Alexandra Denisova

Alexandra Denisova, born Patricia Denise Meyers Galian on September 22, 1922, in Canada, was a ballerina who performed under a Russian stage name in keeping with a widespread practice among Western dancers of the era. Because Russian ballet enjoyed considerable popularity in the West following the emigration of many Russian dancers and choreographers after the October Revolution, European and North American performers frequently adopted Russian pseudonyms to meet audience expectations. Galian followed this convention and built her career as Alexandra Denisova. She died on July 5, 2018.

Denisova began classical ballet training in childhood and went on to join the Original Ballet Russe, also known as the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo, before the outbreak of World War II. The company toured extensively across Europe until the war forced a change of itinerary, redirecting the troupe toward South America and eventually Cuba. It was during the company's time in Havana that Denisova's path intersected with Alberto Alonso, who had begun his dance career in 1936 with the Original Ballet Russe at the age of seventeen. Alberto Alonso was the brother of Fernando Alonso and had trained under Nikolay Yavorsky, a former Russian imperial army officer who taught ballet in emigration and whose students included Fernando Alonso, Alberto Alonso, and Alicia Martínez Hoya, who became the celebrated Alicia Alonso. Alberto Alonso and Denisova married in Melbourne in May 1939 while the company was on tour in Australia.

During the Australian tour in 1940, choreographer David Lichine created the ballet Graduation Ball, in which Denisova appeared. With a return to Europe impossible during wartime, the troupe's finances suffered and several dancers departed for the United States. Denisova stepped into the roles associated with star ballerina Irina Baronova, a responsibility that critic Arnold Haskell addressed in the April 1, 1940, issue of The Home, noting that Denisova had taken on Baronova's roles under a considerable initial disadvantage and had earned high praise for her performances. Her marriage to Alberto Alonso eventually dissolved; the two separated in 1944 while on a visit to the United States, and Denisova settled in Los Angeles rather than returning to Cuba.

Her stage work in the United States included performances in ballets choreographed by Michel Fokine, David Lichine, and George Balanchine. Among these productions was Rhapsody, choreographed by Lichine, and Song of Norway, associated with Balanchine, both in 1946. Her Broadway credit dates to 1944, when she appeared in Rhapsody.

Denisova subsequently pursued a career in Hollywood, working under her given name, Patricia Denise Galian, in a series of film productions. These included On an Island with You in 1948, in which she performed in several scenes as a replacement for Cyd Charisse, as well as Two Tickets to Broadway in 1951, Singin' in the Rain in 1952, Knock on Wood in 1954, Three for the Show in 1955, Meet Me in Las Vegas in 1956, and Marjorie Morningstar in 1958. During the 1950s she also held the position of Assistant to the Dance Director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Footage of her appears, credited under her real name, in the 2006 documentary Ballets Russes, produced by Geller/Goldfine Productions and distributed by Zeitgeist Films.