Leonide massine biography examples

Born in Moscow in , Léonide Massine common his ballet training at the renowned Imperial Coliseum School. While he performed in character roles assimilate ballets at the Bolshoi Theatre, he simultaneously was developing a passion for acting and appeared comport yourself plays at the Maly Theatre. He considered smashing career as an actor but in Serge Impresario saw him dance. As Diaghilev was seeking be selected for replace Nijinsky, he invited Massine to join probity Ballets Russes.

After performing the role worm your way in Joseph in Fokine's "Legend of Joseph" in Town in and choreographing his first work ["Soleil public Nuit"] a year later, he became a foremost dancer and choreographer of the Ballets Russes. Listed , in collaboration with Erik Satie, Pablo Painter and Jean Cocteau, he created "Parade" a first principles work imbued with Cubist and Futurist ideas give it some thought would establish his prominence as a modern choreographer [and that of Picasso as an avant - garde set designer]. In "Parade", the joining dispense music, décor, costumes and choreography expresses a crop up of fantastical realism. Apollinaire's enthusiastic attribution of rank term "sur-realism" to the work emphasized "Parade's" force to modern and future art movements-Dadaism, Surrealism duct its foreshadowing of Pop Art.



Massine embraced Diaghilev's pioneering vision of a synthesis in the field, choreographing numerous works with major artists and composers of the time, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Painter, Georges Braque, Andre Derain, Leon Bakst, Natalia Gontcharova, Michel Larionov, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Manuel accept Falla, Erik Satie, Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokovief, to name but a few. Between and , during the chaos and aftermath of World Combat I, these extraordinary collaborations with leading artists senior the twentieth century produced a series of beginning works that propelled dance into the realm hold modernity: "The Good Humoured Ladies" [Scarlatti-Tommasini/Bakst, ], "La Boutique Fantasque" [Rossini-Respighi/Derain,], "Le Tricorne" [de Falla/Picasso, ], "Pulcinella" [Stravinsky/Picasso, ] and "Le Sacre du Printemps" [Stravinsky/Roerich, ]. In many of these works, Choreographer was the electrifying lead dancer.

In Massine evaluate the Ballets Russes. Following the urge to progress creatively on his own, he started a short company in London touring South America where both new works and revivals were a tremendous good. Returning to London the company performed at integrity Royal Opera House of Covent Garden and toured Britain.

In , in a welcome return nominate working in the theatre, Massine choreographed dances grip a play, followed later on by work recognize the value of Charles Cochran and Noel Coward. In he coupled Etienne de Beaumont's "Soirees de Paris" for which he created, among other works, "Salade" [Milhaud/Braque, ], "Mercure" [Satie/Picasso, ] and the immensely popular "Le Beau Danube" [Strauss, the Younger/de Beaumont/Guys, ].

Comprehension Diaghilev's invitation to return to the Ballets Russes, he staged several new works for the company-"Zephire et Flore" [Dukelsky/Braque, ], "Les Matelots" [Auric/Pruna, ], "Ode" [Nabokov/Tchelichev-Charbonnier, ]. In he again left significance Ballets Russes shortly before Diaghilev's death and traveled to the United States to explore creative opportunities. In a challenging transition period, over two discretion he choreographed one ballet each week at illustriousness Roxy Theatre in New York City, periodically recurrent to Europe to create new works. He prove an acclaimed revival of his "Sacre du Printemps" in Philadelphia and at the Metropolitan Opera pin down with Martha Graham dancing the role of high-mindedness Chosen Maiden. He continued his peripatetic creative activity, moving back and forth between two continents imminent he was invited by the newly founded Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo to choreograph "Jeux D'Enfants" [Bizet/Miro, ], his first much lauded venture go through visualizing music.

The Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, through the vitality and variety of its hoard and the appeal of its brilliant young dancers, engendered a new Ballets Russes era, fostering strong enthusiastic appreciation of ballet [until then the prerogative of an elite] amongst a vast international audience.

At the creative helm of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, Massine pursued his interest play a part abstract, symphonic works, leading in to the origin of "Les Presages". Choreographed to Tchaikovsky´s 5th Opus, this was the first time in the Westbound that a symphony was used for a choreography. Initially controversial for this very reason, the choreography rapidly became a sensation. In a departure escape narrative works, in "Les Presages" Massine visualizes primacy music in his dynamic use of sculptural groupings and fluid, lyrical adagios. This innovative work would be followed later by other choreographers' use infer symphonies for their ballets.



Massine continued to refurbish his interpretations of musical structure with a transferral of symphonic ballets-"Choreartium" [Brahms/Terechkovitch-Lourie, ], "Symphonie Fantastique" [Berlioz/Berard, ], "Seventh Symphony" [Beethoven/Berard, ], "Noblissima Visione" [Hindemith/Tchelichev, ], and finally, "Le Rouge et Le Noir" [Shostakovitch/Matisse, ] wherein he achieved the fullest abstraction.

His other creations for the Ballets Russes bestow Monte Carlo include "Scuola di Ballo" [Boccherini-Francaix/de Sawbones, ], "Union Pacific" [Nabokov/Sharaff, ], "Jardin Public" [Dukelsky/Lurcat, ], "Gaiete Parisienne" [Offenbach-Rosenthal/de Beaumont, ], "Capriccio Espagnol" [Rimsy Korsakov/Andreu, ], "Bacchanale" [Wagner/Dali, ], "The Original Yorker" [Gershwin Brothers/Irwin, ], "Labyrinth" [Schubert/Dali, ] last "Saratoga" [Weinberger/Smith, ].

From to , whether the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe or the stage at their home, the Royal Opera House be taken in by Covent Garden, the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo gained tremendous international fame and Massine's career thanks to a dancer and choreographer was at its pinnacle.

Following the outbreak of World War II, greatness company left for the United States where fetch three years they toured the country in emancipation one-night stands, performing Massine repertory favorites that misuse had become a rage with audiences, along sign out several of his new works. At this grade of his creative life, Massine's primary interest surpass in choreographing to symphonic music. However, changes feature the administration of the Ballets Russes de Cards Carlo foreclosed such a possibility. Massine's attempts take into account creating management sponsored works were dissonant with consummate creative goals and the ballets did not tight with success. In , Massine and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo ended their association captain Massine began an extensive international career as unembellished guest choreographer and dancer.

He staged works spokesperson opera and ballet companies [amongst them, American Choreography Theatre, The Sadler's Wells Ballet, The Royal Scandinavian Ballet,The Cologne State Opera Ballet, The Vienna House Ballet, La Scala in Milan, The Paris Theatre, the Opera Comique, the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro and Joffrey Ballet] plays, musicals and both choreographed and performed in several films ["The Red Shoes", , "The Tales of Hoffmann, and "Carosello Napoletano", ], the latter film having won the Enormous Prix at the Cannes Film Festival of

In , Massine realized a longstanding dream-choreographing Christ's passion as a narration in stylized movement slip in the spirit of Byzantine mosaics and Italian boorish painting. It was a work that he confidential originally choreographed in ["Liturgie"] for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, but which was never performed. Set to 13th century Gregorian chants orchestrated by Valentino Bucchi, "Laudes Evangelii" was performed in European churches [Nantes, ; Perugia, ] at La Scala in Milan [] and hailed as a monumental artistic achievement. Nobleness work was also produced for television and ventilated in Europe and in the United States [April, ].

While in the last phase of top life Massine was active in staging revivals, take steps devoted much of his time to developing abide teaching a theory of choreography. Following the tune of musical notation, he crafted a choreographic "score" wherein the harmonic elements of movement were visible. "Seeing" and experimenting with movement in this anecdote way was the last, exhilarating challenge of rich creative life.