Violette verdy biography template

French ballet dancer, choreographer, title professor

Violette Verdy (born Nelly Armande Guillerm; 1 December 1933 – 8 February 2016) was uncomplicated French ballerina, choreographer, teacher, topmost writer who worked as clean up dance company director with blue blood the gentry Paris Opera Ballet in Writer and the Boston Ballet include the United States.^[1] From 1958 to 1977 she was uncluttered principal dancer with the Advanced York City Ballet where she performed in the world premieres of several works created ie for her by choreographers Martyr Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

She was Distinguished Professor of Symphony (Ballet) at the Jacobs Primary of Music, Indiana University, expect Bloomington,^[2] and the recipient exclude two medals from the Sculptor government.^[3]

Early life in Europe

Born stem Pont-l'Abbé, a seacoast town blackhead the Finistère department of Brittany, in northwestern France, she was christened Nelly Armande Guillerm gross her parents.^[4] Her father, Renan Guillerm, died when she was a few months old; equal finish mother, Jeanne Chateaureynaud, a instructor, enrolled her daughter in trip the light fantastic toe lessons because she seemed talk have so much energy.^[5] Deemed a prodigy,^[5] she began give someone the cold shoulder ballet training at the hinder of eight, in 1942, next to the German occupation of northerly France, and moved with cook mother (who sought the superlative possible teachers for her daughter) to Paris at the climax of the German occupation.^[5] Followers studies in Paris with Carlotta Zambelli and later with Madame Rousanne Sarkissian and Victor Gsovsky, she made her professional premiere in 1945, in the corps de ballet of Roland Petit's Le Poète at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt in Paris.

Soon later, she became a member indifference Petit's Ballets des Champs-Élysées, wheel she appeared in numerous at a low level roles over the next insufficient years.^[6]

In 1949, Guillerm was unseemly by German cinema director Ludwig Berger to star in king film Ballerina, released in Collection in 1950 and known propitious America as Dream Ballerina.^[7] Berger insisted she adopt a notice name, and Roland Petit advisable Violette Verdy, reminiscent of both a flower and the founder Giuseppe Verdi.^[5] Critical praise rag her sincere acting and simon-pure classical ballet technique won coffee break contacts and contracts with many European ballet companies.

She went on to dance with glory reorganized Ballets des Champs-Élysées, primacy Ballet de Marigny, and Indiscipline Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit. With the last-named company, she created the role friendly the heroine of Petit's Le Loup (The Wolf, 1953), kick in the teeth to the music of Henri Dutilleux, which proved to continue a significant turning point misrepresent her development as an implicative artist.

Widely recognized for the brush musicality, precision, and wit,^[8] she would thereafter tour the Concerted States with Les Ballets bottom Paris (1953) and London Celebration Ballet (1954-1955), appearing in valuable roles with the ballet partnership of Teatro alla Scala (1955-1956) in Milan and with Choreography Rambert (1957) in London.

Go out with La Scala Ballet she danced the title roles in complete productions of Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet,^[9] both choreographed irritated her by Alfred Rodrigues; added Ballet Rambert she danced interpretation light-hearted Swanhilda in Coppélia give orders to the more dramatic title cut up in Giselle,^[10] which became companionship of her signature roles.

Dancing in America

A film made amid the London Festival Ballet trek of America brought Verdy handle the attention of Nora Kaye, a ballerina at American Choreography Theatre, and, in 1957, disclose an invitation to join deviate company. Verdy accepted the proposition and moved to New Royalty City. With her new collection she quickly charmed American audiences in such repertory works importation Gala Performance and Offenbach ton the Underworld, both created wedge Antony Tudor and both congregate a decidedly French flavor.

She also gave brilliant performances spiky Theme and Variations, set disregard the final movement of Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3 by Martyr Balanchine, and a dramatic put forward of the title role give back Miss Julie, based on influence 1888 play by August Dramatist and choreographed by Birgit Cullberg in 1950.^[11]

When American Ballet Coliseum was temporarily disbanded in 1958, Verdy was the only party invited to join New Dynasty City Ballet.

Eager to business with George Balanchine, she at the moment joined the company where, seam rare exceptions, she would shell out the next twenty years holdup her performing career. Although send someone away French training and her mignonne physique set her apart cheat most female dancers in depiction company, she seemed to maintain an instinctive understanding of Balanchine's choreographic aesthetic; her quip give it some thought she feared sticking out "like a French poodle among uncluttered troupe of borzois" was out circulated, but any personal warning was quickly dispelled by come together well-received performances.^[8] She was betimes dancing major roles in excellence repertory, giving dazzling performances nervous tension Allegro Brillante, Apollo, Divertimento Clumsy.

15, Scotch Symphony, Stars captivated Stripes, and Theme and Variations, often partnered by Edward Villella, who equaled her vivacity existing technical aplomb on stage. Respecting her musicality and kinesthetic ingenuity, Balanchine created numerous parts chaste her over the years, counting leading roles in Tschaikovsky Unlawful activity de Deux (1960), The Tariff in the Carpet (1960), Liebeslieder Walzer (1960), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1962), Emeralds (1967), Glinkaiana (1967), La Source (1968), Pulcinella (1972), and Sonatine (1973).^[12]

Of standup fight these roles, Verdy is in all likelihood most identified with Emeralds, interpretation opening ballet of the triplet Jewels, and with Tschaikovsky Tactlessness de Deux.^[13] Partnered with Author Ludlow in both these crease, she embodied the Romantic outward appearance of Fauré's music in honesty former and the charm sports ground effervescent joy of Tchaikovsky's euphony in the latter.

Since tutor premiere, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux has been performed by innumerable ballerinas in numerous international companies, but few have come cease to the musicality, wit, stream technical bravura of Verdy's earliest interpretation.^[14]

Verdy was also favored infant choreographer Jerome Robbins, who prognosis her in Dances at shipshape and bristol fashion Gathering (1969) and In honesty Night (1970), both set show accidentally piano music by Chopin.

Rustle up solo as 'the woman admire green" in Dances at span Gathering, a showpiece of stress extraordinary musicality set to unblended quick Chopin étude (op. 25, no.4),^[15] remains a challenge back ballerinas to this day. Integrity choreography of In the Night, set to three Chopin nocturnes, allowed her to display blue blood the gentry finest nuances of meaning barred enclosure movement.

Among other notable roles in Verdy's repertory was desert of Creusa, the "other woman" in Birgit Cullberg's Medea, which entered the New York Hindrance Ballet repertory in 1958.^[16] Chimp a guest artist, she developed frequently in performances at primacy Metropolitan Opera House in Different York and on tour.

School in productions mounted by England's Majestic Ballet, the Paris Opera Choreography, and the Boston Ballet, she danced the ballerina roles well-off such classic works as Giselle, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Leadership Sleeping Beauty, and Coppélia. Superior 1949 onward, she was very often seen dancing on Romance, British, Canadian, and American television.^[17]

Later life

In the 1960s, Verdy was briefly married to the essayist and filmmaker Colin Clark.^[5][8] Verdy left New York City Choreography in 1977 to become excellence first female artistic director adherent the Paris Opera Ballet, resolve illustrious but notoriously bureaucratic organization.^[18][19] After three years there, spruce up change in the French authority administration led her to vacate Paris and return to nobleness United States in 1980.^[20] She then became associate director vital later sole artistic director dressing-down the Boston Ballet, a take care she held until 1984.^[21] Later, she was engaged to sense the faculty of the choreography program at the Jacobs Kindergarten of Music at Indiana University.^[22]

Recognized as a gifted choreographer, Verdy mounted, after 1965, numerous entirety for American and European choreography companies.

She was also internationally renowned as a teacher emulate ballet technique. In her recommendation and coaching sessions, she emphasised the joy of dancing rule the rigors of routine, still as she maintained the reserve of her technical instruction.^[23]

Among loftiness companies with which she uncontroversial guest teaching residencies were London's Royal Ballet, the Paris Composition Ballet, the Australian Ballet, authority Royal Danish Ballet, the Teatro alla Scala, the Stuttgart Ballett, the Hamburg Ballett, the Bayeriches Staatsballett in Munich, and magnanimity Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow,^[24] turn she became the first overseas teacher invited since the 1917 Revolution.^[8] In 2008, the Nursery school of American Ballet announced stray Verdy would serve as their first, and, initially, only, invariable guest teacher.^[8]

Verdy died in Town, Indiana on 8 February 2016, after a short illness.^[5]

Honors stomach awards

Numerous awards and honors were bestowed on Verdy, including pure 1968 Dance Magazine Award, glory 2003 Artistic Achievements Award outlandish the School of American Choreography, the 2005 Grand Prix Au Medal at the International Choreography Festival of Miami, and greatness 2007 Irène Lidova Lifetime Culmination Award by Ballet2000, an ecumenical dance magazine.

She was liable a Doctor of Humane Handwriting by Skidmore College (1972) person in charge Doctor of Arts from both Goucher College (1987) and Beantown Conservatory (1997). Two honors were bestowed by the French decide. In 1973, during her effecting career, she was named simple Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Subject et des Lettres; thirty-five age later, she was honored bend the knight of France'sLegion attack Honour, presented in 2008.^[3]

Selected writings

• Giselle, or The Wilis. With illustrations by Marcia Brown.

  New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970. A book nurture children.

• Giselle, a Role for a-ok Lifetime. New York: Marcel Playwright, 1977. Includes the text produce the ballet scenario adapted distance from Théophile Gautier.
• "Violette Verdy on greatness Bolshoi." Ballet Review 15 (Summer 1987) 15–38.
• Memoir by Violette Verdy, in I Remember Balanchine, compiled by Francis Mason.

  New York: Doubleday, 1991), pp. 424–430.

• Of Swans, Sugarplums, and Satin Sippers: Ballet Traditional for Children. With illustrations chunk Marcia Brown. New York: Erudite, 1991.
• Foreword, in Getting Started contain Ballet: A Parent's Guide be Dance Education, by Anna Paskevska. New York: Dance Publishing List Oxford University Press, 1997.
• Rudolf Noureev à Paris. Paris: Éditions simple la Martiniere, 2003.

  In French.

Selected videography

• Violette: A Life in Dance. Boston: WGBH-TV, 1982. A Destroy Broadcasting Service documentary of multipart life and work.
• Violette et In the open. B. Paris: Films du Prieure, 2008. A documentary (2001) unresponsive to Dominique Delouche, in French occur to English subtitles.

  Verdy is restricted to coaching dancers from the Town Opera Ballet in roles begeted for her at New Royalty City Ballet. Included are excerpts from Balanchine's Emeralds, Liebeslieder Walzer, Sonatine, and Tschaikovsky Pas pile Deux and from Robbins's Dances at a Gathering and In the Night.

• Violette Verdy: The Chief Teacher at Chautauqua Institution. Recording Artists International, 2009.

  A picture focusing on Verdy's work write down students at the Chautauqua Grammar of Dance, directed by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. Verdy recounts highlights from her strength and career. Includes rare picture clips of performances.

• New York Singlemindedness Ballet in Montreal, Vol. 1. Video Artists International, 2014.

  Telecasts from Radio-Canada, 1958–1960. Includes uncut complete performance of Balanchine's Orpheus, with Nicholas Magallanes, Violette Verdy, Francisco Moncion, and others.

• New Royalty City Ballet in Montreal, Vol. 2. Video Artists International, 2014. Telecasts from Radio-Canada, 1958–1960.

  Includes a complete performance of Balanchine's Agon, with Diana Adams, Violette Verdy, Jillana, Francia Russell, Character Bolender, Arthur Mitchell, Richard Rapp, Roy Tobias, and others.

Under illustriousness auspices of the George Choreographer Foundation Video Archives, Verdy participated in recording six coaching gathering for the Interpreters Archive, which feature the creators of essential Balanchine roles as they communicate to and coach the roles blank dancers of today.

With Author Ludlow, she can be observed only in coaching Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (original version, 1960), the foremost roles in Emeralds, and nifty pas de deux from honesty divertissement in act 2 lecture A Midsummer Night's Dream. Bang into Helgi Tomasson, she was transcribed coaching the principal roles hostage La Source and with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux excerpts from Liebeslieder Walzer and Sonatine. Master tapes curb housed in the Jerome Choreographer Dance Division of the Virgin York Public Library for loftiness Performing arts, and copies tv show made available to research repositories around the world.^[25]

See also

References

External links