Term
| catherine de medici (1519-1559) |
|
Definition
| encouraged the development of dance in her court and a great patron of the arts |
|
|
Term
| thoinot arbeau (1519-1595) |
|
Definition
| wrote an extensive history and description of dances performed in the italian and french courts during the Renaissance (Orchestolgraphie) |
|
|
Term
| Pierre Beauchamps (1636-1705) |
|
Definition
| codified the fundamentals of ballet movement and developed the first system of dance notation He recorded the five positions of the feet. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| french king who granted a charter establishing the Academe Royale de Danse in 1661. known as the sun king. he promoted the art of dance and established it as a profession |
|
|
Term
| Jean baptiste lully (1632-1687) |
|
Definition
| Under his direction, the academe royale de danse, chartered by louis XIV trained professional dancers. he developed virtuosity and mobility and invented many steps still in the ballet vocabulary |
|
|
Term
| Marie Camargo (1710-1770) |
|
Definition
| The first ballerina to shorten her skirts and adopt heelless slippers to facilitate and display her footwork |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| created the ballet La Fille Mal Guarde (the Ill Guarded Girl) in 1789 |
|
|
Term
| Jean George Noverre (1727-1810) |
|
Definition
| Wrote Letters on Dancing and Ballets in 1760, greatly influencing choreographic movement. he emphasized that all elements of a ballet should work in harmony to express the theme. many of his pupils became influential teachers and choreographers. he codified the seven qualities of movement |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| developed expression of her characters' emotions through action. her most famous role was Pygmalion in 1734 when she broke with custom and dance in a greek robe instead of the traditional corset and full skirt |
|
|
Term
| auguste vestris (1760-1843) |
|
Definition
| great teacher of the french school renowned for jumps and leaps. trained by his father, geatan vestris, he was considered the greatest male dancer of his time |
|
|
Term
| Salvatore Vigano (1769-1821) |
|
Definition
| concerned with the relationship between dance and music, he contributed the use of pantomime to replace conventionalized gestures used in plot development. he was the nephew of the composer, boccerini |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| English choreographer who eliminated the use of songs in ballets moving the plot forward with dance and pantomime. he authored several books on dance, including Orchesography or the Art of Dancing and Time and Cadence in Dancing |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Wrote Code of Terpsicore in 1830. This was a fundamental system of instruction developing a comprehensive manner for practicing and teaching the art of ballet. he is credited with inventing the attitude |
|
|
Term
| Auguste Bounonville (1805-1879) |
|
Definition
| Established a system of training in Denmark in the late 1800s promoting technical expertise and maintaining the romantic traditions. his teaching was the foundation of The Royal Danish Ballet and his ballets are performed today |
|
|
Term
| Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928) |
|
Definition
| an italian ballet dancer who is considered one of the most gifted teachers in ballet history. noted for his technique, cecchetti became ballet master of the imperial ballet in st. petersburg, russia in 1890. from 1910-1913 he was ballet master of the Diaghilev Ballets Russes. Cecchetti opened his own school in London in 1913 and developed the Cecchetti method of the systematic teaching of ballet. his pupils included Anna Pavlova, Leonide Massine, and Vaslav Nijinski |
|
|
Term
| Charles Didelot (1767-1837) |
|
Definition
| reformed the imperial school in russia to produce dancers who expressed themselves through movement and mime. he used invisible wires to make his dancers appear to be floating, giving rise to the development of dancing on the toes |
|
|
Term
| Fanny Elssler (1810-1884) |
|
Definition
| a ballerina of the romantic era, preferred earth roles to sylphs and became known for performing choreography based on national dances. she was one of the first european ballerinas to tour the united states |
|
|
Term
| Theophile Gautier (1811-1872) |
|
Definition
| an influential critic who shaped the public taste and enthusiasm for ballet during the entire course of the romantic age |
|
|
Term
| marius petipa (1818-1910) |
|
Definition
| used grand themes to introduce technical virtuosity into his ballets. as cheif choreographer of the imperial russian ballet in the 1890s. he created the great and enduring ballets The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake both in 1890 |
|
|
Term
| Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) |
|
Definition
| starred in the first performance of La Sylphide in 1832. with her father filipo taglioni as choreographer and teacher, they developed an ethereal style of ballet that became synonymous with the romantic er. Marie was the first to sustain balance on the tips of her toes by the use of specially stitched ballet shoes, the precursor to pointe |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a cuban ballerina and choreographer who danced on broadway and starred with the major ballet companies of her day. she had a very large repertoire that ranged from classical to modern dance. she founded a ballet school in cuba in 1948 and established The National Ballet of Cuba |
|
|
Term
| Sir Frederick Ashton (1904-1988) |
|
Definition
| A British dancer and choreographer who led The Royal Ballet of London to its esteemed international reputation. Studying under the Russian choreographer Leonide Massine and England's marie Rambert, his early works from 1926-1935 were influential in securing his permanent residency with the Vic-Wells Ballet (later to become Sadler's Wells and finally The Royal Ballet) His long choreographic association with Dame Margot Fonteyn gave her some of her most famous roles. Memorable ballets such as Marguerite and Armand in 1963 (with Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev) Enigma Variations in 1968 and Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan for Lynn Seymour in 1976 are but a few of his great ballets that are still in repertoire today |
|
|
Term
| George Balanchine (1904-1983) |
|
Definition
| Born in Russia, a dancer and choreographer who became a member of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1924. he moved to the United States in 1934 at the request of licoln kirstein and toegether they founded the School of American Ballet. in 1948 he became the artistic director and principle choreographer of the New York City Ballet. One of the most important figures in ballet in the 20th century, his style of teaching and choreographic works are legendary. he emphasized form that was often abstract as in Agon as well as liltingly beautiful style as in Leibeslider Waltzes. He left the dance world with a huge repertory of ballets |
|
|
Term
| Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948-) |
|
Definition
| Latvian by birth, he began studying at the Riga Ballet School, then continued at the Kirov Ballet School, joining the company in 1968. he was proclaimed the 'wonder boy' of ballet by the London critics in 1970 when he first performed in the west. he defected while on tour in Toronto in 1974, citing the issue of artistic freedom. he performed with companies such as The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theater, where he served a brief term as artistic director. renowned as one of the most influential male dancers, he performed ballet classics to modern works. he has appeared in movies White Nights with his famous pirouette with 11 turns and The Turning Pointe. He currently directs the White Oak Dance Project, a modern dance company |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| joining The Royal Danish Ballet company in 1947, he became the greatest proponent of the Bounonville techniuqe. he was a classic and elegant premiere danseur who performed as a guest artist with companies through-out the world. he served as director of The Royal Swedish Ballet from 1963 to 1974 and then began an association with the National Ballet Canada. An accomplished choreographer, as well as dancer, Bruhn created many original works and co-authored Bournonville and Ballet Technique |
|
|
Term
| Fernando Bujones (1955-2005) |
|
Definition
| born in miami, florida. he began his early training with Alicia Alonso in Cuba. after a short stay with the School of American Ballet, he joined the American Ballet Theatre in 1972. He was made a principle dancer at the age of 18, only two years after joining the company. Recognized as one of the world's greatest male dancers, he appeared as a guest artist with companies around the world. he remained a principle with ABT until 1985. Bujones returned to Florida in 2000 and became the director of the Southern Ballet Theater in Orlando where he remained until his untimely death |
|
|
Term
| Jacques D'Amboise (1934-) |
|
Definition
| An American dancer and choreographer who became a soloist with the New York City Ballet in 1953. He is best known for American-themed works such as Filing Station and Western Symphony and he was the quintessential male dancer developed by George Balanchine. He also performed in the films Carousel and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. In 1976 founded the National Dance Institute, bringing the teaching of dance into the public schools |
|
|
Term
| Ninette de Valois (1898-2001) |
|
Definition
| english ballerina, choreographer and director born in ireland. after a career performing with companies in Europe, she established the Sadler's Wells Ballet School, now known as The Royal Ballet, London |
|
|
Term
| Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) |
|
Definition
| Russian impresario who revived ballet as a serious art form with his Ballets Russes (1909-1929) he studied law in St. Petersburg and attempted to pursue a career as a composer. idssuaded from doing so by the composer Nikolai Rimsky-korsakov, he joined a circle of artists and writers and edited a progressive art journal. in 1899 he became artistic advisor to the Imperial theaters in Moscow, producing operas and ballets. in 1909 he collaborated with Mikhail Foklin, Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, and Adollph Bohm establishing Ballets Russe. Unifying dance, music, drama, and painting the impact of this company on 20th century dance is inestimable. He was extraordinarily effective in drawing together the major talents of his day and acting as a catalyst for much of the art and music of the era. He commissioned musical scores from Igor Stravinsky, Manual de Falla, and Maurice Ravel and encouraged choreographers such as Bronislava Najinska and Balanchine |
|
|
Term
| Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991) |
|
Definition
| Born Peggy Hookham in England, she first studied ballet in Shanghai. returning to london, she continued her studies at the Sadlers' Wells Ballet School, joining its company The Royal Ballet in 1934. Known for her gentle grace and lovely style, her most famous roles were Giselle, Ondine, The sleeping Beauty, and Marguerite and Armand (with Rudolph Nureyev) She continued her career performing into the 1960s wrote her autobiography and a children's ballet syllabus for the Royal Academy of Dancing, and starred in a public television multi-part documentary on the history of dance |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Born in LA, California, joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1961, moving to the American Ballet Theater in 1965. quickly promoted to principle dancer, she made her debut as Odette-Odile in 1967, a role that became her trademark. A beautiful technical dancer with a statuesque physique, she was a strong presence in the full ABT repertoire. Known as America's prima ballerina, she retired from performing in 1991 and continues to teach and coach |
|
|
Term
| Robert Joffrey (1928-1988) |
|
Definition
| Beginning as a tap dancer he turned to the study of ballet with mary ann wells in seattle, washington. it was there that he met gerald arpino, who would one day become his company's co-director. he moved to new york in 1948 and studied at the school of american ballet. after performing for a year with roland petit's company, ballets de paris, he left to form his own school, the american ballet center in 1953. he forma a small company that performed his first ballet Persephone in 1954. joining with arpino in 1956 He formed the Robert Joffrey Ballet by 1966 the company became the City Center Joffrey Ballet and grew to international fame. after his death in 1988 gerald arpino moved the company to chicago, renaming it the joffrey ballet of chicago |
|
|
Term
| Lincoln Kirstein (1907-1997) |
|
Definition
| An American writer, theater, and dance executive, born in rochester, new york. he was the co-founder of the school of american ballet with george balanchine in 1934. become the general director of the new york city ballet (1948-1989) he encouraged a truly american style in dance. his books include Dance (1935), Movement and Metaphor (1970), and Nijinsky Dancing (1975) Acknowledged as one of the most important influences in american dance |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| russian-french dancer and choreographer with exceptional stage presence. he was a premier danseur with the diaghilev ballets russes prior to becoming director of the paris opera ballet in 1929. he completely revitalized the company and created over 50 ballets with themes on myth, legend, and history. his choreography used male dancers in dominant rather than supporting roles |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| growing up in Leningrad, she attended the kirov ballet school, joining their company in 1959. during her career with the kirov ballet, she won acclaim for her superb technique and dramatic protrayals. One of her most famous roles was Giselle she defected to the west in 1970 seeking artist freedom and joined the american ballet theater. dancing classical and contemporary works, she was the quintessential ballerina. her portrayal of juliet was renowned. as a choreographer makarova has re-staged La Bayadere and Swan Lake Winning a tony award for the musical on your toes in 1983, she continues to perform as an actress and is in demand as a choreographer and coach |
|
|
Term
| Dame Alicia Markova (1910-2004) |
|
Definition
| born alice marks in england, she danced with diaghilev's ballets russes from 192501929. together with anton dolin, she founded the london festival ballet in 1950. known for her delicacy, lightness, and humor, markova excelled in classical roles such as giselle and dramatic roles by antony tudor |
|
|
Term
| Leonide Massine (1895-1979) |
|
Definition
| A russian-american choreographer and ballet dancer born in moscow. he was the principle dancer and choreographer of diaghilev's ballets russes (1914-21, 1925-28) and the ballet russe de monte carlo (1932-42) his early choreography interpreted symophonic music and he moved into modern themes with the composer igor stravinsky |
|
|
Term
| Agnes de Mille (1908-1993) |
|
Definition
| born in new york city, an american dancer and choreographer. she created the first major truly american ballet, rodeo in 1942. she transformed dance on the broadway stage when she choreographed the musical oklahoma in 1943. this was the first time dance was used to move the plot forward. she created fall river legend for american ballet theater in 1948. she also wrote books on dance and several autobiographies. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| studied under balanchine at the school of american ballet and became the first black dancer to join the new york city ballet. in 1969 he formed the dance theater of harlem which ahs become a world-renowned school and internationally recognized company |
|
|
Term
| Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950) |
|
Definition
| russian dancer and choreographer who made his debut in 1907 in st. petersburg he became premier danseur with diaghilev's ballets russe performing his greatest roles: petruchka, afternoon of a faun, and sacre du printemps. considered the greatest male dancer of his age, his career was cut short by insantiy in 1919 |
|
|
Term
| Rudolph Nureyev (1938-1993) |
|
Definition
| russian-born dancer and choreographer, he was the most virtuosic, charismatic, and influential male dancer of his generation. studying at the lenningrad ballet school, he became a soloist with the kirov ballet while on tour in paris in 1961, nureyev fled from soviet security and defected to the west. he joined the royal ballet in london and began his legendary partnership with dame margot fonteyn. guest performances with companies through-out the world followed and his choreographic reconstructions of Swan Lake and Don Quixote received critical acclaim. he was the subject of the 1972 film I am a Dancer |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the most famous classical ballerina of her era, she was born in st. petersburg, russia. trained at the imperial ballet school, she debuted as a soloist in 1899. elevated to prima ballerina in 1906, she then toured europe with the ballets russes. she made her american debut with the renowned dancer mikhail mordkin in 1910 at the metropolitan opera house in new york city. she formed her own company that toured from 1911 until 1925. pavlova danced extensively in Europe, the americas, asia, and africa, often bringing the art of ballet into remote areas. admired for her poetic quality of movement and an outstanding representative of classical russian technique, she was also interested in ethnic techniques from india and japan. pavlova's most famous classical roles were in Giselle, Don Quixote, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, and in the solo dance the dying swan choreographed for her by michel fokine |
|
|
Term
| Jerome Robbins (1918-1998) |
|
Definition
| american choreographer and theatrical director born in new york city. after attening new york university, he became a broadway dancer and joined the newly formed ballet theatre (later to become american ballet theatre) in 1940. his first ballet fancy free choreographed in 1944 to music by leonard bernstein was later expanded into the musical on the town. successes in musical theater such as call me madam in 1950 and The King and I in 1951 established him as a leading boradway choreographer. other notable musicals directed and choreographed by him are bells are ringing (1956), west side story (1957), gypsy (1959), fiddler on the roof (1964), and jerome robbin's broadway (1989). he served as associate artistic director of the new york city ballet from 1949-1963 and with peter martins as co ballet master in chief from 1983-1989. robins continued to choreograph works for many ballet companies. they include dances at a gathering (1969), goldberg variations (1971), and glass pieces (1983) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| american ballerina admired for her brilliant technical command. she was born in fairfax, oklahoma, the daughter of the chief of the soage tribe and originally studied to be a pianist. after training with the polish choreographer bronislava nijinska, she danced primarily with the new york city ballet. she was married to george balanchine from 1946-51. she founded the chicago city ballet in 1979. her autobiography maria tallchief: america's prima ballerina was published in 1997. her sister majorie tallchief also became a noted ballerina |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| born in london, england he started ballet classes at the age of 16. only three years later he was aked to join the ballet club as founder marie rambert's assistant. he premiered his first balelt in 1931 and went on to become one of the ballet world's most respected choreographers. known for portraying characters with deep emotion and conflict, he developed the psychological threads involved in the realtionships of these characters. he established the american ballet theatre in new york city with lucia chase and agnes de mille in 1939. among his most famous ballets are jardin aux lilas (1936), Dark Elegies (1937), Pillar of Fire (1942) and leaves are fading (1975). he will be most remembered for his influence on contemporary ballet that stemmed from his physchological study of his characters |
|
|
Term
| Agrippina Vaganova (1879-1951) |
|
Definition
| russian ballerina who was one of the greatest teachers in the history of ballet. born and trained in st. petersburg, she danced for 19 years at the maryinsky theatre (later the kirov ballet, now the st. petersburg ballet) her brilliant footwork and leaps won her the title 'queen of variations' she began teaching in 1921 at the leningrad choreographic school, becoming its director in 1934. her teaching system based on her analysis of many schools of classical technique, stresses coordination of the entire body with particular emphasis on strength in the back her book Basic principles of classical ballet was published in 1934 |
|
|
