Melody Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 August is quite the month for anniversaries of major figures in the ballet world. August Bournonville was born in Copenhagen on 21 August 1805. And Mikhail Fokine died in New York on 22 August 1942, aged 62. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 (edited) Speaking of Mikhail Fokine, does anyone have any authoritative information about his date of birth in 1880? The Oxford Dictionary of Dance gives the date as 5 May (doesn't specify Old or New Style but I assume the latter, which would be 23 April Old Style, if my arithmetic is to be trusted which it may well not be), Britannica gives it as 23 April New Style (so does Wikipedia but it looks as though Wiki has just copied Britannica; this would be 11 April Old Style), the Fokine Estate Archive gives 26 April (doesn't specify Old or New Style), and Andros on Ballet gives 25 April (doesn't specify Old or New Style). At the moment I'm inclined to do what I usually do in cases where there's doubt, which is to go with Britannica, but it's been wrong before in ballet matters and the use of the 26th by the Fokine Estate Archive is worrying me a bit. Just wondering if there's an official biography or anything of the sort floating around that might settle this. Edited August 24, 2014 by Melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alymer Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 According to Fokine's memoir he was born on 13 April Old Style, 25 April New Style, but after the turn of the century, when a day was added to the calendar, the birthday was celebrated on 26 April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Thanks! I guess he'd know. So it looks as though the date given by the Fokine Estate Archive is the one to go with, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaffa Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 August is quite the month for anniversaries of major figures in the ballet world. It was also in August (1996) that Bruce Marriott created the original Balletco - surely one of ballet's major supporting 'institutions.' Hard to imagine what the British ballet scene would have been like without this pioneering work. Bruce wrote an interesting piece about the origins of balletco on its second anniversary at: http://www.ballet.co.uk/aug98/balletco_is_2.htm With profound thanks to Bruce and those who are continuing to support this very special community and resource, Yaffa 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 Nicholas Sergeyev, ballet master from the Imperial Ballet in St Petersburg, who brought notated versions of the Petipa/Ivanov classics to the West so they'd survive the Russian revolution, was born in St Petersburg on 15 September 1876. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 September 17 was a good day for British choreography. Sir Frederick Ashton was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 17 September 1904. And David Bintley was born in Huddersfield on 17 September 1957. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 and it's also good for Canadians apparently: both Guillaume Cote and Matthew Golding. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Now Canadians are taking over dates as well as the world Katherine! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 (edited) One of my favourite Royal Ballet ballerinas from the 1960s and early 1970s has a birthday today. Svetlana Beriosova was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, on 24 September 1932. Such a shame she retired as young as she did. Edited September 25, 2014 by Melody 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted September 28, 2014 Author Share Posted September 28, 2014 Couple of Royal Ballet anniversaries today. Michael George Somes, one of Margot Fonteyn's partners, was born in Gloucestershire on 28 September 1917. Sir Robert Helpmann, dancer and administrator, died in Sydney, Australia, on 28 September 1986, aged 77. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Running a bit late but wanted to mention one significant anniversary a couple of days ago. Pierina Legnani, the first prima ballerina assoluta, was born in Milan on 30 September 1868. And coming up to date, Tanaquil LeClercq, one of George Balanchine's muses (and wives) was born in Paris on 2 October 1929. Such a tragic story, contracting polio that ended her career so young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 Natalia Makarova was born in Leningrad on 21 October 1940. She and her fellow defectors, Nureyev and Baryshnikov, made such an impact on western ballet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 Sad anniversary today. Sir Kenneth MacMillan died on 29 October 1992, aged 62, in the Royal Opera House during the opening night of a revival of Mayerling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 The royal charter creating the Royal Ballet was granted on 31 October 1956. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Many thanks for posting these snippets of interesting information up, Melody. Do please keep them coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 That was the plan - I was going to keep the thread alive till I've done a year's worth. Always happy for contributions from others, though. I have a Twitter account that's also posting about today in ballet history (https://twitter.com/ballet_history), and I've managed to add a few things there as a result of posts from other people here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 The Bolshoi’s former Principal ballerina Nina Timofeyeva’s funeral took place yesterday in Jerusalem where she lived since 1991 and taught at a ballet school. Nina danced Odette-Odile in London during the Bolshoi’s first tour in the West in 1956. Her technique was irreproachable, she had a big jump and her turns, of any kind, were spectacular. She was very expressive in dramatic roles. I didn’t see a better Mehmene Banu in “The Legend of Love” or Aegina in “Spartacus” than Timofeyeva. http://my.mail.ru/mail/gala.39/video/505/3460.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Oh, I didn't know she'd died. That's sad. I remember seeing her in London in the 1960s; she was very memorable. So far I can't find a date for her death but I'll keep an eye out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 (edited) Violetta Prokhorova Elvin was born in Moscow on 3 November 1924. I didn't realise she'd retired so young; she left Sadler's Wells in 1956, before it became Royal Ballet, and moved to Italy. It's sort of funny - apparently the Times said she was the only dancer at Sadler's Wells who could give Fonteyn a run for her money, yet a little while ago I was reading about how Elaine Fifield was supposed to be Fonteyn's natural successor, and I'm sure I remember seeing somewhere that Moira Shearer was dying for Fonteyn to retire so she could take over as the company's prima ballerina. Seems as though there were a lot of ballerinas who were all simultaneously the next Fonteyn. Edited November 4, 2014 by Melody 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 (edited) So far I can't find a date for her death but I'll keep an eye out.This is the news of Timofeyeva's death last week: http://www.rg.ru/2014/11/04/balerina-anons.html When I find the exact date, Melody, I'll let you know. Violetta Prokhorova Elvin was born in Moscow on 3 November 1924. I didn't realise she'd retired so young; she left Sadler's Wells in 1956, before it became Royal Ballet, and moved to Italy. It's sort of funny - apparently the Times said she was the only dancer at Sadler's Wells who could give Fonteyn a run for her money, yet a little while ago I was reading about how Elaine Fifield was supposed to be Fonteyn's natural successor, and I'm sure I remember seeing somewhere that Moira Shearer was dying for Fonteyn to retire so she could take over as the company's prima ballerina. Seems as though there were a lot of ballerinas who were all simultaneously the next Fonteyn.I remember reading Margot Fonteyn's words, something like: We all were watching Violetta in the class. She gave us much more than we gave her. By the way Violetta comes to London from time to time. I had a chance to talk to her at the Critics' Award event at the ROH about 4 (?) years ago . Edited for typo. Edited November 5, 2014 by Sim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 (edited) A couple of anniversaries for famous teachers. Carlo Blasis was born in Naples on 4 November 1797. The Royal Ballet's Ballet Evolved series on YouTube has a video about him and his methods: And Agrippina Vaganova, the legendary Russian teacher, died in Leningrad on 5 November 1951, aged 72. Edited November 5, 2014 by Melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 The unforgettable Vivien Leigh was born on 5 November 1913. Remember her as a dancer, Myra Lester, in "Waterloo Bridge"? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 She and Laurence Olivier were also close friends of Irina Baronova and her husband Cecil Tennant. The account in Baronova's autobiography of her husband's death in a car crash after attending Vivien Leigh's funeral, coming after Leigh's declaration to Tennant some time before that when she went, she'd take him with her, sounded really spooky. Another significant anniversary today: Enrico Cecchetti died in Milan on 13 November 1928, aged 78. He had a massive influence on 20th century ballet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) Couple of days late with this one: Michael Somes died in London on 18 November 1994, aged 77. Also, Alexandra Danilova was born in Peterhof, Russia, on 20 November 1903. I remember reading in her autobiography how George Balanchine told her she was too old for the de Basil company when he was hired as choreographer; she was 27! Edited November 20, 2014 by Melody 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi66 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 The great ballerina, Maya Prisetskaya's birthday is today - 20 November 1925. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 (edited) Can't edit the above post, but the latest video in the Royal Opera House Ballet Evolved series is about Cecchetti. Nichol Edmonds looks like Ed Milliband. I`m sure that`ll please him.! Edited November 21, 2014 by thequays 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 On 21 November 1940 Natalia Makarova was born. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGpSVhjbwoc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) Sad anniversary today. Italian dancer Giuseppina Bozzacchi was born in Milan on 23 November 1853. She was cast as Swanilda at the premiere of Coppelia with Paris Opera Ballet in May 1870, aged only 16; however, the ballet was cancelled in August because of the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, and the dancers lost their jobs. With no income, and in winter in a foreign country at war, she became ill with a fever and died on 23 November, her 17th birthday. Edited November 23, 2014 by Melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I think I read somewhere that the poor girl had smallpox. So horrible. ;( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 A lovely Kirov ballerina Alla Sizova (1939-2014) died yesterday. You can watch her here dancing with very young Nureyev and also some variations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kc_fiCc6UJE Apart from being a technically excellent dancer she possessed a rare charm. The Paris Academy of Dance awarded her with Anna Pavlova Prize for her Aurora. She was teaching in USA in 1990s. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) I read somewhere that she went back to Russia from teaching in Washington DC when her son died - no details, but that sounded like a very sad thing to happen. Two British anniversaries today: Sir Peter Wright was born on 25 November 1926 Sir Anton Dolin died in Paris on 25 November 1983, aged 79 Edited November 25, 2014 by Melody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) I read somewhere that she went back to Russia from teaching in Washington DC when her son died - no details, but that sounded like a very sad thing to happen. Yes, Melody, sadly, Alla Sizova lived through that worst of tragedies and she was very ill herself in her later years. But what a ballerina she was in 1960s-1970s! Still a student at Vaganova Academy she already had such strong technique and fantastic elevation that she was given a debut as the Queen of Driads on Mariinsky (then Kirov) stage before her graduation. There is a video of her filmed at a competition. Watch her jumps and Italian fuette made even more difficult by added pirouettes. Edited for typo. Edited November 25, 2014 by Amelia 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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