Thursday, April 2, 2020

Throwback Thursday and Alexander Placide



Throwback Thursday and Alexander Placide

Born in France in 1750, Alexander Bussart Placide was a dancer, mime, acrobat and impresario. He studied dance in Paris and performed as a tightrope walker in the court of Louis XVI.

In 1792 he performed in a ballet called The Bird Catcher in New York. He went on to create a dance and pantomime company in Charleston, South Carolina. Here he produced ballets like Jean-Georges Noverre’s Caprices de Galathée and Maximilien Gardel’s Chercheuse d’esprit (Searchers for Spirit).

In 1796 he wed actress and dancer Charlotte Sophia Wrighten. Their son Henry, born in 1799, grew up to become one of the most popular actors of his generation in the United States.

 Also in 1796, he became the manager of the Charleston Theater and led the Charleston Company that toured Georgia and Virginia. This company is considered to be the beginning of permanent theater in the United States. He also led companies in Savannah, Augusta, Richmond, Norfolk, Newport, RI, and New York.

He died on July 26, 1812 in New York City and is buried in St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral Churchyard in Manhattan.



From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Secret #319:
“Alexander Placide was one of the first ballet dancers in America.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Create. Not for the money. Not for the fame. Not for the recognition. But for the pure joy of creating something and sharing it.”
― Ernest Barbaric

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