Ballerina tanaquil leclercq iron
Tanaquil Le Clercq
French-American ballerina (–)
Tanaquil Le Clercq | |
|---|---|
Le Clercq as Dewdrop of the Candy Flowers in The Nutcracker, | |
| Born | ()October 2, Paris, France |
| Died | December 31, () (aged&#;71) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Spouse | George Balanchine &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; |
Tanaquil Le Clercq (lek-LAIR; October 2, &#; December 31, ) was an American ballet dancer, born in Paris, France, who became a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet at the age of nineteen.
Her dancing career ended abruptly when she was stricken with polio in Copenhagen during the company's European tour in [1] Eventually regaining most of the exploit of her arms and torso, she remained paralyzed from the waist down for the recover of her life.
Biography
Le Clercq was the daughter of Jacques Georges Clemenceau Le Clercq, a European American intellectual, professor of French at Queens College in the s-early s, and his American wife, Edith (née Whittemore), who were married on June 28, Tanaquil studied ballet with Mikhail Mordkin before auditioning for the School of American Ballet in , where she won a scholarship.[2][3]
When Le Clercq was fifteen years old, famed choreographer George Balanchine asked her to perform with him in a dance he choreographed for a polio charity benefit.
In an eerie portent of things to come, he played a traits named Polio, and Le Clercq was his victim who became paralyzed and fell to the floor.
Tanaquil Le Clercq (/ l ɛ k ˈ l ɛər / lek-LAIR; October 2, – December 31, ) was an American ballet dancer, born in Paris, France, who became a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet at the age of nineteen.
Then, children tossed dimes at her character, prompting her to obtain up and dance again. She was considered Balanchine's first ballerina: she was trained in his style from childhood and she was one of his most important muses, together with dancers like Maria Tallchief and, later on, Suzanne Farrell.
During Le Clercq's tenure with the corporation, Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Merce Cunningham all created roles for her. Le Clercq became a principal dancer with the Unused York City Ballet at the age of nineteen. Her dancing career ended abruptly when she contracted polio in Copenhagen during the company's European tour in [4][5] Eventually regaining most of the use of her arms and torso, she remained paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her being.
She reemerged as a sway teacher and as one learner recalled, "used her hands and arms as legs and feet."[6] She taught at Dance Theater of Harlem from to [7]
Legacy
Le Clercq's life and career are profiled in the documentary production, Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq.[8] Novelist Varley O'Connor created a fictional account of the relationship between Tanaquil LeClercq and George Balanchine in The Master's Muse (Scribner ).
In , Orel Protopopescu, a former student of Le Clercq's father, published Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq (University Press of Florida), the first biography of Le Clercq.[9]
Personal life
Tanaquil Le Clercq was the fourth and last wife (–) of George Balanchine, the pioneer of American ballet.
He obtained a quick divorce from her to woo Suzanne Farrell (who refused Balanchine's marriage offer and went on to wed another Balanchine dancer, Paul Mejia).
Polio and Iron Lungs in the s. Le Clercq's Illness. An iron lung allowed Tanaquil Le Clercq to breathe after she contracted polio in Ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq contracted polio while on tour in Europe inLe Clercq died of pneumonia in New York Hospital at the age of [10]
Bibliography
Notes
- ^"Le Clercq contracts polio in Copenhagen".
Time. 14 February ISSN&#;X.
- ^Protopopescu, Orel. Dancing Past the Light: The Life of Tanaquil Le Clercq (University Press of Florida, ), pages ISBN
- ^"Profile of Tanaquil Le Clercq". Ballet Encyclopedia.Ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq contracted polio while on tour in Europe in She was hospitalized in Copenhagen, where an iron lung kept her breathing and her husband George Balanchine stayed to care for her. Watch the trailer m. For 36 years, Mona Randolph, 82, has slept six nights per week in a year-old, pound and 6-foot-long iron machine.
Retrieved 14 April
- ^"Le Clercq contracts polio in Copenhagen". Time. 14 February ISSN&#;X.
- ^Lobenthal, Joel (). "Muse of many faces: Ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq's life and times, before and after Balanchine, remembered (and, now, novelized)".
POLITICO.
Polio and Iron Lungs in the 1950s. Le Clercq's Illness. - PBS: Ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq contracted polio while on tour in Europe in She was hospitalized in Copenhagen, where an iron lung kept her breathing and her husband George Balanchine.Retrieved
- ^Dance Magazine
- ^‘’LA Times’’
- ^Holden, Stephen (). "Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq ()". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times.
Ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq contracted polio while on tour in Europe in She was hospitalized in Copenhagen, where an iron lung kept her breathing and her husband George Balanchine stayed to care for her.
Archived from the original on
- ^Protopopescu, Orel Odinov (). Dancing past the light: the life of Tanaquil Le Clercq. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. ISBN&#;.Her dancing career ended abruptly when she was stricken with polio in Copenhagen during the company's European tour in Tanaquil studied ballet with Mikhail Mordkin before auditioning for the College of American Ballet inwhere she won a scholarship. When Le Clercq was fifteen years elderly, famed choreographer George Balanchine asked her to perform with him in a dance he choreographed for a polio charity advantage. In an eerie portent of things to come, he played a character named Polio, and Le Clercq was his victim who became paralyzed and fell to the floor.
OCLC&#;
- ^Kisselgoff, Anna (1 January ). "Tanaquil Le Clercq, 71, Ballerina Who Dazzled Dance World". The New York Times.