Xenia Zarina

Dancer (born June Zimmerman)

What is Xenia Zarina known for?

Xenia Zarina, born June Zimmerman in 1903, was an accomplished American dancer, dance scholar, and educator. Raised in the American Midwest to parents from the region, Zarina's father was a military engineer during World War I, teaching at the University of Wisconsin and the University of California, and wrote a manual for tractor engine maintenance. A notable alumni of Lyons Township High School, Lagrange, Illinois, she pursued her passion for dance studying with Michel Fokine and other Russian dancers.

Zarina's career was as diverse as it was fascinating. She danced with the Chicago Opera Civic Ballet and gave dance recitals for community groups in the Midwest. Her talent also graced the silver screen, where she appeared in films such as Morning Judge (1926) and Chucho el Roto (1934). Zarina's New York debut was in 1935 at the Guild Theatre, where she performed regional Mexican and "interpretive" dances with elaborate costumes.

But Zarina was more than just a performer, she was an explorer and an academic. She traveled across Mexico and many Asian countries during the 1930s and 1940s, studiously immersing herself in the traditional dances of these countries. Such adventures included studying with Matsumoto Kōshirō VII in Japan and teaching dance to the daughter of the Shah of Iran during World War II, while based in Iran. This passion for the dance traditions of the world was complemented by her work with fellow American expatriate Nilla Cram Cook, who held a high position in Iran's Ministry of Education.

Zarina's unique journey and achievements were well noted in her time. An illustration of her by Magda Nachman was published in Dance Magazine in 1952, and she graced the program at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in 1955. Towards the end of her life, Zarina's wealth of knowledge culminated in her writing the book "Classic Dances of the Orient" (1967), offering especially thorough treatments of the Indian Bhurat Natyam and the Japanese Nihan Buyo.

Zarina passed away in 1967, in Mexico City. Her legacy and contributions to the world of dance were celebrated by her brother Gordon Zimmerman in an Illinois newspaper after her death.