Hélène Wolska. British dancer, choreographer, teacher and writer

Born Bessie Forbes-Jones, and originally dancing under the name of Helen Forbes, Hélène Wolska studied with Margaret Craske, Marie Rambert, Anton Dolin and Tamara Karsavina, among others. In the 1930s she performed with the Markova-Dolin Ballet and Ballet Rambert. She joined the National Ballet of Poland in 1938, then under the direction of Bronislava Nijinska, and it was there that she adopted the name of Wolska, dancing many principal roles. That same year she also danced with the Russian Ballet in London. In 1940 Wolska joined the Arts Theatre Ballet, and in 1941 joined Anglo-Polish Ballet, where she remained as principal dancer, ballet mistress and choreographer for a number of years. Wolska was the author of the well-known book, Dances of Poland.