February 20
Born Today:
Marie Rambert
Among other amazing accomplishments, Marie Rambert (1888-1982) directed dance concerts at the postage-stamp-sized Mercury Theatre in London - a reconditioned church that also housed her dance school. The talent she discovered was legendary - including choreographers Antony Tudor (1908-1987) and Frederick Ashton (1904-1988), whose works remain in ballet company repertories internationally.
Also Born Today: Danish ballerina Augusta Nielsen (1822-1902), who stopped performing in 1849 after being jeered offstage by a crowd convinced that she wore priceless jewels onstage (they were props). Modern dancer/choreographer Jean Erdman (1916-2020) danced with Martha Graham (1894-1981) and was married to Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth, a ground-breaking book that also inspired her work. Ballerina Mia Slavenska (1916-2002) danced for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and was featured in the film Mia: A Dancer’s Journey (2014), about her remarkable life, filmed by her daughter. Choreographer Gillian Lynne (1926-2018), who we can thank for creating the blockbuster shows Cats and Phantom of the Opera.
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Ballet Premiere: Carnaval in 1910
Movie: Follow the Fleet released in 1936