2 3 Throwback Thursday and Ruth Page | Ballet Webb

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Throwback Thursday and Ruth Page



Throwback Thursday and Ruth Page

Born in 1899, Ruth Page was a dancer, choreographer and director who helped establish Chicago as an early center for ballet during the first half of the 20th century. Her choreography was a mix of several styles, including balled, modern dance, jazz and tap.

She received her early training from Adolph Bolm, a former star of the Ballet Russe. She toured South America with Anna Pavlova’s company in 1918-19.  In 1925 she auditioned for The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo where she studied with Cecchetti.

In 1926 she created her first American style ballet The Flapper and the Quarterback using movements from the Charleston. From 1936 to 1945 she directed the ballet for the Chicago Opera Company, and from 1954 to 1969 she directed the ballet for the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Ruth Page helped create and develop a uniquely American style of ballet, through her fascination with the offbeat and the unconventional.  And she did this not in New York, but in a more unlikely place – Chicago. 

Dance Heritage Coalition named her as one of America's 100 Irreplaceable Dance Treasures.

Ruth Page died in 1991 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #67:  
Ruth Page established Chicago as an early dance center and fostered the development of dance in America.”

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change you believe in.”
Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

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Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:

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