Elena Mikhailovna Potapova

Born Feb. 16, 1930, in Kuibyshev. Soviet ballerina. People’s Artist of the USSR (1970). Member of the CPSU since 1954.

Potapova studied in the Choreographic Studio of the T. G. Shevchenko Theater of Opera and Ballet in Kiev from 1946 to 1948. Upon graduation she became a soloist with the theater. Among the parts she has danced are Dasha in Chulaki’s Youth, Lesia in Svechnikov’s Marusia Boguslavka, Aurora and Odette-Odile in Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, and the title roles in Dan’kevich’s Lileia, Pugni’s La Esmeralda, and Adam’s Giselle.

Potapova is a dynamic dancer. Her dancing is characterized by broad, soaring leaps and rapid turns. She has performed in the German Democratic Republic, Iceland, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, the USA, Canada, and other countries. She has been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.