Victor Gsovsky (1902–1974). Russian-born dancer, choreographer, teacher and ballet master

Victor Gsovsky was born St Petersburg, Russia, in 1902, where he studied ballet with Evgenia Sokolova. He moved to Berlin in 1925, where he was appointed ballet master at the German State Opera. After a spate of working on films in Germany during the 1930s, he became ballet master of the Markova-Dolin Ballet in London in 1937. From here he led a peripatetic life, much in demand as a teacher, choreographer and ballet master all over Europe. He inspired dancers wherever he went and was remembered with great affection and gratitude for the way his uncompromising standards became part of their nature; the wonder and artistry was paramount. His best-known choreography was Grand Pas Classique, created for the Paris Opéra étoiles Yvette Chauviré and Vladimir Skouratoff.