Sulamith Messerer
Sulamith Messerer | |
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| Born | August 27, 1908 |
| Died | June 3, 2004 (aged 95) |
Sulamith Mikhailovna Messerer,
choreographer who laid the foundations for the classical ballet in Japan
.
Biography
Sulamith Messerer was born into the
Lithuanian Jewish family of dentist Mikhail Messerer and his wife Sima Shabad,[1][2] and was one of nine children. Every child was given a biblical name: Pnina, Azariah, Mattany, Rachel, Asaf (or Assaf), Elisheva, Sulamith (or Shulamith), Emanuel, Abinadab and Erella.[1]
Sulamith Messerer, her brother Azari Azarin (an actor), sister
choreographer) became famous and started a dynasty of outstanding ballet dancers and ballet masters.[3]
Sulamith studied from the age of 8 in the
prima ballerina of the Bolshoï ballet and kept this position for 25 years.[6] In 1933, she and her brother Asaf Messerer became the first Soviet dancers to tour Western Europe.[5][3] She also practised swimming all her life and held the Soviet swimming record for the 100-metres crawl between 1927 and 1930.[3]
After her sister
ballet mistress and teacher in the Bolshoi.[5] Her brother took care of their nephew and Maya's younger brother Alexander Plisetski. Since 1961, she spent much time in Tokyo, where she mastered Japanese and was instrumental in establishing the Tokyo Ballet.[3] She was also the aunt of theater artist Boris Messerer
through her brother Asaf.
In 1978 and 1979, she taught numerous students at Ankara State Conservatory (now part of Hacettepe University) in Turkey. Her influence shaped the lives of many Turkish dancers.
In 1980, at the age of 72, she defected to
Order of the Sacred Treasures (1996).[3] She is the first Russian to be awarded the Order of the British Empire (2000).[6]
See also
- List of Russian ballet dancers
- List of Eastern Bloc defectors
References
- ^ a b I'm Maya Plisetskaya. 490 p. Moscow: AST Moscow, 2008.
- ^ Sulamif Messerer: "I want to live!" Archived 17 April 2009 at archive.today
- ^ a b c d e f g Willis, Margaret (2004-06-21). "Obituaries: Sulamith Messerer". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ "Bolshoi dancer who defected at 72". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ a b c d "Sulamith Messerer - Inspirational ballet teacher". www.independent.co.uk. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Sulamif Messerer". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
External links
- 2004 Britannica Article
- Obituary of her by ballet dancer Gavin Roebuck
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