Adeline Genée
Dame Adeline Genée
Early years
Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen was born in Hinnerup north of Aarhus, Denmark. Her uncle, Alexandre Genée, gave her dancing lessons from the age of three. When she was eight, Alexandre and his wife, the former Antonia Zimmerman, adopted her. As well as changing her last name to Genée, she changed her first name to Adeline in honour of the Italian opera star Adelina Patti. Genée's debut was with her uncle's touring company at the age of ten in Oslo (at that time called Christiania).
In 1895, she became the principal dancer of the
At the Empire
In 1897, she accepted a booking for six weeks to appear in Monte Cristo at the
The Empire's ballets were mostly choreographed by Katti Lanner, but Genée supplied much of her own choreography,[2] in conjunction with her uncle Alexandre.[3] Her further successes there included The Press (1898), Les Papillons (1900), High Jinks (1904), Cinderella (1906),[4] and the British premiere of Coppélia (1906).
The
From April 1905, Genée danced in 400 performances of the
Around the world
In November 1907, Genée sailed to the US to perform in
For several years, Genée alternated between a season in London and one in America, although after her marriage to Frank S. N. Isitt in 1910 she gradually reduced the frequency of her appearances. Sergei Diaghilev saw her dance and immediately offered her a contract, but she refused it.
When she returned to America in 1908 she toured with The Soul Kiss. In subsequent American tours, she danced in The Silver Star (1909), The Bachelor Belles (1910),[5] and Roses and Butterflies (1911). In the latter she was partnered by Alexis Kosloff,[2] who presented her with a silver trophy, inscribed "To the World's Greatest Dancer".
On 3 December 1912 she made her debut at New York's
On 21 June 1913, she returned to her greatest role, as Swanilda in Coppélia, this time in Melbourne. On 6 August 1913, Genée danced in Sydney.
In 1916, she went on a sixteen-week tour of Australia with
Her last performance was on 15 March 1933, for the early television service of the
Genée became a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1950. She gave her name to the Adeline Genee Theatre in East Grinstead (built in 1967, but now sadly demolished) and the Genée studio in the Royal Academy of Dance, Battersea, London.
Royal Academy of Dance
In 1920, Genée collaborated with Philip Richardson of the Dancing Time magazine, with the aim of improving the standard of dance and the teaching of dance in the United Kingdom. This led Richardson to organise a meeting of eminent dance professionals at the former
- Phyllis Bedells – English Method
- Lucia Cormani – Italian Method
- Edouard Espinosa – French Method
- Adeline Genée – Bournonville Method, Denmark
- Tamara Karsavina – Imperial Method, Russia
This meeting ultimately led to the formation of the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain, which was officially founded in December 1920. The association grew in size and influence, with
In 1953, Genée instituted the
The association is known as the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), with Darcey Bussell as president.[citation needed] It has grown to become one of the largest dance teaching and examination boards. The RAD now has over 14,000 members, and operates in 79 countries. There are currently [when?] over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the academy and each year, the examination syllabus is taught to more than a quarter of a million students.[citation needed]
Genée International Ballet Competition
In 1931, the association established the Adeline Genée Gold Medal Awards, as a scholarship scheme for aspiring young dancers. Initially, medals were only awarded to female dancers, but awards for men were later introduced in 1939. Today, the Royal Academy of Dance continue to offer the awards; however, they have become known as the Genée International Ballet Competition. The Genée competition attracts candidates with recent finals being held in Australia, Canada, Greece, Hong Kong and Singapore. In May 2019, a week after the would-be 100th birthday of Dame Margot Fonteyn, the Genée International Ballet competition was renamed the Margot Fonteyn Ballet Competition, in honour of the RAD's longest-serving president.[citation needed]
Notes
- ^ Beaumont (1938), p. 626
- ^ a b c Cohen-Stratyner (1982), pp. 358–359, "Genée, Adeline"
- ^ Cohen-Stratyner (1982), p. 358, "Genée, Alexander"
- ^ Beaumont (1938), pp. 627–628
- ^ Who Was Who in the Theatre (1978), p. 920
- ^ "Adeline Genée Presentation. Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/03/1912". Metropolitan Opera House Archive. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "La Camargo". The Times, 21 May 1912
- ^ "Adeline Genée Presentation. Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 17/03/1912". Metropolitan Opera House Archive. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Mlle. Genée In 'Ladanse'". The Times, 7 April 1914
- ^ Pritchard (2004)
- ^ Beaumont (1938), p. 637
- ^ Penman (1993), p. 103
- ^ "The Theatres". The Times, 30 January 1933
- ^ "Broadcasting". The Times, 15 March 1933
- ^ McCalman, Janet, "Jennie Frances Brenan (1877–1964)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 11 November 2023