Gerdt Pavel Andreyevich, *4 December (22 November) 1844 St. Petersburg, †12 August (30 July) 1917 Vammala (Finland), Russian dancer, choreographer and teacher. A pupil of M. Petipa and Ch. Johansson. In 1865–1916 he was premier danseur of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg. In productions of this company, he was the first performer of nearly all the principal male roles, such as Siegfried (Swan Lake), Prince Désiré (The Sleeping Beauty), Prince Coqueluche (The Nutcracker – all with music by P. Tchaikovsky), Vestris (Camargo, music by L. Minkus), and Abderakhman (Raymonda, music by Glazunov). As a choreographer he staged only a few minor ballets, such as The Supposed Dryads (music by C. Pugni, 1899), Sylvia (music by L. Delibes, 1901), and Javotte (in choreographic collaboration with L. Ivanov, music by C. Saint-Saëns, 1902). In 1880–1904 he taught at the St. Petersburg ballet school and was one of its most distinguished teachers. Among his pupils were A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina, V. Nijinsky, M. Fokine, and N. and S. Legat.
