it took me a moment to realise that your ask was referring to this: “#absolutely obsessed w the concept of this man railing me” but honestly i was correct to say it in the first place and i still am obsessed
“This will not be an end,” Alina thinks as she smiles, her teeth bared as she bows to the crowd’s adoring applause. ‘This will not be the end,’ says her heart, thrumming in her chest as blood rushes through her veins and colours her cheeks. “This is not the end.” She says so to herself, glittering in the spotlight of her final bow— her final performance as a principal ballerina.
Rumours dance on the tongues of the other principals and soloists, of the corpse de ballet: she is pregnant, she is to marry, she is injured, she is ill. The words swirl around like a tutu, like silk and crystals, like the waterfall of her night silk tresses as she lets her hair down from her bun. Perhaps one rumour is true. Maybe two. But, of course, it is no one’s business. The beloved Alina Filippova, the Bolshoi’s Nympha has retired at the very pinnacle of her career. The rest of her life would be spent cultivating the talent she found to be as equally, if not more talented than she had been.
When she promptly turns to work as a Ballet Master-Repetiteur, however, some may think it exceptionally cruel. A former principal dancer to train her former rivals, a young woman who might play favourites, a former dancer taking on a position to make others shine brighter than she. But, those who think so have never understood Alina herself. The art of ballet is everything to her. It matters little to her if she can not be the one to dance— she will hone the talents of the ones she believes can.
GENERAL INFO
— Full Name: Alina Vasilievna Filippova
— Nickname(s): Alya or Alenka, Alinushka or Alinochka (familiar, affectionate), Al’ka (familiar), Matushka Nympha and Ma’nympha (formal, affectionate— nickname evolved from her being called Nympha when she was a principal dancer, used by Bolshoi dancers)
— Age: 35
— Date of Birth: 2 January, 1926
— Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
— Place of Birth: Petrograd
— Current Residence: Moscow
— Gender: female
— Sexual Orientation: bisexual
— Religion: non-practicing, non-religious
— Occupation: Ballet Master-Repetiteur for the Bolshoi Ballet
— Likes: caviar with her blinis, hosting dinner parties at her family’s hotel, living and breathing the art of ballet, mirrors, cultivating talent, tea
— Dislikes: solyanka without adzhika and lavash, silence, being forgotten/unrecognised, lazy/entitled dancers, sickled feet, not being taken seriously, tangerine pie
— Enneagram: Type 3
— Temperament: Choleric
— Moral Alignment: Tempered good
ABOUT:
(death tw, parental death tw)
BASIC TIMELINE:
1881 — Paternal grandfather becomes a citizen of Russia. Originated from China and worked as the owner of a trading company/merchant.
1894 — Father is born.
1908 — Mother is born. Daughter of a Russian merchant and industrialist who financed and partially owns the Hotel Moska Intercontinental (Based on the Hotel Metropol Moscow).
1925 — October. Father passes away in a rail car accident.
1926 — Born in Petrograd
1930 — Moves to Moscow with her mother, residing in the newly reopened hotel.
1934 — Begins ballet training at the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute (renamed the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 1957)
1944 — Graduates from the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute and is placed at the Bolshoi Ballet, although is ‘loaned’ to Leningrad State Academic Maly Opera Theatre and The Kirov Ballet throughout her career.
1958 — Retires from role as prima at 32, beginning her work at the Bolshoi Ballet as ballet master-repetiteur for the corps de ballet.
1960 — Promoted to ballet master-repetiteur focusing on primas and soloists, occasionally running evening technique and character classes for those interested (corps de ballet members are welcome) as preparations for Swan Lake begin.
DETAILS:
Her father had passed after an accident months before she was born. And her mother, who had scandalously been pregnant out of wedlock, had found herself returned home— until she and Alina were moved to the family’s new business, a permanent tenant and proprietor’s representative at the Hotel Moska Intercontinental.
Her first memories involve her running around the hotel, her unruly curls escaping their braids and as full and lively as she: Alenka filled with boundless energy. It is a happy place, brilliant and sparkling, an unconventional upbringing for a little girl of unconventional circumstances.
While ballet had been an encouraged after-school activity for Alina when she had reached the age to begin training, it seemed to be the only time in the world that she felt she was happy. Dancing was hard work, yet the little girl thrived on it, producing long and clean lines with her movement with her head held high, making the determination and discipline required seem easy. She began her training at the Leningrad State Choreographic Institute when she was eight.
Although she was not the favourite of Agrippina Vaganova, she was a star pupil. Her enduring nature and sweet disposition made for an interesting combination, especially when her intense gaze stared not at others but at her own reflection as she worked on correcting even the smallest movement. If she could not be a favourite, she would strive to become the character assigned to her, would work towards the technical perfection that would leave those watching in awe. And that was precisely what she had done.
As a dancer, Alina charmed the crowds. As a woman, she set her sights on enjoying her life with her fellow dancers, her social life never quite lacking from any invitations. After her graduation from the ballet academy, Alina returned to her family’s hotel, taking up a permanent residence there while she danced for the Bolshoi where she earned the nickname Nympha as she rose through the ranks.
Despite the suitors that have proposed, Alina swears that her first and only love is the art of ballet, perhaps holds it closer now to her heart as a ‘keeper’ of the art with her position of the Bolshoi. There have been lovers, there might have been a chance once. But the ballet had always come first, and always would.
The worsening of her hip injuries in her early 30’s had hailed the end of her career as a dancer. Alina took her final bow dancing her favourite role as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty at the age of thirty-two. If she is still bitter about it (read: she’s still bitter about it), she will not let it show. However, Alina had wanted to do more, wanted to be a part of the ballet and achieve the coveted Prima Ballerina Assoluta title as the Bolshoi Ballet’s Nympha. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that she was promptly invited to begin serving as a Master-Repetiteur for the Corps de Ballet at the Bolshoi. In some cruel way, though, it does taunt her.
Promoted in 1960, the woman works as the Ballet Master-Repetiteur focusing on the primas and soloists. Nothing escapes the keen eyes of the Master-Repetiteur, not one who had built a reputation such as she as former principal dancer and renowned prima ballerina— living and embodying the characters, dancing with almost terrifying precision with every role she took on. She is determined, above all else, to protect and nurture the sacred art of ballet, and her strict yet maternal nature wins her the respectfully affectionate nicknames: Matushka Nympha and Mat’nympha from her Bolshoi dancers.
