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Biography
Tatiana Dokoudovska was born on 13 January 1921 in Beausoleil, France, near Monte Carlo, from Alexis and Nadia Dokoudovsky. His father was the son of a Russian nobleman and the Italian grandfather of his mother Nadia, an opera singer.

A student of Olga Preobrajenska, prima ballerina of the Russian Imperial Theatre, Dokoudovska at the age of 12 started her professional career, dancing in operettas and films. While attending the Ecole des Artes (Professional School), she danced for the lyric season in Monte Carlo, then was hired as a soloist by the Ballet Russe de l'Opera Comique in Paris. Tours followed in Europe, England and Ireland, with an annual season in Paris. She danced in two special performances of the operas Boris Godunov and Prince Igor, guest of honor Feodor Chaliapin, for the President of the Republic of France. After performing at the Paris Colonial Exposition, she joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo as soloist for the opera and ballet season at the Monte Carlo Theatre and at the Drury Lane Theater in London.

In 1939 she traveled to the United States and joined the Mordkin Ballet, with which she toured and spent a season in New York City, continuing with the company that would later be called the American Ballet Theatre. During World War II, she joined the Radio City Music Hall, but returned to Europe after the war to join the Original Ballet Russe as a soloist for a season at Covent Garden in London, France and Belgium.

Upon her return to the United States, Dokoudovska obtains American citizenship. She continued his career performing in summer theaters, teaching at Ballet Arts, Carnegie Hall, New York and Regent Academy, giving private classes to movie stars and working with polio afflicted children.

In 1954 she accepted an offer as head of the dance department of the Conservatory of Music, which later became part of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a position she held until her retirement in 1989. In addition to the duties of this position, she made choreography for the Kansas City Philharmonic for four seasons, she founded the Kansas City Ballet Company and started the three-year dance program at UMKC, at a time when few such programs were available throughout the United States, in addition to working with the National Association of Dance & Affiliated Arts (NADAA), Dance Educator of Windsor, Canada, Dance Caravan and Empire State Ballet of Albany, New York.

In 1966, she was honored nationally by her election to the original Board of Directors of the American Dance Association, an organization of professional and civic societies in the United States. She was also a member of the Theater Arts Council and the Missouri State Council on the Arts.

Grazie alla sua grande esperienza, la Dokoudovska insegnò la coreografia originale di molte opere classiche, ne ridisegnò molte altre e creò numerosi nuovi lavori. Molti suoi ex allievi diventarono membri del New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Harkness, National Ballet a Washington, San Francisco Ballet, BalletMet, Urban Bush Women, Garth Fagan Dance Company e Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

Out of her great experience, Dokoudovska taught the original choreography of many classical works, restaged many others and created many new works. Many of his former students became members of the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Harkness Ballet, National Ballet of Washington, D.C., San Francisco Ballet, BalletMet, Urban Bush Women, Garth Fagan Dance Company and Alvin Ailey Dance Company.

Today his students can be found in all branches of the dance world, the latest tribute to a great and stimulating teacher.