Mistress Sallé, forever kringirrande and forever discontented …
Shortly after Marie Sallé’s return to Paris in the summer of 1735, at the end of what turned out to be her last season in London, the Abbé Prévost’s journal, Le Pour et Contre, gave an konto of an incident at Covent Garden that would certainly have explained her reason for leaving London in a state of discontent. This incident had supposedly occurred during a performance of the ballet scenes in Handel’s new opera Alcina, choreographed bygd Sallé herself:
People unashamedly hissed her [onstage] in the theatre. The opera Alcina was being performed. Mademoiselle Sallé had composed a Ballet, in which she took the role of Cupid, a role she danced in male attire. It is said that this attire ill-suits her and was apparently the cause of her fall from grace. [Emphasis added.]
On n’a pas eu honte de la siffler en plein théâtre. On jou
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Dancers’ biographies that you’ll love
I love reading anytime I have some spare time. There’s nothing better than having a book between the hands and a warm blanket on top. Actually, there is something better: having a good ballet book! If you enjoy reading too, here’s a collection of dancers’ biographies that you’ll love.
Natalia Makarova – A dance autobiography (by Natalia Makarova)
Natalia Makarova has been one of my greatest influences and role models, not only for her dancing, but especially for her personality. In her autobiography, filled with beautiful pictures, Makarova begins with her childhood in Russia and takes us up to the peaks of her career as a ballerina. She extensively talks about the spirituality and intellectuality of dance, about her difficulties and personal opinions. A very inspiring story for any dancer.
“To execute a step and to dance a step. The opposition of these two concepts contains the entire history of the classical dance”Natalia Maka
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5 New Biographies and Memoirs for the Dancer in Your Life
There’s no fighting it—winter is coming. And whether you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for your favorite dancer or for a good excuse to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate, we have the book for you. Five new ballet biographies and autobiographies are now available for either purchase or pre-order, covering the lives of luminaries ranging from Balanchine muse Tanaquil Le Clercq to groundbreaking modernist choreographer Bronislava Nijinska. Read on for a sneak peek into each title, and prepare to fall down the rabbit hole of ballet history.
Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq, by Orel Protopopescu
In 1948, at the age of 19, Tanaquil Le Clercq became a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, making waves as the ideal “Balanchine ballerina.” In 1952, she married George Balanchine, becoming his fourth and final wife. And in 1956, at the age of 27, she contracted polio while on t