Libidins, David, approximately 1899-1958

David Savelevich Libidins was born in c. 1899in Istanbul (then Constantinople) of Russian parents. He studied voice in Moscow, and after serving in the Russian army in World War I, toured Europe performing with opera companies and in other theatrical shows. In the early 1930's, Libidins took an administrative position with Sol Hurok, handling the U.S. tours of the de Basil Ballet Russe.

In 1938, he became administrative director of the newly formed Denham-Massine Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and retained this position until 1943 when he became an independent manager. Except for a brief period in 1943 when he served as administrative director for Ballet Theatre, Libidins maintained his own firm until his death, with a clientele that included the Ballet Russe, Alicia Alonso in her guest appearances with Igor Youskevitch, Teresa and Luisillo's Ballet Espagnol, Vladimir Horowitz, and the harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. In 1946, Libidins began a long-standing professional and personal relationship with Igor Youskevitch, as his manager and deep-sea fishing partner.

David Libidins died on December 22, 1958.

From the guide to the David Libidins papers, circa 1936-1958, (The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.)