Nina Verchinina: a postscript

My article posted on 6 August 2009, Nina Verchinina: some Australian connections, has raised some issues about Verchinina’s marital status, or at least about the names of her partner or partners.

  • John Gregory, in his obituary in The Independent on 21 December 1995 states that Verchinina ‘…remained with that company [Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo] throughout the Thirties in its various guises under the directorship at different times of Rene Blum, Leonide Massine and Colonel de Basil. During that decade she acquired international fame and married Count Jean Beausacq, who later was to contribute significantly by financing her own companies.’
  • Katia Canton in the International Encyclopedia of Dance intimates that the connection with the Beausacq line is of much longer standing stating of Verchinina that ‘…she had a noble background and held the title Countess of Beausacq’. This entry also gives her year of birth as 1912, which is, according to Australian immigration documents, the year of birth of Nina’s sister Olga Verchinina, whose stage name was Olga Morosova. Nina’s birth year is recorded as 1910.
  • Beatriz Cerbino, Verchinina’s Brazilian biographer, notes in a recent communication that a Brazilian newspaper recorded Verchinina’s marriage in Rio de Janeiro to Conte Jean de Beausacq in 1946.
  • As mentioned in my original post, Verchinina very clearly indicated on her arrival in Australia in 1939 that she was married, and that her name was Nina Verchinina-Chase. She must have also provided documentary evidence of her American status since that too is recorded on Australian immigration documents.

Verchinina was, according to Cerbino, very reserved about her personal life. At this stage, and until further documentary evidence comes to light, I believe that Nina Verchinina was:

  • born in 1910;
  • married to Newell Chase, perhaps around 1939, the year her American identity papers were issued. Whether this was a marriage of convenience or not is a matter for speculation. Verchinina listed herself as stateless on Australian immigration documents but that designation was followed by (American); and
  • married for a second time in 1946 in Rio de Janeiro to Count Jean de Beausacq.

Read the original post is at this link.

© Michelle Potter, 21 August 2009

5 thoughts on “Nina Verchinina: a postscript

  1. Reading a book on Countess Ingeborg de Beausacq. She married Count Jean de Beausacq, 1939!in Rio.
    They separated three years later. Divorce was not allowed during that time.
    When the count married Nina, was he still married to Ingeborg?

  2. Well this is interesting news! The answer is ‘I don’t know.’ Further research is needed on this and thanks for making the comment.

  3. I confirm that Jean de Beausacq married Ingeborg Holland in Rio in 1939. I have had access to Ingeborg’s archives and wrote her biography. It is true that they separated a few years later but as far as I know they never separated. She continued her life as Countess Ingeborg de Beausacq and never married again.

  4. Correction to my previous message: Ingeborg and Jean de Beausacq never divorced, as far as I know.

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