Adolph Bolm was a key member of the Russian emigré generation in early-twentieth-century America and contributed to its influence on the development of American ballet. Bolm experienced the quintessential Russian ballet tradition, first training at the Imperial Ballet School (later Vaganova Academy) and then dancing at the Maryinsky Theater from 1903 to 1911.
From 1909-1917 he was one of the lead male dancers for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1909-1929), excelling in character roles such as the Chief Warrior in Michel Fokine’s Polovtsian Dances. After leaving the Ballets Russes to settle in America, Bolm initially developed a career as régisseur, setting Ballets Russes productions on American companies. However, perhaps his more significant contribution to American dance was as choreographer and dance teacher in Chicago (1920s) and San Francisco (1930s), as well as one of the first choreographers for American Ballet Theatre in the early 1940s.
Bolm started several dance companies within U.S. cities that nurtured the careers of emerging dance artists and strengthened the reputation of dance in cities outside of New York. Bolm’s work as a choreographer, both as a carrier of the Russian tradition and a creator of new works, assisted the birth of ballet in the United States.
Russia and Europe Adolph Bolm was born in St. Petersburg in 1884, entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1894, and became a dancer with the Maryinsky Theatre in 1903. During his tenure with the Maryinsky, Bolm served as principal dancer, frequently partnering star ballerinas Anna Pavlova (18811931) and Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978). He also led the company’s tours to Scandinavia and Europe in 1908. In 1909, he began performing with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in its inaugural season in roles such as Pierre in Michel Fokine’s Le Carnaval (1909). Bolm premiered the role of the Moor in Petrouchka (1911) as well as the Tsarevitch/Prince Ivan role in Fokine’s The Firebird (1910).
America:
New York and Chicago Bolm left the Ballets Russes in 1917 after sustaining an injury and after having been passed over as choreographer when Diaghilev instead promoted Vaslav Nijinsky and later Léonide Massine. In 1918, Bolm choreographed and danced in the ballet Falling Leaves for the Broadway revue Miss 1917, as well as working for the New York Metropolitan Opera re-staging Ballets Russes ballets Le Coq d’Or and Petrouchka in 1918 and 1919. Bolm spent a majority of the 1920s in Chicago where he served as ballet master, premier danseur, and choreographer for the Chicago Civic Opera and Chicago Allied Artists. Bolm established both the touring company Ballet Intime, known for its “oriental” influences, and later the Adolph Bolm Ballet. With director Dudley Moore, Bolm starred in and created the short film Danse Macabre in 1922, set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns. In the late 1920s the Library of Congress commissioned new ballets from Bolm such as Apollon Musagète, Arlecchinata, Alt-Wien, and Pavane pour une Infante Défuncte.
California and Ballet Theatre During the 1930s-1940s Bolm worked in California, choreographing for Hollywood films including John Barrymore’s The Mad Genius (1930), and director Gregory Ratoff’s The Men in Her Life, and The Corsican Brothers (both 1941). He also served as the ballet master for the San Francisco Opera from 1933-1936. In 1940, Bolm joined the newly-established Ballet Theatre, for which he choreographed Peter and the Wolf to Sergei Prokofiev’s score. He also served as company régisseur from 1942-1943, and staged his version of Firebird in 1945. Bolm choreographed his last ballet, Mephisto, for the San Francisco Civic Ballet in 1947. He died in 1951 in Hollywood at the age of 66.
Cultural Context and Legacy
Russian Expatriates Due to the Russian revolution and the stagnant Russian ballet system during the early 1900s, a wave of Russian dancers emigrated to the United States and Europe in the early twentieth century, importing with them the rich Russian ballet tradition. This was compounded after the death of Diaghilev and division of the original Ballets Russes into other iterations, with Russian dancers and choreographers now creating permanent homes and careers for themselves in America and Europe. Tamara Karsavina and Nicholas Sergeyev assisted the establishment of the Royal Ballet in England; Serge Lifar became director of the Paris Opera Ballet; and George Balanchine created the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet with Lincoln Kirstein. As living records of both classical Russian ballets and newer Ballets Russes repertory, Bolm and his fellow expatriates helped build the repertories of Western companies and ensured the survival of some of the ballet choreography most beloved today, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.
Secondary Status As a member of the Imperial Ballet and Ballets Russes, and frequent partner of famous dancers such as Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, Bolm shared the stage with icons of Russian ballet history. However, Bolm never achieved the same level of recognition. With the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev chose to champion other Russian choreographers over Bolm, including Nijinsky, Massine and later George Balanchine. Indeed, Bolm was overshadowed by Balanchine once again in America: while Igor Stravinsky’s score Apollon Musagète was commissioned specifically for Bolm in 1928 by the Library of Congress under the patronage of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, it is Balanchine’s version (choreographed that same year for the Ballets Russes) that has become a part of the ballet canon.
Influence in America Bolm’s career intersected with the emergence of both American ballet and modern dance. For example, his first touring company, Ballet Intime, featured American dancer Ruth Page (1899-1991), Japanese dancer Michio Ito (18921961), with guest appearances by modern dance icons Martha Graham (1894-1991) and Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). His later company, The Adolph Bolm Ballet, toured across the United States under the direction of future Martha Graham collaborator Louis Horst (1884-1964), starring Ruth Page and Vira Mirova. In San Francisco, Bolm served as ballet master to the San Francisco Opera, unofficially establishing the San Francisco Ballet. As a collaborator in the early years of Ballet Theatre, Bolm joined forces with ballet choreographers such as Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972), Michel Fokine, American Agnes de Mille and British Antony Tudor (19081987), who would all go on to have illustrious careers choreographing for British and American ballet companies. Bolm’s long teaching career, opening studios in Chicago and Hollywood, helped to instruct a generation of American dancers such as film star Cyd Charisse.
From 1909-1917 he was one of the lead male dancers for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1909-1929), excelling in character roles such as the Chief Warrior in Michel Fokine’s Polovtsian Dances. After leaving the Ballets Russes to settle in America, Bolm initially developed a career as régisseur, setting Ballets Russes productions on American companies. However, perhaps his more significant contribution to American dance was as choreographer and dance teacher in Chicago (1920s) and San Francisco (1930s), as well as one of the first choreographers for American Ballet Theatre in the early 1940s.
Bolm started several dance companies within U.S. cities that nurtured the careers of emerging dance artists and strengthened the reputation of dance in cities outside of New York. Bolm’s work as a choreographer, both as a carrier of the Russian tradition and a creator of new works, assisted the birth of ballet in the United States.
Russia and Europe Adolph Bolm was born in St. Petersburg in 1884, entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1894, and became a dancer with the Maryinsky Theatre in 1903. During his tenure with the Maryinsky, Bolm served as principal dancer, frequently partnering star ballerinas Anna Pavlova (18811931) and Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978). He also led the company’s tours to Scandinavia and Europe in 1908. In 1909, he began performing with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in its inaugural season in roles such as Pierre in Michel Fokine’s Le Carnaval (1909). Bolm premiered the role of the Moor in Petrouchka (1911) as well as the Tsarevitch/Prince Ivan role in Fokine’s The Firebird (1910).
America:
New York and Chicago Bolm left the Ballets Russes in 1917 after sustaining an injury and after having been passed over as choreographer when Diaghilev instead promoted Vaslav Nijinsky and later Léonide Massine. In 1918, Bolm choreographed and danced in the ballet Falling Leaves for the Broadway revue Miss 1917, as well as working for the New York Metropolitan Opera re-staging Ballets Russes ballets Le Coq d’Or and Petrouchka in 1918 and 1919. Bolm spent a majority of the 1920s in Chicago where he served as ballet master, premier danseur, and choreographer for the Chicago Civic Opera and Chicago Allied Artists. Bolm established both the touring company Ballet Intime, known for its “oriental” influences, and later the Adolph Bolm Ballet. With director Dudley Moore, Bolm starred in and created the short film Danse Macabre in 1922, set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns. In the late 1920s the Library of Congress commissioned new ballets from Bolm such as Apollon Musagète, Arlecchinata, Alt-Wien, and Pavane pour une Infante Défuncte.
California and Ballet Theatre During the 1930s-1940s Bolm worked in California, choreographing for Hollywood films including John Barrymore’s The Mad Genius (1930), and director Gregory Ratoff’s The Men in Her Life, and The Corsican Brothers (both 1941). He also served as the ballet master for the San Francisco Opera from 1933-1936. In 1940, Bolm joined the newly-established Ballet Theatre, for which he choreographed Peter and the Wolf to Sergei Prokofiev’s score. He also served as company régisseur from 1942-1943, and staged his version of Firebird in 1945. Bolm choreographed his last ballet, Mephisto, for the San Francisco Civic Ballet in 1947. He died in 1951 in Hollywood at the age of 66.
Cultural Context and Legacy
Russian Expatriates Due to the Russian revolution and the stagnant Russian ballet system during the early 1900s, a wave of Russian dancers emigrated to the United States and Europe in the early twentieth century, importing with them the rich Russian ballet tradition. This was compounded after the death of Diaghilev and division of the original Ballets Russes into other iterations, with Russian dancers and choreographers now creating permanent homes and careers for themselves in America and Europe. Tamara Karsavina and Nicholas Sergeyev assisted the establishment of the Royal Ballet in England; Serge Lifar became director of the Paris Opera Ballet; and George Balanchine created the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet with Lincoln Kirstein. As living records of both classical Russian ballets and newer Ballets Russes repertory, Bolm and his fellow expatriates helped build the repertories of Western companies and ensured the survival of some of the ballet choreography most beloved today, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.
Secondary Status As a member of the Imperial Ballet and Ballets Russes, and frequent partner of famous dancers such as Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, Bolm shared the stage with icons of Russian ballet history. However, Bolm never achieved the same level of recognition. With the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev chose to champion other Russian choreographers over Bolm, including Nijinsky, Massine and later George Balanchine. Indeed, Bolm was overshadowed by Balanchine once again in America: while Igor Stravinsky’s score Apollon Musagète was commissioned specifically for Bolm in 1928 by the Library of Congress under the patronage of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, it is Balanchine’s version (choreographed that same year for the Ballets Russes) that has become a part of the ballet canon.
Influence in America Bolm’s career intersected with the emergence of both American ballet and modern dance. For example, his first touring company, Ballet Intime, featured American dancer Ruth Page (1899-1991), Japanese dancer Michio Ito (18921961), with guest appearances by modern dance icons Martha Graham (1894-1991) and Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). His later company, The Adolph Bolm Ballet, toured across the United States under the direction of future Martha Graham collaborator Louis Horst (1884-1964), starring Ruth Page and Vira Mirova. In San Francisco, Bolm served as ballet master to the San Francisco Opera, unofficially establishing the San Francisco Ballet. As a collaborator in the early years of Ballet Theatre, Bolm joined forces with ballet choreographers such as Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972), Michel Fokine, American Agnes de Mille and British Antony Tudor (19081987), who would all go on to have illustrious careers choreographing for British and American ballet companies. Bolm’s long teaching career, opening studios in Chicago and Hollywood, helped to instruct a generation of American dancers such as film star Cyd Charisse.
Adolph Bolm was a key member of the Russian emigré generation in early-twentieth-century America and contributed to its influence on the development of American ballet. Bolm experienced the quintessential Russian ballet tradition, first training at the Imperial Ballet School (later Vaganova Academy) and then dancing at the Maryinsky Theater from 1903 to 1911.
From 1909-1917 he was one of the lead male dancers for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1909-1929), excelling in character roles such as the Chief Warrior in Michel Fokine’s Polovtsian Dances. After leaving the Ballets Russes to settle in America, Bolm initially developed a career as régisseur, setting Ballets Russes productions on American companies. However, perhaps his more significant contribution to American dance was as choreographer and dance teacher in Chicago (1920s) and San Francisco (1930s), as well as one of the first choreographers for American Ballet Theatre in the early 1940s.
Bolm started several dance companies within U.S. cities that nurtured the careers of emerging dance artists and strengthened the reputation of dance in cities outside of New York. Bolm’s work as a choreographer, both as a carrier of the Russian tradition and a creator of new works, assisted the birth of ballet in the United States.
Russia and Europe Adolph Bolm was born in St. Petersburg in 1884, entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1894, and became a dancer with the Maryinsky Theatre in 1903. During his tenure with the Maryinsky, Bolm served as principal dancer, frequently partnering star ballerinas Anna Pavlova (18811931) and Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978). He also led the company’s tours to Scandinavia and Europe in 1908. In 1909, he began performing with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in its inaugural season in roles such as Pierre in Michel Fokine’s Le Carnaval (1909). Bolm premiered the role of the Moor in Petrouchka (1911) as well as the Tsarevitch/Prince Ivan role in Fokine’s The Firebird (1910).
America:
New York and Chicago Bolm left the Ballets Russes in 1917 after sustaining an injury and after having been passed over as choreographer when Diaghilev instead promoted Vaslav Nijinsky and later Léonide Massine. In 1918, Bolm choreographed and danced in the ballet Falling Leaves for the Broadway revue Miss 1917, as well as working for the New York Metropolitan Opera re-staging Ballets Russes ballets Le Coq d’Or and Petrouchka in 1918 and 1919. Bolm spent a majority of the 1920s in Chicago where he served as ballet master, premier danseur, and choreographer for the Chicago Civic Opera and Chicago Allied Artists. Bolm established both the touring company Ballet Intime, known for its “oriental” influences, and later the Adolph Bolm Ballet. With director Dudley Moore, Bolm starred in and created the short film Danse Macabre in 1922, set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns. In the late 1920s the Library of Congress commissioned new ballets from Bolm such as Apollon Musagète, Arlecchinata, Alt-Wien, and Pavane pour une Infante Défuncte.
California and Ballet Theatre During the 1930s-1940s Bolm worked in California, choreographing for Hollywood films including John Barrymore’s The Mad Genius (1930), and director Gregory Ratoff’s The Men in Her Life, and The Corsican Brothers (both 1941). He also served as the ballet master for the San Francisco Opera from 1933-1936. In 1940, Bolm joined the newly-established Ballet Theatre, for which he choreographed Peter and the Wolf to Sergei Prokofiev’s score. He also served as company régisseur from 1942-1943, and staged his version of Firebird in 1945. Bolm choreographed his last ballet, Mephisto, for the San Francisco Civic Ballet in 1947. He died in 1951 in Hollywood at the age of 66.
Cultural Context and Legacy
Russian Expatriates Due to the Russian revolution and the stagnant Russian ballet system during the early 1900s, a wave of Russian dancers emigrated to the United States and Europe in the early twentieth century, importing with them the rich Russian ballet tradition. This was compounded after the death of Diaghilev and division of the original Ballets Russes into other iterations, with Russian dancers and choreographers now creating permanent homes and careers for themselves in America and Europe. Tamara Karsavina and Nicholas Sergeyev assisted the establishment of the Royal Ballet in England; Serge Lifar became director of the Paris Opera Ballet; and George Balanchine created the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet with Lincoln Kirstein. As living records of both classical Russian ballets and newer Ballets Russes repertory, Bolm and his fellow expatriates helped build the repertories of Western companies and ensured the survival of some of the ballet choreography most beloved today, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.
Secondary Status As a member of the Imperial Ballet and Ballets Russes, and frequent partner of famous dancers such as Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, Bolm shared the stage with icons of Russian ballet history. However, Bolm never achieved the same level of recognition. With the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev chose to champion other Russian choreographers over Bolm, including Nijinsky, Massine and later George Balanchine. Indeed, Bolm was overshadowed by Balanchine once again in America: while Igor Stravinsky’s score Apollon Musagète was commissioned specifically for Bolm in 1928 by the Library of Congress under the patronage of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, it is Balanchine’s version (choreographed that same year for the Ballets Russes) that has become a part of the ballet canon.
Influence in America Bolm’s career intersected with the emergence of both American ballet and modern dance. For example, his first touring company, Ballet Intime, featured American dancer Ruth Page (1899-1991), Japanese dancer Michio Ito (18921961), with guest appearances by modern dance icons Martha Graham (1894-1991) and Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). His later company, The Adolph Bolm Ballet, toured across the United States under the direction of future Martha Graham collaborator Louis Horst (1884-1964), starring Ruth Page and Vira Mirova. In San Francisco, Bolm served as ballet master to the San Francisco Opera, unofficially establishing the San Francisco Ballet. As a collaborator in the early years of Ballet Theatre, Bolm joined forces with ballet choreographers such as Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972), Michel Fokine, American Agnes de Mille and British Antony Tudor (19081987), who would all go on to have illustrious careers choreographing for British and American ballet companies. Bolm’s long teaching career, opening studios in Chicago and Hollywood, helped to instruct a generation of American dancers such as film star Cyd Charisse.
From 1909-1917 he was one of the lead male dancers for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1909-1929), excelling in character roles such as the Chief Warrior in Michel Fokine’s Polovtsian Dances. After leaving the Ballets Russes to settle in America, Bolm initially developed a career as régisseur, setting Ballets Russes productions on American companies. However, perhaps his more significant contribution to American dance was as choreographer and dance teacher in Chicago (1920s) and San Francisco (1930s), as well as one of the first choreographers for American Ballet Theatre in the early 1940s.
Bolm started several dance companies within U.S. cities that nurtured the careers of emerging dance artists and strengthened the reputation of dance in cities outside of New York. Bolm’s work as a choreographer, both as a carrier of the Russian tradition and a creator of new works, assisted the birth of ballet in the United States.
Russia and Europe Adolph Bolm was born in St. Petersburg in 1884, entered the Imperial Ballet School in 1894, and became a dancer with the Maryinsky Theatre in 1903. During his tenure with the Maryinsky, Bolm served as principal dancer, frequently partnering star ballerinas Anna Pavlova (18811931) and Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978). He also led the company’s tours to Scandinavia and Europe in 1908. In 1909, he began performing with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in its inaugural season in roles such as Pierre in Michel Fokine’s Le Carnaval (1909). Bolm premiered the role of the Moor in Petrouchka (1911) as well as the Tsarevitch/Prince Ivan role in Fokine’s The Firebird (1910).
America:
New York and Chicago Bolm left the Ballets Russes in 1917 after sustaining an injury and after having been passed over as choreographer when Diaghilev instead promoted Vaslav Nijinsky and later Léonide Massine. In 1918, Bolm choreographed and danced in the ballet Falling Leaves for the Broadway revue Miss 1917, as well as working for the New York Metropolitan Opera re-staging Ballets Russes ballets Le Coq d’Or and Petrouchka in 1918 and 1919. Bolm spent a majority of the 1920s in Chicago where he served as ballet master, premier danseur, and choreographer for the Chicago Civic Opera and Chicago Allied Artists. Bolm established both the touring company Ballet Intime, known for its “oriental” influences, and later the Adolph Bolm Ballet. With director Dudley Moore, Bolm starred in and created the short film Danse Macabre in 1922, set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns. In the late 1920s the Library of Congress commissioned new ballets from Bolm such as Apollon Musagète, Arlecchinata, Alt-Wien, and Pavane pour une Infante Défuncte.
California and Ballet Theatre During the 1930s-1940s Bolm worked in California, choreographing for Hollywood films including John Barrymore’s The Mad Genius (1930), and director Gregory Ratoff’s The Men in Her Life, and The Corsican Brothers (both 1941). He also served as the ballet master for the San Francisco Opera from 1933-1936. In 1940, Bolm joined the newly-established Ballet Theatre, for which he choreographed Peter and the Wolf to Sergei Prokofiev’s score. He also served as company régisseur from 1942-1943, and staged his version of Firebird in 1945. Bolm choreographed his last ballet, Mephisto, for the San Francisco Civic Ballet in 1947. He died in 1951 in Hollywood at the age of 66.
Cultural Context and Legacy
Russian Expatriates Due to the Russian revolution and the stagnant Russian ballet system during the early 1900s, a wave of Russian dancers emigrated to the United States and Europe in the early twentieth century, importing with them the rich Russian ballet tradition. This was compounded after the death of Diaghilev and division of the original Ballets Russes into other iterations, with Russian dancers and choreographers now creating permanent homes and careers for themselves in America and Europe. Tamara Karsavina and Nicholas Sergeyev assisted the establishment of the Royal Ballet in England; Serge Lifar became director of the Paris Opera Ballet; and George Balanchine created the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet with Lincoln Kirstein. As living records of both classical Russian ballets and newer Ballets Russes repertory, Bolm and his fellow expatriates helped build the repertories of Western companies and ensured the survival of some of the ballet choreography most beloved today, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.
Secondary Status As a member of the Imperial Ballet and Ballets Russes, and frequent partner of famous dancers such as Tamara Karsavina and Anna Pavlova, Bolm shared the stage with icons of Russian ballet history. However, Bolm never achieved the same level of recognition. With the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev chose to champion other Russian choreographers over Bolm, including Nijinsky, Massine and later George Balanchine. Indeed, Bolm was overshadowed by Balanchine once again in America: while Igor Stravinsky’s score Apollon Musagète was commissioned specifically for Bolm in 1928 by the Library of Congress under the patronage of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, it is Balanchine’s version (choreographed that same year for the Ballets Russes) that has become a part of the ballet canon.
Influence in America Bolm’s career intersected with the emergence of both American ballet and modern dance. For example, his first touring company, Ballet Intime, featured American dancer Ruth Page (1899-1991), Japanese dancer Michio Ito (18921961), with guest appearances by modern dance icons Martha Graham (1894-1991) and Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). His later company, The Adolph Bolm Ballet, toured across the United States under the direction of future Martha Graham collaborator Louis Horst (1884-1964), starring Ruth Page and Vira Mirova. In San Francisco, Bolm served as ballet master to the San Francisco Opera, unofficially establishing the San Francisco Ballet. As a collaborator in the early years of Ballet Theatre, Bolm joined forces with ballet choreographers such as Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972), Michel Fokine, American Agnes de Mille and British Antony Tudor (19081987), who would all go on to have illustrious careers choreographing for British and American ballet companies. Bolm’s long teaching career, opening studios in Chicago and Hollywood, helped to instruct a generation of American dancers such as film star Cyd Charisse.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
