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
― 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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