New York but moved to Ottawa after the birth of their sons, Peter and Lorne. With Yolande Leduc, Toumine founded the Ottawa Ballet Company in 1947. She taught ballet in her school in Ottawa, in Scranton, Pennsylvania and in Montreal^[2]. Toumine died in Ottawa^[1].

Dancers trained by Toumine include

• David Lee Moroni, founding principal of the professional division of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School^[3]
• David Peregrine, former principal dancer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet^[4]

Toumine developed the choreography for a number of ballets including:

• Maria Chapdelaine
• Les Sylphides
• Les Valses
• Pas de Quatre

She also choreographed shows for the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society^[5][6].

The Society of Russian Ballet established the Nesta Toumine Memorial Award in 1996^[7].

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Nesta Williams Toumine (1912-1996)". Dance Collection Danse Archives. http://www.dcd.ca/general/Resources/42DCDTheNews.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-01.  (pdf)
2. ^ Creative Canada: A Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Creative and Performing. Volume One. University of Toronto Press. 1974. pp. 291. ISBN 0802032621. 
3. ^ David Lee Moroni at the Canadian Encyclopedia
4. ^ David Peregrine at the Canadian Encyclopedia
5. ^ The Merry Widow, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society
6. ^ Song of Norway, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society
7. ^ "Nesta Toumine Memorial Award". Society of Russian Ballet. http://www.societyofrussianballet.org/about_history_nestaaward.php. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 

Persondata
Name	Toumine, Nesta
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 28, 1912
Place of birth
Date of death	February 1, 1996
Place of death