Alighting, An Epilogue, 1940–1978

Abstract During the Second World War, Bruce and Karsavina moved frequently as bombing raids encroached. After the war, Bruce purchased a house requiring significant renovation. Bruce’s death was a terrible blow. Richard Buckle asked Karsavina to assist in his important 1954 Diaghilev Exhibition, an event that helped her recover from grief. Contributing to the organization of the Royal Academy of Dance since its inception in 1920, Karsavina served as its Vice President until 1955. While overseeing RAD examinations, she also devised a curriculum for its Teachers' Training Course. Examination of her teaching principles reveals her humanitarian approach to teaching—she believed in respecting and nurturing each individual dance student. Admirers and friends attempted to aid Karsavina in her final years but she refused to leave the house that she and Benjie had hoped to live in together. She died on June 2, 1978, in a nursing home near her beloved son and his family.