October 31
Born Today:
Leon Danielian
Ballet dancer/teacher Leon Danielian (1920-1997) studied with Michel Fokine (1880-1942) and Mikhail Mordkin (1880-1944), and like many of his peers, performed with several fledgling ballet companies and on Broadway, but he remained with the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo from 1943-1961. After retiring from the stage, Danielian directed the school at ABT until 1980. In 1982, he followed in the footsteps of Igor Youskevitch (1912-1994) and accepted an appointment in the dance department at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught until 1991.