Asaf Messerer

File:Moscow, Tverskaya, Messerer Memorial.jpg

Messerer memorial in Tverskaya Street, Moscow

Asaf Mikhailovich Messerer (Russian: Асаф Михайлович Мессерер, November 19, 1903 - March 7, 1992) was a Russian Jewish ballet dancer and ballet teacher. He was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. From 1919 until 1921 he trained as a dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet School under Mikhail Mordkin. He then joined the Bolshoi Theatre, where he became a successful soloist, eventually becoming their chief soloist, a post he retired from in 1954.

Today Messerer is best remembered as a choreographer and an instructor; he was both the choreographer and ballet master for the Bolshoi Theatre. His book Classes in Classical Ballet is a thorough study of proper ballet technique and is still used today.

Messerer was the brother of Sulamith Messerer. He was married to silent film star, Anel Sudakevich (Template:Lang-ru), son - Boris Messerer (Template:Lang-ru). He won multiple awards from the USSR and from Lithuania.

See also

• List of Russian ballet dancers

External links

• Asaf Messerer, soloist (1940): Ribbon Dance, Music by Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956), Choreography by Messerer and Lashchulin, Open Source Movies
• Archive film of Asaf Messerer's Spring Waters in 1979 at Jacob's Pillow