Still dancing at 99: Former ballerina continues to teach ballet

Helga Monson de Kansky, a name once predicted to become famous by a French journalist in 1953, is now 99 years old and still actively teaching ballet. A review of the Marquis de Cuevas ballet company's performance of “Les Sylphides” highlighted Monson de Kansky, with the critic J.C. Vérots writing, “We were surprised to find ourselves preferring Helga Monson. Remember her name. It will soon be a famous one.”

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We were surprised to find ourselves preferring Helga Monson. Remember her name. It will soon be a famous one.

While Monson de Kansky did not achieve global stardom as a ballerina, she built a life rich in dance and family. After starting a family, she balanced her performing and instructing career with motherhood, eventually returning to the U.S. More than seven decades later, her passion for dance remains undimmed. She currently teaches at the Pasadena Dance Theatre.

Despite recent health issues, including a bout of pneumonia that required hospitalization, Monson de Kansky's face lights up when discussing ballet. Her journey with dance began in childhood in Independence, Kansas. During the Great Depression, her family moved frequently, but her parents always ensured she had dance lessons. She recalls being mesmerized by her first professional ballet performance, a German modern dance company's rendition of “The Green Table” in Topeka.

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That was the first professional performance I ever saw of ballet or anything. And I was just mesmerised. Between the music, the lighting and the dancing, jumping up and down from the table, it was a wonderful performance.

Monson de Kansky's home is a testament to a life filled with art and love. It is adorned with classical music CDs, cassette tapes she uses for ballet classes, and paintings by her late husband, Igor, a painter and sculptor. She now finds profound appreciation for her surroundings and the natural world, a perspective she attributes to her life experiences and perhaps a broader vision gained over nearly a century of life.

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I have a little broader vision of the world. I’m more attuned to, especially since they’re tearing it up, to our surroundings, to the birds. I didn’t even think about a little bird before.