Ballerina, Choreographer, Teacher, Writer

Born in Pochep, educated as a lawyer.
Studied under renowned choreographers of the early 20th century. Danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company and later performed solo concerts in New York, Chicago, Canada, and Moscow. At 85, she wrote I Remember, a book about her childhood in pre-revolutionary Pochep.

In the summer of 1992, American newspapers featured a story about a woman in her 80s who had written a book about her childhood in pre-revolutionary Pochep. This woman, Fara Lynn Krasnopolsky, had embarked on a new chapter of her life, becoming a writer for the first time after training for the craft.

I met a little girl
Who came from another land.
I couldn’t speak her language,
But I took her by the hand.
We danced together,
Had such fun,
Dancing is a language
You can speak with everyone.
Edith Segal (1902–1997), dancer, choreographer, writer

Who was Fara Lynn, and why did the newspapers suddenly take notice of her? We can learn from her autobiography, written as a preface to her book I Remember.

Fara was born in the first decade of the 20th century (some documents state July 14, 1902) in Pochep to a Jewish family.
The family was poor, consisting of her always-unhappy mother, her seldom-home father, Fara, and her older sister. When Fara was 6, there was no place for her in the local gymnasium, so she was homeschooled for two years, which her curious mind found easy.

Childhood in Pochep

Fara Lynn Krasnopolsky, I Remember, 1992
archive.org

As a child, Fara felt lonely since her parents were preoccupied with survival, and her sister showed no interest in her. She spent much of her time sitting alone on the porch, waiting for someone to come home. To pass the time, Fara began observing her neighbors and mimicking their speech and mannerisms, a skill that would later benefit her dancing career.

Michael (Moisey) Lvovich Krasnopolsky, Fara's future husband (far right, double bass player)
Winona Daily News, March 2, 1959. Accessed via newspapers.com

During World War I and the subsequent revolution, there was widespread hunger. Once, a young man named Michael Krasnopolsky came to Pochep to visit his aunt and get some food. He would later become Fara's husband. Michael, considered an important visitor from Petrograd, had graduated from the conservatory there as a double bassist and was already teaching. At the time, Fara was 13, and Michael was ten years older. His aunt was also a relative of Fara. He soon left, and Fara's family moved to Kharkiv.

"I remember the first me: I was three years old. We were rushing home. Papa carried me in his arms. We heard singing from afar. Papa was saying, 'They are still singing revolutionary songs.' I could smell my father's Derby hat. It smelled good. I liked being carried by Father. He never carried me again.
I remember sounds and smells. Mother told me much later: 'We were returning from a visit with Aunt Brocha. The songs: they were leftovers from the social upheavals of that year, 1905.'
Next, I remember me at five, always following my sister, Raya, around. She was four years older and didn't want to be followed. ...
Mother came to the door, looking big and angry. I stopped following my sister... Mother ... took my hand and explained; 'Raya is a big girl now, you are still little. Stop running after her.'
I felt thin and scrawny. My eyes were full of tears. I asked Mamma, 'Why are you always busy?' She smiled, but didn't answer. 'And Papa, why is he never home?'
Mamma explained,'He has to travel to sell furs.'
I remained sitting alone on the stoop of the house, waiting for someone to come back. The years from three to five were the loneliest years of my life."

I Remember, 1995
archive.org

Tumultuous Times

Around this time, a friend suggested Fara study law. The appeal lay in the fact that students were promised a stipend and a weekly ration of bread and herring, allowing her to feed herself. Thus, Fara began studying law, though her true passion was the stage.

Meanwhile, the new government deemed the family's apartment too large and forced them to take in two lodgers from Starodub. One day, the lodgers announced they were expecting a guest. When Fara opened the door, she found her old acquaintance Michael Krasnopolsky standing there. Four years had passed since their first meeting, but to Fara's surprise, Monya (as Michael was commonly called) did not remember her at all.

By then, he was teaching at the Kharkiv Conservatory and performing at the local opera. Fara fell in love with him, doing everything she could to win his affection and convince him that marrying her would bring unparalleled happiness. But her efforts had the opposite effect: Monya left for Starodub to visit his parents. Seeing her sister suffering from unrequited love, Raya sent a telegram to Starodub, falsely claiming Fara was on her deathbed. Monya immediately returned and proposed. Thus, at 18, Fara officially became Madame Krasnopolsky.

Soon after their wedding, Michael dreamed of performing concerts in Europe. By then, both his brothers had lived in America for several years. Many artists believed Europe, particularly Paris, offered more opportunities for talented musicians, while America was for the less educated, not for the intelligentsia. But just as Fara secured a position as a Soviet lawyer, Michael received an invitation from his brothers to come to America. Fara had to choose: follow her husband or lose him forever. She chose her husband.

Refugees of the Civil War, 1919
russiainphoto.ru

Starodub, 1910-1914
pastvu.com

Michael Krasnopolsky (far right, double bass player)
Decatur Daily Review, March 20, 1959. Accessed via newspapers.com

After finishing gymnasium, Fara couldn't enroll in university due to admission limitations. It was summer, and she decided to try her luck at one of the leading drama schools in Moscow. With no money or place to stay, Fara recalled having to sleep in the entryways of expensive Moscow houses. Only then did she realize that all educational institutions were closed for the summer. Returning home, Fara learned that her mother had contracted typhus. She felt guilty, believing her mother's illness was punishment for her selfishness.

Moscow, 1912-1917
pastvu.com

Despite the civil war in Russia, Fara's energy was boundless. She would rise at six in the morning, practice piano by candlelight for two hours, then go to work as a typist. The job entitled her to a free, albeit foul-smelling, lunch at a communal cafeteria. After work, she would study poetry and plays in a drama club, still hoping to become an actress.
And all this against the backdrop of people dying every day. Fara’s mother never knew whether she was alive while she was away from home.

Soldiers of Budyonny's First Cavalry Army, January 1920
russiainphoto.ru

A New Name

When Michael found a job as a musician in a cinema, they rented an apartment, and their son Yuri, a future famous conductor, was born.

Upon reaching Europe, the couple had to wait a long time for an American visa. The journey to the U.S. took several months. Finally, they arrived in Chicago and stayed with Michael's relatives. From her American citizenship application, we learn that Fara was born Chana. She arrived in the U.S. as Chana Krasnopolsky, although she never mentions this in her writings. She later named the protagonist of her book I Remember Hannah.

After Yuri's birth, Fara faced the challenge of finding work as an immigrant with no knowledge of English. Dance, the universal language, came to her rescue: Fara enrolled in a studio led by the famous Russian choreographer Adolf Bolm, a dancer from the Mariinsky Theatre and a participant in Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. For two years, Fara diligently practiced, using her son's crib as a ballet barre.

Adolf Bolm and Tamara Karsavina in the ballet Scheherazade
Library of Congress

Adolph Bolm
adolphbolm.com

Adolf Bolm as Sadko, 1916
Houghton Library

Metropolitan Opera

By then, Michael Krasnopolsky was playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performing at summer festivals of the Metropolitan Opera in Ravinia Park, a suburb of Chicago. Fara joined the ballet troupe of this festival, dancing for the Metropolitan for six summer seasons. Around this time, her daughter Mara was born.

Fara even managed to perform in Moscow in 1935, after which she was offered a concert tour in the Soviet Union. However, it was not to be.

The choreographer at the Metropolitan was the renowned Ruth Page. Below is a video of one of her dance troupe's performances. The Chicago Film Archives currently dates this recording to 1930; it features a dance to Ravel's Boléro. The era of silent films means there is no sound in the recording. Ruth Page performs the lead role (the woman in white).
The dancer third from the right resembles Fara.

Ravinia Park, main entrance. From the book Creating Chicago's North Shore : a suburban history
archive.org

Bennington College

From her dancer friends, Fara learned about a modern dance course for professional ballerinas opening at Bennington College. She sent her children to summer camps, borrowed money, and went to study at Bennington in 1936.

Whether she realized it or not, Fara had the fortune to study under legendary masters at the peak of their talent. Her instructors included the famous "big four" choreographers: Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Hanya Holm, and Charles Weidman.

Bennington College in the 1930s
University of Denver

DANCERS PRACTICE ON LAWN AT BENNINGTON COLLEGE
University of Denver

The Bennington School of Dance's student body included amateurs and professional dancers. Many students were also teachers — instructors at private studios, high school and college educators, and ballet teachers. Fara was listed as a dance instructor among the students of 1936.

Modern dance differs from classical ballet. Its movements are not always smooth, often more expressive, and its themes vary widely, including socially charged topics. Fara's solo piece, created using the skills acquired at Bennington, was titled Hunger.

New York

Without money, housing, or a job, Fara and her children first stayed with Michael’s aunt. She then asked her husband for financial support and moved to a noisy apartment on 52nd Street near Central Park.
In the 1930s, America was still reeling from the Great Depression. The government had to launch a federal program to create jobs, including in the arts. To secure a position as a dancer in this program, Fara had to hide the fact that she had children.

The government dance project where Fara worked was led by choreographer Helen Tamiris, who created the ballet “How Long, Brethren?” It depicted the plight of unemployed Black Southerners and was performed to Afro-American protest songs. Fara joined the cast of this ballet on Broadway, while Michael played with the orchestra at Radio City Music Hall. Life improved, finances got better, and the family moved to a more spacious apartment.

Here are photos of Fara Lynn Krasnopolsky (the woman in the white top) performing with Helen Tamiris’s company.

Fara dreamed of living in New York. However, her husband had a well-paying job at a radio station in Chicago, and he had no intention of leaving it. So, one day, Fara took the children and moved to her dream city on her own.

One day, composer Louis Horst, who was writing music for dance pieces at Bennington College, told Fara, 'If you want to dance, you should go to New York.'
When Fara returned to Chicago, the city seemed too provincial. There were no opportunities to apply her new skills. She continued working with Ruth Page, whose company performed at the Goodman Theatre and toured in Canada and New York.

Michael wrote her letters filled with longing and regret. Six months later, he reappeared on 52nd Street just as unexpectedly as he had in Kharkiv when she was 17.

Fara’s life in New York was tough: morning rehearsals for a government project, daily modern dance classes with Martha Graham, composition lessons with Louis Horst, and in between, grocery shopping and cooking. Several evenings each week, she choreographed dance routines for her own performances at a private studio.

Louis Horst and Martha Graham, early 1930s
From the book Louis Horst : musician in a dancer's world
archive.org

The Book

Eventually, doctors discovered that Fara had a heart condition that prevented her from actively performing. She had to close her dance studios. She went to Hunter College in New York to refresh her French and, a year later, to study writing. At over 60, Fara discovered that she had always enjoyed writing and now knew how to do it well. This led to the creation of her novella, I Remember.

The book later fell into the category of children’s and young adult literature, as its main character was a little girl named Hannah. However, it was not originally intended to be a children’s book; it was more of an autobiographical memoir, enriched with fictional elements. Fara named the protagonist after herself (reminder: before emigrating, the writer was known as Chana Krasnopolsky).
Fara Lynn dedicated the book to her husband, who, “though he didn’t know how to cook an egg,” always supported her endeavors.

Fara Lynn passed away in New York on May 12, 2002, just two months short of her 100th birthday. She hoped that her little book could inspire others, believing that everyone has at least one story worth sharing with the world.

Fara Lynn Krasnopolsky, I Remember, 1995
archive.org

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