November 17
Born Today:
Platon Karsavin
The father of ballet dancer Platon Karsavin (1854-1922) was an actor, but died when Karsavin was very young, leaving his family impoverished. Platon and his brother Vladimir were sent to the Imperial School to study and board and Platon showed skill in dancing. The practice of impoverished families sending their children to study dance in a state-sponsored program in the hopes of launching the youth into a better life was a common practice and many famous dancers emerged from this type of system. Karsavin studied with Marius Petipa (1818-1910) and later danced in his ballets. After retiring from the stage, Karsavin taught choreography at the Imperial School and his daughter, Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) became a world-famous ballerina.
Also Born Today: Sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) met modern dance choreographer Martha Graham (1894-1991) through his half-sister Ailes Gilmour (1912-1993), who performed in Graham’s company. In the 1930s and 1940s, Noguchi created iconic sculptural set pieces for Graham’s productions.
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Broadway Premiere: Little Me in 1962
Movies: 1776 released in 1972, Rent released in 2005, Happy Feet released in 2006