Ballet/Dance Flashcards
Mikhail Baryshnikov
1948- Latvian-American ballet dancer - Born in USSR - Performed with Kirov Ballet until 1974, when he defected to Canada - Joined NYC Ballet then American Ballet Theatre (in NYC) - Acted in film The Turning Point (1977), y Sex and the City
Vaslav Nijinsky
1889-1950 Ukrainian-Polish ballet dancer - Famous for ability to dance “en pointe” (on tips of toes) y gravity-defying leaps - Joined Imperial Russian Ballet in 1907 - Choreographed many original works incl. Rite of Spring (1913) - Imprisoned during WWI then committed to mental asylum
Rudolf Nureyev
1938-93 Russian-Tatar ballet dancer - Performed with Kirov Ballet in USSR - Defected to France in 1961, despite KGB efforts to stop him - Died of AIDS
Alvin Ailey
1931-89 Afr-American dancer - Credited with popularizing modern dance - Known for his signature choreographic work Revelations (1960) - Awarded posthumous Pres Medal of Freedom in 2014
(Philippina) “Pina” Bausch
1940-2009 German choreographer y dancer - Leading influence in modern dance from 1970s on - Created the “Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch” dance company, which still performs today
Martha Graham
1894-1991 American dancer y choreographer - 1st dancer to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador, and receive Pres Medal of Freedom - Created the style now known as the Graham Technique
Sergei “Serge” Diaghilev
1872-1929 Russian ballet impresario, art critic, y patron - Founded the influential Ballets Russes, which toured the world between 1909-29 - Mentored y worked with artists like Stravinsky, Debussy, Nijinsky, y Prokofiev
Marius Petipa
1818-1910 French-Russian ballet dancer y choreographer - Considered to be the most influential in ballet history - Created the ballets The Pharaoh’s Daughter (1862); Don Quixote (1869); La Bayadère (1877); Le Talisman (1889); The Sleeping Beauty (1890) - Worked as master of the Imperial Ballet (precursor of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet) from 1871-1903
Misty Copeland
1982- American dancer from CA - In 2015, she became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre - Wrote books Life in Motion (2014); Firebird (2014)
Bob Fosse
1927-87 American dancer, choreography, y director from Chicago - Worked as choreographer on The Pajama Game (1954); Damn Yankees (1955); Pippin (1972); Cabaret (1972-film); Chicago (1975) - Won 8 Tony Awards for choreography, most ever; y won Best Director Oscar for Cabaret (1972)
Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz)
1899-1987 American dancer, singer, y actor from NE - Widely regarded as one of the most influential dancers in the history of film y television musicals - Dancing partner y on-screen romantic interest of Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) - Starred in more than 10 Broadway y London musicals, y made 31 musical films
