The daughter of  Marius Petipa  (under whom she studied) and Maria Petipa .

 Her debut was at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1875 

At the height of her career, Petipa was one of the most known ballerinas in St. Petersburg.

 Her portraits were drawn by the well-known artists , her private life was discussed in the newspapers, and her 25th career anniversary in 1901 was widely celebrated in St. Petersburg. 

She was in a civil marriage with the dancer Sergei Legat  (1875-1905), who was much younger than her. Petipa left theater two years after her husband committed suicide.

At the time of the October Revolution of 1917, Petipa was sixty years old. The revolution took everything away from her: she lost both her house and her pension and was left with nothing, not even money for food. She pleaded to the Soviet government for assistance but received no help. The only help came from the fellow actors, who, however, were unable to sustain her permanently. Her second plea to the government for a pension was rejected as well. In 1928, she moved to Paris, where she lived in poor conditions. Petipa died in 1930 and was buried near Paris. The money paid for the funeral was only enough for five years, after which she was reburied in a common grave.