Marianna Tcherkassky as Giselle
and Kevin McKenzie as Albrecht in
“Giselle,” Act II.
“American Ballet” exhibit at the Smithsonian.
and became a principal dancer in 1976.
Tcherkassky retired from performing in
1996.
Tcherkassky and her husband, Terrence S.
Orr—Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre—moved to Pittsburgh in 1997. She
now works for PBT as the company’s ballet
mistress and is responsible for teaching,
coaching and rehearsing the company for
each production.
“My favorite dance role was the title
character in the ballet ‘Giselle,’” notes
Tcherkassky, who made her unscheduled
debut in the role at the Kennedy Center in
Washington D.C., when she filled in for an
injured dancer in the spring of 1976 and
danced opposite Mikhail Baryshnikov at
his request. “The role of Giselle has been
described as the ‘Hamlet’ of ballets for
both the technical and dramatic aspects of
the choreography as well as acting ability
to convey the story of love, betrayal and
forgiveness.” Over the years, Tcherkassky
became recognized for her interpretation
and was reviewed as one of the greatest
Giselles American Ballet has ever produced.
Tcherkassky became associated with the
Smithsonian through the principal wardrobe
mistress at American Ballet Theatre, May
Ishimoto. For 17 of the 26 years Tcherkassky
danced with ABT, Ishimoto was the principal
wardrobe mistress and a well-known
seamstress who worked with many of the
great ballet luminaries. In 1978, she offered
to make Tcherkassky her own personal first-
act Giselle costume—a pale blue peasant
dress—in a time when it was common to
share costumes or wear hand-me-downs. “I
treasured that dress and wore it many times
throughout the years,” adds Tcherkassky.
In 2006, Ishimoto, who lived in the
Washington, D.C. area, asked Tcherkassky if
she would donate the Giselle costume to the
Smithsonian. The museum was collecting
memorabilia as it was interested in creating
an exhibit that focused on Ishimoto’s life
and work. “Of course I was honored to
donate my costume on May’s behalf,”
says Tcherkassky, who received a frame-
worthy certificate of appreciation from the
Smithsonian National Museum of American
History.
Sadly, Ishimoto died in 2009. Associate
Curator of Culture and the Arts Melodie
Sweeney kept in contact with Tcherkassky
over the years and, in 2014, sent a letter
saying the Smithsonian was still
interested in proceeding with an
exhibit focused on costumes of
American ballet.
“I was thrilled to learn in
January 2017 that the exhibit had
evolved into an installation on
American ballet and was installed
in the Constitution Avenue main
lobby of the National Museum of
American History,” notes Tcherkassky.
The exhibit displays three costumes—one
of which is Tcherkassky’s Giselle dress. The
second is from the late French ballerina
Violette Verdy, who was a star with the
New York City Ballet for many years and an
inspiration to Tcherkassky. The final featured
costume was worn by American Ballet
Theatre Principal Dancer Misty Copeland
during her stint on Broadway in “On the
Town.”
Tcherkassky and Orr traveled to see
the exhibit in April. “The costumes are
beautifully displayed in a large glass case,
hanging from nearly invisible wires as if they
are floating in space,” she says.
“It is a wonderful honor to represent
American ballet at the Smithsonian. For
those of us who love and are passionate
about this beautiful, ephemeral art form,
it is wonderful and important to share any
and every aspect of that passion with as
many people as possible. I know there are
many residents in the Sewickley area who
appreciate and are very supportive of the
performing arts, so I am extremely proud to
not only represent ballet in America, but the
Sewickley community as well.” n
Sewickley | Summer 2017 | icmags.com 11