August 31
Born Today:
Théophile Gautier
Poet, journalist, and critic, Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) believed “ballets are the dreams of poets taken seriously.” A believer in ‘art for art’s sake,’ he wrote passionately about dance and even co-wrote the libretto for one of the oldest and best known ballets, Giselle (1841).
Also born today: French ballet dancer and choreographer, Jean-Étienne Despréaux (1748-1820), who was married to famous ballerina Marie-Madeleine Guimard (1743-1816). Ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya (1872-1971) was involved in a great many escapades and scandals during her dance career. - go check out her dramatic life. Käthe/Katja Wulff, (1890−1992) was a German-Swiss expressionist dancer who taught until the age of 90.
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Movie: Summer Stock released in 1950