May 31
Born Today:
Hans Beck
Interestingly, ballet dancer Hans Beck (1861–1952) did not study with the legendary teacher and choreographer August Bournonville (1805–1879) directly, as Bournonville retired before Beck could take class with him at the Royal Danish Ballet School. However, Beck spent his time as ballet master and director of the Danish Ballet (1894–1915) helping to preserve the teachings and works of Bournonville. Bucking the prevailing Modernist trends, Beck solidified the Bournonville method for technique class and he preserved the Bournonville repertory. Although he had an eye for the immediate past, he also had his eyes on the future, allowing the filming of Bournonville’s choreography during the early 1900s. In his own body of work, Beck’s most famous ballet, The Little Mermaid (1909) danced by Ellen Price (1878–1968), inspired the famous mermaid statue still situated in Copenhagen’s harbor.
Also Born Today: Beck’s replacement, Russian ballerina Vera Volkova (1905-1975) defected in 1929 to join the original Ballets Russes, but couldn’t, as the company folded that year upon the death of Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929). She retired in 1943 and spent the remainder of her career training world-class dancers in London and Milan, and at the Royal Danish Ballet School, beginning in 1952. In fact, Volkova introduced the Vaganova method into the Danish curriculum. Tango dancer Juan Carlos Copes (1931-2021) is best known for his longtime partnership with Maria Nieves (1934-) and their appearance in the Broadway show Tango Argentino (1985). Dancer Mette Towley (1991-) is best known for her appearance in the movie Cats (2019).