April 15
Born Today:
Marie Camargo
Early ballerina Marie Camargo (1710-1770) is the dancer credited with swapping heeled shoes for flat, flexible slippers and for shortening her skirts to mid-calf so the audience could see her intricate footwork. These wardrobe changes freed women to practice more demanding steps and in fact, she was the first female dancer to perform the entrechat quatre, a jump in which the legs quickly switch positions multiple times in the air. Camargo was a student of Françoise Prévost (c.1680-1741), one of the first dancers of the newly-established Paris Opera, who also taught ballerina Marie Sallé (1707-1756), sometimes considered her rival, as their approaches to dance were so dissimilar.
Also Born Today: Ballet dancer Serge Lifar (1905-1986) began dancing with the original Ballets Russes in 1923 and was featured in the early version of Apollo (1928 - originally titled Apollon Musagète) by George Balanchine (1904-1983). Lifar helmed the Paris Opera Ballet from 1930-1944 and 1947-1958, restoring the company to technical greatness after a slump during the previous century.
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Movie: Flashdance released in 1983