April 23
Born Today:
Michel Fokine
Ballet choreographer Michel Fokine (1880-1942), just like ballet reformer Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810) a century before, insisted on expressiveness as well as technical prowess and that dance-makers should value the corps de ballet (the large group of dancers) and not just use them as moving wallpaper. Fokine was trained in Russia and joined the original Ballets Russes in the early part of the 20th century for more artistic freedom. Although Fokine created seminal ballets still performed today, perhaps his most revolutionary piece was Les Sylphides (1909), a plotless ballet blanc (white-costumed ballet) featuring Vaslav Nijinsky (1889?-1950) and a number of white-clad sylphs.
Also Born Today: Ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) was the first to dance en pointe (on the tips of her toes) for brief moments using soft slippers darned with stitches at the toes, changing ballet footwear forever. Many thanks for the ethereal beauty and fewer thanks for the pain and blisters. Postmodern choreographer Erick Hawkins (1909-1994) briefly danced in Martha Graham's company (first man to do so) and he and Graham were married for a time, before he followed his own artistic path. Child star and later diplomat Shirley Temple (1928-2014) delighted audiences with her dancing abilities during the Great Depression. Ballroom Pierre Dulaine (1944-) is best known for his method of teaching dance to youth, portrayed in the movie Take the Lead (2006).