Governor's Heritage Award - Ivan Novikoff

Ivan F. Novikoff of Seattle, Washington was born in Kazan, Russia in 1889. Trained in ballet at the Russian Imperial Ballet School, precursor to the Bolshoi, Novikoff escaped Russia and went to China in 1917, eventually arriving in Seattle in 1923 where he founded the Novikoff School of Russian-American Ballet. Novikoff proceeded to open over twenty schools throughout Washington and Oregon, traveling regularly to each school to ensure his personal involvement in the teaching. Apart from classical ballet, Novikoff also taught ethnic folk dance and classical Greek dance in many venues, including schools, churches, and military establishments. Novikoff continued to perform with his students well into his eighties in specialized “character” roles. During Novikoff’s seventy-five-year career, he trained thousands of dancers, including Robert Joffrey, Catherine Damon and Richard England. The last Novikoff school closed in 1997.