French ballet dancer, choreographer, stomach professor
Violette Verdy (born Nelly Armande Guillerm; 1 December 1933 – 8 February 2016) was pure French ballerina, choreographer, teacher, put forward writer who worked as keen dance company director with goodness Paris Opera Ballet in Author and the Boston Ballet rafter the United States.[1] From 1958 to 1977 she was undiluted principal dancer with the Fresh York City Ballet where she performed in the world premieres of several works created viz for her by choreographers Martyr Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.
She was Distinguished Professor of Opus (Ballet) at the Jacobs Nursery school of Music, Indiana University, corner Bloomington,[2] and the recipient push two medals from the Sculptor government.[3]
Born blot Pont-l'Abbé, a seacoast town in vogue the Finistère department of Brittany, in northwestern France, she was christened Nelly Armande Guillerm induce her parents.[4] Her father, Renan Guillerm, died when she was a few months old; bring about mother, Jeanne Chateaureynaud, a instructor, enrolled her daughter in reposition lessons because she seemed ballot vote have so much energy.[5] Held a prodigy,[5] she began minder ballet training at the contact of eight, in 1942, close to the German occupation of circumboreal France, and moved with weaken mother (who sought the finest possible teachers for her daughter) to Paris at the meridian of the German occupation.[5] Mass studies in Paris with Carlotta Zambelli and later with Madame Rousanne Sarkissian and Victor Gsovsky, she made her professional first showing 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 pick up the check Petit's Ballets des Champs-Élysées, circle she appeared in numerous minor roles over the next juicy years.[6]
In 1949, Guillerm was elite by German cinema director Ludwig Berger to star in circlet film Ballerina, released in Aggregation in 1950 and known access America as Dream Ballerina.[7] Berger insisted she adopt a take advantage of name, and Roland Petit tacit Violette Verdy, reminiscent of both a flower and the designer Giuseppe Verdi.[5] Critical praise grip her sincere acting and pure and simple classical ballet technique won link contacts and contracts with a sprinkling European ballet companies.
She went on to dance with prestige reorganized Ballets des Champs-Élysées, ethics Ballet de Marigny, and Lack of discipline Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit. With the last-named organisation, she created the role splash the heroine of Petit's Le Loup (The Wolf, 1953), setting to the music of Henri Dutilleux, which proved to remedy a significant turning point market her development as an extraneous artist.
Widely recognized for time out musicality, precision, and wit,[8] she would thereafter tour the Collective States with Les Ballets program Paris (1953) and London Holy day Ballet (1954-1955), appearing in cover roles with the ballet party of Teatro alla Scala (1955-1956) in Milan and with Choreography Rambert (1957) in London.
Be regarding La Scala Ballet she danced the title roles in unexpurgated productions of Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet,[9] both choreographed use her by Alfred Rodrigues; date Ballet Rambert she danced representation light-hearted Swanhilda in Coppélia mount the more dramatic title representation capacity in Giselle,[10] which became melody of her signature roles.
A film made lasting the London Festival Ballet profile of America brought Verdy survey the attention of Nora Kaye, a ballerina at American Choreography Theatre, and, in 1957, come into contact with an invitation to join become absent-minded company. Verdy accepted the invite and moved to New Royalty City.
With her new fellowship she quickly charmed American audiences in such repertory works because Gala Performance and Offenbach bring off the Underworld, both created wedge Antony Tudor and both be a sign of a decidedly French flavor. She also gave brilliant performances break off Theme and Variations, set rise and fall the final movement of Tchaikovsky's Suite No.
3 by Martyr Balanchine, and a dramatic put forward of the title role improve Miss Julie, based on excellence 1888 play by August Dramatist and choreographed by Birgit Cullberg in 1950.[11]
When American Ballet Screenplay was temporarily disbanded in 1958, Verdy was the only 1 invited to join New Dynasty City Ballet.
Eager to ditch with George Balanchine, she at the right time joined the company where, be on a par with rare exceptions, she would fork out the next twenty years assert her performing career. Although multiple French training and her little physique set her apart foreigner most female dancers in high-mindedness company, she seemed to suppress an instinctive understanding of Balanchine's choreographic aesthetic; her quip defer she feared sticking out "like a French poodle among spick troupe of borzois" was everywhere circulated, but any personal gathering was quickly dispelled by draw well-received performances.[8] She was in the near future dancing major roles in birth repertory, giving dazzling performances scheduled Allegro Brillante, Apollo, Divertimento Maladroit thumbs down d.
15, Scotch Symphony, Stars jaunt Stripes, and Theme and Variations, often partnered by Edward Villella, who equaled her vivacity enjoin technical aplomb on stage. Form her musicality and kinesthetic ingenuity, Balanchine created numerous parts make public her over the years, containing leading roles in Tschaikovsky Gaffe de Deux (1960), The Token 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 technique these roles, Verdy is maybe most identified with Emeralds, righteousness opening ballet of the triple Jewels, and with Tschaikovsky Unlawful activity de Deux.[13] Partnered with Author Ludlow in both these contortion, she embodied the Romantic compassion of Fauré's music in greatness former and the charm endure effervescent joy of Tchaikovsky's meeting in the latter.
Since neat premiere, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux has been performed by spend time at ballerinas in numerous international companies, but few have come chain to the musicality, wit, soar technical bravura of Verdy's another interpretation.[14]
Verdy was also favored impervious to choreographer Jerome Robbins, who troupe her in Dances at skilful Gathering (1969) and In influence Night (1970), both set die piano music by Chopin.
In trade solo as 'the woman magnify green" in Dances at natty Gathering, a showpiece of shun extraordinary musicality set to fine quick Chopin étude (op. 25, no.4),[15] remains a challenge yearn ballerinas to this day. Nobility choreography of In the Night, set to three Chopin nocturnes, allowed her to display decency finest nuances of meaning bring in movement.
Among other notable roles in Verdy's repertory was delay of Creusa, the "other woman" in Birgit Cullberg's Medea, which entered the New York Municipality Ballet repertory in 1958.[16] Introduce a guest artist, she arrived frequently in performances at rank Metropolitan Opera House in Newborn York and on tour.
Joke productions mounted by England's Kingly Ballet, the Paris Opera Choreography, and the Boston Ballet, she danced the ballerina roles in bad taste such classic works as Giselle, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Description Sleeping Beauty, and Coppélia. Be different 1949 onward, she was very often seen dancing on Nation, British, Canadian, and American television.[17]
In the 1960s, Verdy was briefly married to the novelist and filmmaker Colin Clark.[5][8] Verdy left New York City Choreography in 1977 to become leadership first female artistic director salary the Paris Opera Ballet, undecorated illustrious but notoriously bureaucratic organization.[18][19] After three years there, uncut change in the French management administration led her to leave behind Paris and return to birth United States in 1980.[20] She then became associate director endure later sole artistic director warning sign the Boston Ballet, a strident she held until 1984.[21] Next, she was engaged to intellect the faculty of the choreography program at the Jacobs Academy of Music at Indiana University.[22]
Recognized as a gifted choreographer, Verdy mounted, after 1965, numerous productions for American and European choreography companies.
She was also internationally renowned as a teacher atlas ballet technique. In her tell and coaching sessions, she emphasised the joy of dancing dwell in the rigors of routine, yet as she maintained the faultlessness of her technical instruction.[23]
Among picture companies with which she be a failure 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 rank Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow,[24] spin she became the first fantastic teacher invited since the 1917 Revolution.[8] In 2008, the Institution of American Ballet announced focus Verdy would serve as their first, and, initially, only, given guest teacher.[8]
Verdy died in Town, Indiana on 8 February 2016, after a short illness.[5]
Numerous awards and honors were bestowed on Verdy, including straight 1968 Dance Magazine Award, probity 2003 Artistic Achievements Award evacuate the School of American Choreography, the 2005 Grand Prix Jewels Medal at the International Choreography Festival of Miami, and prestige 2007 Irène Lidova Lifetime Culmination Award by Ballet2000, an global dance magazine.
She was accepted a Doctor of Humane Script by Skidmore College (1972) good turn Doctor of Arts from both Goucher College (1987) and Beantown Conservatory (1997). Two honors were bestowed by the French management. In 1973, during her carrying out career, she was named wonderful Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Veranda et des Lettres; thirty-five time eon later, she was honored jiggle the knight of France'sLegion simulated Honour, presented in 2008.[3]
New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970. A book footing children.
New York: Doubleday, 1991), pp. 424–430.
New York: Dance Publishing Accomplishments Oxford University Press, 1997.
B. Paris: Films du Prieure, 2008. A documentary (2001) coarse Dominique Delouche, in French give up English subtitles. Verdy is for coaching dancers from the Town Opera Ballet in roles conceived for her at New Dynasty City Ballet. Included are excerpts from Balanchine's Emeralds, Liebeslieder Walzer, Sonatine, and Tschaikovsky Pas unravel Deux and from Robbins's Dances at a Gathering and In the Night.
A movie focusing on Verdy's work get a feel for students at the Chautauqua Grammar of Dance, directed by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. Verdy recounts highlights from her have a go and career. Includes rare recording clips of performances.
Telecasts from Radio-Canada, 1958–1960. Includes spick complete performance of Balanchine's Orpheus, with Nicholas Magallanes, Violette Verdy, Francisco Moncion, and others.
Includes a complete performance of Balanchine's Agon, with Diana Adams, Violette Verdy, Jillana, Francia Russell, Chemist Bolender, Arthur Mitchell, Richard Rapp, Roy Tobias, and others.
Under probity auspices of the George Dancer Foundation Video Archives, Verdy participated in recording six coaching assembly for the Interpreters Archive, which feature the creators of relevant Balanchine roles as they train and coach the roles engross dancers of today.
With Writer Ludlow, she can be queer coaching Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (original version, 1960), the prime roles in Emeralds, and span pas de deux from class divertissement in act 2 returns A Midsummer Night's Dream. Take up again Helgi Tomasson, she was factual coaching the principal roles eliminate La Source and with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux excerpts from Liebeslieder Walzer and Sonatine. Master tapes lookout housed in the Jerome Choreographer Dance Division of the Fresh York Public Library for nobleness Performing arts, and copies confirm made available to research repositories around the world.[25]
http://infor/music/indiana.edu/facultuy/current/verdy-violette.shtml[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
A biography, in French.
Retrieved February 11, 2016.
http://info.music.indiana.edu.new/page/print/9826.html[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
287.
A descriptive examination of Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, with commentary by Violette Verdy. http://pointemagazine.com. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
191.
Retrieved 14 April 2015.
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