John Taras

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John Taras
Born(1919-04-18)April 18, 1919
New York City, U.S.
DiedApril 2, 2004(2004-04-02) (aged 84)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)ballet master, choreographer
SpouseHélène Sadowska
ChildrenAnne (stepdaughter)

John Taras (April 18, 1919[

choreographer
.

Early life and education

Born on the Lower East Side of New York City to Ukrainian parents, he was sent at age 16 to study ballet with Michel Fokine, Anatole Vilzak, Pierre Vladimiroff and Ludmila Shollar, and later to the School of American Ballet.[citation needed]

Career

He first appeared professionally with Opera on Tour for which Fokine arranged dance.

He performed at the

Ford Pavilion and joined Catherine Littlefield's Philadelphia Ballet for a 1941 tour of the southern states, and in 1942 was in the Broadway revival of J. M. Barrie's A Kiss for Cinderella. He then toured South America with American Ballet Caravan
.

Taras joined

Balanchine and Tudor, and in 1946 choreographed his first ballet, Graziana.[1]

He danced the 1947 season with the Markova-Dolin Company at the Chicago Civic Opera and produced Camille for de Basil's Original Ballet Russe with Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin as the leads. Taras was principal dancer in de Basil's company and regisseur for their Covent Garden and Paris seasons. He produced The Minotaur for Ballet Society that year. In 1949 he choreographed for the experimental Ballets des Champs-Élysées.

Taras staged the

Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly.[2]

Stravinsky ballet, Arcade was Suzanne Farrell's first featured role, as the young girl whose budding romance with Arthur Mitchell
is destroyed by a group of chaperones.

He was balletmaster of the

Royal Ballet, Covent Garden.[3]

Taras staged his own version of

Serge Prokofiev. Mikhail Baryshnikov asked him in 1984 to join American Ballet Theatre as associate director.[6] During his tenure at ABT, he served as ballet master and choreographer for the company.[7] In the wake of Baryshnikov's departure from the company, Taras resigned as well.[8]

He died on April 2, 2004. He is survived by his wife, Hélène Sadowska, and his stepdaughter, Anne.[9]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ McDonaugh, Don (April 23, 2004). "John Taras, Choreographer who spread the ideas of the New York City Ballet". The Guardian.
  2. ^ "John Taras, 84; Choreographer and Ballet Master". The Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2004.
  3. ^ "John Taras". The Times of London. April 17, 2004.
  4. ^ Williams, Alex (March 31, 2024). "Lorraine Graves, Pioneering Harlem Ballerina, Dies at 66 - Tall and commanding, she dazzled audiences as a principal dancer for the groundbreaking Dance Theater of Harlem for nearly two decades". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  5. ^ O'Connor, John (May 5, 1982). "TV: THE HARLEM DANCERS' 'FIREBIRD'". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Kriegsman, Alan (July 23, 1984). "ABT Names John Taras Associate Director". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ Montee, Kristy (January 30, 1986). "BALLET MASTER TARAS STEPS INTO DUAL ROLE AT ABT". The Sun Sentinel.
  8. ^ Pasles, Chris (March 19, 1990). "Associate Artistic Director of ABT Resigns". The Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (April 5, 2004). "John Taras, Choreographer, Is Dead at 84". The New York Times.

Reviews

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