Throwback Thursday and Mikhail Mordkin
Mikhail Mordkin trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School and graduated
in 1899. He went on to dance with the Bolshoi
and the Ballet Russes. He first came
to the United States in 1910 with Anna Pavlova, then created his own company
“All Star Imperial Russian Ballet” which toured the country.
Mikhail Mordkin was sometimes criticized because his
technique wasn’t purely classical. But this wasn’t his goal. He wanted to use
his technique to portray multi-faceted characters with deep emotions. He
changed the standard of male dancing by increasing the dramatic
characterizations of male roles. Male dancers were no longer cardboard figures who
did little more than pose and support female dancers.
Mordkin settled permanently in the U.S. in 1924, and in 1927
he staged a complete production of Swan
Lake. In 1937 he created The Mordkin
Ballet using students from his New York ballet school. One of his students, Lucia Chase, danced
principal roles. It is interesting to note that he had
two other students who achieved fame outside the ballet world: Katherine
Hepburn and Judy Garland.
In September of 1939,The Mordkin Ballet began to be reorganized
with plans for a larger company featuring more choreographers and more
dancers. It was the beginning of American Ballet Theatre.
Mikhail Mordkin died on July 15, 1944.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #61:
“Mikhail Mordkin began a company that evolved into American Ballet
Theater.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
““And suddenly you know: It's time to
start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
― Meister Eckhart
― Meister Eckhart
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