Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Margot Fonteyn in 1948.
Margot Fonteyn in 1948.
"Dame Margot" redirects here. For the medieval trouvère, see Dames Margot and Maroie. Dame Margot and Dame Maroie ( fl 13th century were two Trouvères from Arras, in Picardy, France.

Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE, (18 May 1919, Reigate, Surrey, United Kingdom - 21 February 1991, Panama City, Panama), the British prima ballerina assoluta, was considered by many to be the greatest English ballerina of her time. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Panama City (Ciudad de Panamá is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. See also,,, A ballerina ( Italian for female dancer) is a Female Ballet Dancer; the male equivalent to this title

Contents

Early life

Fonteyn was born Margaret ("Peggy") Hookham to an English father and an Irish mother, with Brazilian ancestry, who was the daughter of Brazilian businessman Antonio Fontes. Early in her career, Margaret transformed Fontes into Fonteyn (a surname her brother adopted as well) and Margaret into Margot; thus her stage name. Her mother signed her up for ballet classes with her brother when they were young. These classes helped her greatly on her road to becoming a prima ballerina.

She joined the Royal Ballet (then called the Sadler's Wells Theatre) while still a teenager, after having been trained by some of the greatest teachers of the day - Olga Preobrajenskaya and Mathilde Kschessinskaya, both of whom trained under Marius Petipa himself. The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England Sadler's Wells Theatre is the name of six theatres that have been built since 1683 at a site on Rosebery Avenue Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington Olga Iosifovna Preobrajenska (Russian Ольга Иосифовна Преображенская Ol'ga Iosifovna Preobrazhenskaya) ( &ndash 27 December Mathilde Kschessinskaya (Матильда Феликсовна Кшесинская family origin Matylda Krzesińska ( 19 August 1872 (O See also Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Мариус Иванович Петипа (born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa on 11 March 1818 in Marseille, Kingdom By 1939, she was the company's star and the inspiration for many of Sir Frederick Ashton's ballets, such as Undine, Daphnis and Chloe, and Sylvia. See also List of ballets choreographed by Frederick Ashton,, Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE, ( September Undine (also called Ondine) is a three-act Ballet with music by the German Composer Hans Werner Henze Daphnis and Chloe (Δαφνιν και Χλοην Daphnin kai Chloēn) is the only known work of the 2nd century AD Greek Novelist Sylvia, originally Sylvia ou La Nymphe de Diane, is a full-length Ballet in two or three acts, first choreographed She was especially renowned for her portrayal of Aurora in Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. Sleeping Beauty ( "La Belle au Bois dormant" (The Beauty asleep in the wood is a Fairy tale classic the first in the set published in 1697 by Televised versions of Sleeping Beauty and Ashton's version of Cinderella are now available on DVD. Cinderella ( French: Cendrillon, Slovak: Popoluška, German: Aschenputtel, Spanish: Cenicienta DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Fonteyn also worked with the choreographer Roland Petit and later in life, Martha Graham. Roland Petit (b 13 January, 1924) is a French Choreographer and dancer born in Villemomble near Paris France. See also Martha Graham ( May 11, 1894 &ndash April 1, 1991) was an American Dancer and Choreographer In 1949, the Royal Ballet toured the United States and Fonteyn became an instant celebrity.

Dancing with Rudolf Nureyev and others

In the 1940s, she and Robert Helpmann formed a very successful dance partnership, and they toured together for several years. Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986 was an Australian dancer actor director and Choreographer. In the 1950s, she danced with Michael Somes. Michael George Somes CBE ( 28 September 1917 &ndash 18 November 1994) was a leading English Ballet dancer But her greatest partnership emerged at a time when many (including the head of the Royal Ballet, Ninette de Valois) thought she was about to retire. See also Dame Ninette de Valois, OM, CH, DBE ( June 6, 1898 &ndash March 8, 2001) was the In 1961, Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West, and on February 21, 1962, he and Fonteyn first appeared on stage together, in a performance of Giselle. Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( Tatar: Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian: Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев Giselle is a Ballet by Adolphe Adam. It has 2 acts 2 scenes with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile It was a great success; during the curtain calls Nureyev dropped to his knees and kissed Fonteyn's hand, cementing an on-and-offstage partnership which lasted until her 1979 retirement. Fonteyn and Nureyev became known for inspiring repeated frenzied curtain calls and bouquet tosses.

Ashton choreographed Marguerite and Armand for them, which no other couple danced until the 21st century. They debuted Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, although MacMillan had conceived the ballet for Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable. Kenneth MacMillan ( December 11, 1929 - October 29, 1992) was a Scottish Ballet dancer and Choreographer Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the Lynn Seymour (born Wainwright; 8 March 1939) is a retired Canadian Ballerina. Christopher Gable ( March 13, 1940 in London – October 25, 1998 in Yorkshire) was an English dancer and Fonteyn and Nureyev appeared together in a film version of Swan Lake and Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, as well as Les Sylphides and the Le Corsaire Pas de Deux. Swan Lake ( Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a Ballet, op Les Sylphides is a short non-narrative ballet blanc. Its original Choreography was by Mikhail Fokine, with music by Le Corsaire is a Ballet typically presented in three acts with a scenario originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, loosely based

Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in the Grand adage from Nureyev's staging of the Petipa/Minkus The Kingdom of the Shades for the Royal Ballet, London, 1963.
Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in the Grand adage from Nureyev's staging of the Petipa/Minkus The Kingdom of the Shades for the Royal Ballet, London, 1963. Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( Tatar: Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian: Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England

Despite their differences in background, temperament, and a nineteen-year difference in age, Nureyev and Fonteyn became close lifelong friends and were famously loyal to each other. Fonteyn would not approve an unflattering photograph of Nureyev. In 1967, they were arrested after a performance in San Francisco, when the police raided a Haight-Ashbury party to which they had been invited. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Haight-Ashbury is a district of San Francisco, California, US, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets They remained close even after she retired to a Panama cattle farm, talking on the phone several times a week even though her farmhouse did not have a telephone. When she was treated for cancer, Nureyev paid many of her medical bills and visited her often, despite his busy schedule as a performer and choreographer, as well as his own health problems (he was HIV positive and succumbed to AIDS in 1993). In a documentary about Fonteyn, Nureyev said that they danced with "one body, one soul" and that Margot was "all he had, only her. " An observer said that "If most people are at level A, they were at level Z. "

In the extremely competitive world of ballet, Fonteyn was renowned for her consummate professionalism and loyalty to her friends. Her dancing stood out for its lyricism, grace, and passion. Although Fonteyn was the Royal Ballet's biggest star, its director, Dame Ninette de Valois, cultivated other talents, so that the Royal Ballet of Fonteyn's day also included Nadia Nerina, Svetlana Beriosova, Lynn Seymour, and Antoinette Sibley. See also Dame Ninette de Valois, OM, CH, DBE ( June 6, 1898 &ndash March 8, 2001) was the Nadia Nerina ( 21 October 1927 - 6 October 2008) was a South African Ballerina. Svetlana Beriosova ( 24 September 1932 - 10 November 1998) was a British prima ballerina who danced with the Royal Ballet of England Lynn Seymour (born Wainwright; 8 March 1939) is a retired Canadian Ballerina. Dame Antoinette Sibley DBE (b 1939 Bromley, Kent, England) is an English Prima ballerina.

Relationships

During the 1940s, Fonteyn had a long relationship with composer Constant Lambert which did not lead to marriage. Leonard Constant Lambert ( August 23, 1905 &ndash August 21, 1951) was a British composer and conductor. In 1955, Fonteyn married Dr. Roberto Arias, a Panamanian diplomat to London and playboy. Roberto E Arias (1918-1989 (known as Tito was a Panamanian international lawyer diplomat and journalist who was the husband of Dame Margot Fonteyn. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy Their marriage was initially a rocky one due to his infidelities. She was arrested when he attempted a coup against the Panamanian government. In 1965, a rival Panamanian politician shot Arias, leaving him a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a Symptom in which a human experiences Paralysis affecting all four limbs although not necessarily total paralysis

The cost of his medical care is a reason why Fonteyn's career lasted until 1979, her sixtieth year, despite her suffering from an arthritic foot. Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body Upon her retirement, the Royal Ballet honoured her with the title prima ballerina assoluta. She ended her days in Panama, remaining loyal to Arias in part because she was very devoted to his children from an earlier marriage. Because Arias's medical bills drained her finances, the Royal Ballet held a special "gala" in 1990 for her benefit. Shortly after his death, she was diagnosed with a cancer that proved fatal.

A dramatic image of her performing Swan Lake at the Bath Festival, Bath, United Kingdom, was captured by British photographer Des Gershon, taken secretly from the high gallery of the Theatre Royal, Bath, as she danced with the corps de ballet on the day she heard that there had been an assassination attempt on the life of her husband. The stress, worry and pain is clearly shown in her face with the remarkable single frame of a moment in time. View the image here.

Legacy

Fonteyn was awarded a DBE (made a dame) in 1954 at the age of 35. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.

She was chancellor of the University of Durham from 1981 to 1990. Durham University is a University in Durham, England. It was founded as the University of Durham (which remains its official and legal name Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The main hall in Dunelm House, the Student Union building, is named the Fonteyn Ballroom in her honour.

There is a school dedicated to Margot Fonteyn that bears her name. The Margot Fonteyn Academy is located just north of New York City (Peekskill) and was founded by her close friend Ken Ludden who teaches the classical style of ballet favored by Dame Margot.

Fonteyn envisioned an international fine arts institution in which all of the arts would be studied under one roof. Her belief was that young artists of divergent fields of expression would enter into conversations about the core issues of art (expression, interpretation, focus, et cetera), and would consequently develop a deeper understanding of the artistic purpose of their endeavors. She and Ludden worked together to develop this concept for the last twelve years of her life.

"I do think it would be good to have artists studying side by side in the different disciplines instead of each group isolated in its own world. . . . the objective would be to produce professional artists integrated from their school days with exponents of the sister arts. Many benefits would ensue, especially for ballet itself which is a composite of the four arts. The ideal would be Music, Dancing, (principally ballet and ballet related dancing), Painting and Drama. Those four are the basic elements of theatre. " --Dame Margot Fonteyn d'Arias (from correspondence with Ludden)

Main roles

Quotes

References

External links

Academic offices
Preceded by
Malcolm MacDonald		 Chancellor of the University of Durham
1981–1990		 Succeeded by
Sir Peter Ustinov
Peekskill is a city in Westchester County New York. It is situated on a Bay along the east side of the Hudson River. Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is a former English footballer nicknamed "Supermac" famed for scoring goals for Durham University is a University in Durham, England. It was founded as the University of Durham (which remains its official and legal name Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (ˈjuːstɪnɒf or /ˈuːstɪnɒf/ 16 April 1921 – 28 March 2004) born Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinow
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic