Galina Samsova (1937-2021). Russian-born ballerina, teacher, director and producer

Galina Samsova was born in 1937 in Volgograd in the USSR. She studied at the Kiev Opera Ballet School and joined the Kiev Opera Ballet in 1956. In 1960 she married Alexander Ursuliak, a Canadian-Ukrainian dance teacher, and settled in Canada. There, dancing under the surname Samtsova, she joined National Ballet of Canada in 1961, and was quickly taking leading roles. In 1963 she took the title role in a new production of Serge Prokofiev’s Cinderella at the International Dance Festival in Paris, for which she won the gold medal for the best female dancer.

In 1964 Samsova joined London’s Festival Ballet, quickly becoming its principal ballerina. Partnered mainly by David Adams first and then by André Prokovsky, she was acclaimed for her classic roles, as well as having ballets created on her by Jack Carter, Peter Darrell and Ronald Hynd. She married Prokovsky in 1972, and with him formed New London Ballet in 1971, which ran until 1979. Following guest appearances all over the world, she then joined Sadler’s Wells (now Birmingham) Royal Ballet in 1978 as a principal. From 1980, in addition to dancing she also taught the company, and among other notable achievements she staged the Grand Pas from Paquita in 1980.
From 1991 until 1997, Samsova was artistic director of Scottish Ballet, mounting productions of the classics, as well as works by George Balanchine, Robert Cohan and Mark Baldwin. Settling in London on her retirement, she was active as a teacher and a juror at international competitions. Galina Samsova died in 2021.