Fanny Elssler
Fanny Elssler | |
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Dancer | |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Therese Elssler (sister) |
Fanny Elssler (born Franziska Elßler; 23 June 1810 – 27 November 1884) was an Austrian ballerina of the Romantic Period.
Life and career
She was born in
From her earliest years she was trained for the ballet, and made her appearance at the
Their success in Naples, to which Elssler contributed more than her sister, led to an engagement in Berlin in 1830. This was the beginning of a series of triumphs for Elssler's personal beauty and skill in dancing. After captivating all hearts in Berlin and Vienna, and inspiring Friedrich von Gentz with a remarkable passion, she paid a visit to London, where she received much kindness at the hands of George and Harriet Grote, who practically adopted the little girl who was born three months after the mother's arrival in England.[2]
In September 1834, Elssler appeared with the Ballet du Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique (today known as the Paris Opera Ballet), a step to which she looked forward with much misgiving on account of Marie Taglioni's supremacy on that stage.[2] However, Elssler and Taglioni were exceptionally different dancers, and the Opera's management saw this as an opportunity to incite some controversy by hiring Elssler. Taglioni was known as a danseur ballonné, represented by the lightness of her leaps and jumps. Elssler, on the other hand, distinguished her dancing with the precision in which she performed small, quick steps. Elssler's type of dancing was known as danse tacquetée. The results of her performances, however, were another triumph for Elssler, and the temporary eclipse of Taglioni. Taglioni, although the finer artist of the two, could not for the moment compete with the newcomer's personal fascination. It was conspicuous in her performance of the Spanish Cachucha (from the 1836 Coralli/Gide ballet Le Diable boiteux) that Elssler outshone all rivals.[2] Elssler was not Spanish, but her performances of the Cachucha were filled with fire and sensual life. The poet Théophile Gautier titled her the "pagan" dancer because of her performances in the Cachucha, juxtaposed with Taglioni, the "Christian" dancer.[3] The success of Elssler and the Cachucha led to a widespread demand for more choreographed ballet dances of specific national flavor. These types of dances became very popular, and Elssler herself added a Polish cracovienne (Krakowiak) and an Italian tarantella to her repertoire. Her image was often identified with pink satin and black lace as the fleshy, sensuous Spanish dancer, in stark contrast to depictions of Taglioni as the modest sylph in white. Elssler did not only possess technical gifts, her ability to perform dramatically was exceptional. Her performances of the great Romantic ballets, including La Sylphide, Giselle and La Esmeralda, portrayed heightened aspects of their former characters. This earned Elssler a place among the most talented and notable ballerinas of the Romantic ballet period.
In 1840 she sailed with her sister for New York for a tour arranged by Henry Wikoff, and after two years of unmixed success they returned to Europe.[2][4] While in New York City, Elssler dined with and was escorted by John Van Buren, son of the President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. In Washington D.C., Congress closed so that no one need miss Elssler's performance.[5] Elssler is considered by Lillian Moore to have been "the most illustrious Sylphide ever to dance the role in America", with the final scene bringing many audience members to tears.[1] At the St Charles Theater in New Orleans, Elssler was contracted for two weeks at $1,000 for every night that she danced.[6] Fans across the country not only attended her performances but also experienced "Elsslermania," buying Elssler brand champagne, bread, cigars and many other products. They greeted her exuberantly but debated whether her talent warranted such over-the-top displays of celebrity worship.[7]
During the following five years Elssler appeared in Germany, Austria, France, England, and Russia. In 1845, she was invited to perform along with her rivals Marie Taglioni,
She was played by
See also
References
Notes
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2013) |
- ^ OCLC 466091730.
- ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911.
- ISBN 978-94-012-0114-8.
- ^ Princeton University Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Henry Wikoff Collection 1836–1884
- ^ "Elssler in America". Pointe. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- OCLC 1067354.
- OCLC 1175680384.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
Sources
- Au, Susan, Ballet and Modern Dance, Third Edition, Thames and Hudson Ltd, London (2012)
- Ivor Forbes Guest, Fanny Elssler (Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut, 1970)
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Elssler, Fanny". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 300. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- Allison Delarue, Fanny Elssler in America: Comprising Seven Facsimilies of Rare Americana. New York: Dance Horizons, 1976.
- Ivor Guest, Fanny Elssler. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1970)
- Ann Hutchinson, Fanny Elssler's Cachucha, Dance Books (2008) ISBN 0-903102-59-5
External links
- Works by or about Fanny Elssler at Internet Archive
- Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900. .
- Ladies of the Rose: Fanny Elssler, by Louisa Young