Michel Fokine

Michel Fokine (French transcription, Russian Михаил Михайлович Фокин, Mikhail Mikhailovich Fokin ;) (born 11 Apriljul / April 23 1880greg in Saint Petersburg, .. † August 22, 1942 in New York City ) was a Russian -American choreographer. He is considered the founder of modern ballet.

Life

Michel Fokine was trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg. In 1898 he made ​​his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre. From 1902 he finally worked himself as a teacher at the Imperial Ballet School. During this period, among other Acis and Galatea (1905 ) and The Dying Swan (1907 ), a solo for Anna Pavlovna Pavlova.

In 1909 he followed Sergei Diaghilev invitation to Paris and was the choreographer of the Ballets Russes. During the Paris guest performance his ballet Polovtsian Dances at the Théâtre du Châtelet was premiered on 19 May 1909. In the following years he came with works such as Les Sylphides (1909 ) and The Firebird (1910 ) to world fame. Other highlights were Petrushka (1911 ), Le Spectre de la Rose (1911 ) and Daphnis and Chloe (1912). 1912 Michel Fokine left the Ballets Russes, because he was jealous of the close relationship between Diaghilev and Vaslav Nijinsky.

In 1919 he emigrated to the United States and worked for various ballet companies. In 1932 he acquired U.S. citizenship. His life's work includes more than 70 ballets.