(1880–1944), Russian ballet dancer and choreographer. Born in Moscow, Russia, Mordkin entered the Moscow Imperial Ballet School at age 9. After dancing in the Bolshoi Ballet, he toured the United States with Anna Pavlova. He was also a member of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. In New York City during the 1920s and 1930s, Mordkin founded ballet companies, one of which became the basis of the (American) Ballet Theatre. His talents were compared to those of ballet legends Michel Fokine and George Balanchine. (See also Dance.)