Early years '' '
Le Spectre de la rose Fokine was born in
Saint Petersburg to a prosperous
merchant and at the age of 9 was accepted into the Saint Petersburg
Imperial Ballet School. That same year, he made his performing debut in
The Talisman under the direction of
Marius Petipa. In 1898, on his 18th birthday, he debuted on the stage of the
Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in
Paquita, with the
Imperial Russian Ballet. In addition to being a talented dancer, Fokine was also passionate about
painting and displayed talent in this area as well. He also played musical instruments, including
mandolin (played on stage in ensemble led by
Ginislao Paris),
domra, and
balalaika (played in
Vasily Andreyev's Great Russian Orchestra).
Transition to choreographer He became frustrated with the life of a dancer and began considering other paths, including painting. In 1902, he was offered a teaching position at the Imperial Ballet School and was able to explore the artistic possibilities of
choreography. In 1905, he created his first full-length ballet,
Acis et Galatée, which was performed by his students and based on a Sicilian legend. Among his students were
Desha Delteil and
Bronislava Nijinska. Some of Fokine's early works include the ballet
Acis and Galatea (1905) and
The Dying Swan (1907), which was a solo dance for
Anna Pavlova choreographed to the music of
Le Cygne.
Acis and Galetea included an acrobatic dance with young boys playing
fauns, one of whom was
Vaslav Nijinsky. Fokine later featured Nijinsky in ballets including
Chopiniana (1907), which was renamed in 1909.
Ballets Russes In 1909,
Sergei Diaghilev invited Fokine to become the resident choreographer of the first season of the
Ballets Russes in
Paris. At Ballets Russes, he collaborated with other artists to create a ballet of
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's
Scheherazade, which premiered in 1910. The ballet was inspired by
symphonic poems composed by Rimsky-Korsakov and the tale of the
1001 Nights. The
sets designed by
Léon Bakst matched the sexualized choreography. Despite the lack of
historical accuracy, the ballet was successful due to its brilliant colors,
exoticism, and sexual overtones. The 1910 production featured Nijinsky in the role of the Golden Slave.
The Firebird (1910), with music composed by
Igor Stravinsky was also created by a "committee," a process inspired by the
Wagnerian notion of
Gesamtkunstwerk, which is the synthesis of elements such as music, drama, spectacle, and dance to create a more cohesive artwork.
Petrushka (1912), with music also composed by Stravinsky and set design by Alexandre Benois Petrouchka, was inspired by the Russian puppet which traditionally appeared at the Butter Week (
Shrovetide) Fairs. In this ballet, Fokine included street dancers,
peddlers,
nursemaids, a performing bear, and a large ensemble of characters to complement the plot. The story was centered on the sinister Magician (
Enrico Cecchetti) and his three puppets: Petrouchka (Nijinsky), the Ballerina (
Tamara Karsavina) and the savage Moor (Alexander Orlov). Fokine's ballet
Le Spectre de la Rose (1911) showcased Nijinsky as the spirit of the rose given to a young girl. Nijinsky's exit featured a
grand jeté out of the young girl's bedroom window, timed so the audience would last see him suspended in mid-air. In 1912, Fokine created an adaptation of
Daphnis et Chloé. He left Ballets Russes in 1912. In 1914, Diaghilev convinced Fokine to return to Ballets Russes, where he then created the ballets
Midas,
Josephslegende, and ''
Le Coq d'Or. The Paris premiere of The Golden Cockerel'' by Ballets Russes in 1914 was an
opéra-ballet, guided by Fokine with set design by
Natalia Goncharova.
American Ballet Company The outbreak of the
First World War in August 1914, disrupted the established touring circuit, which included countries now on opposing sides. Many dancers, including Fokine, returned to their home countries. He moved to
Sweden with his family in 1918, and later established his home in
New York City, where he founded a ballet school in 1921, and continued to appear with his wife, Vera Fokina. One of his pupils was
Patricia Bowman. By 1924, he organized the American Ballet Company, which performed regularly at the
Metropolitan Opera House and toured the United States. His first piece for the company was the comedy
Bluebeard, set to a score by
Jacques Offenbach. His ballet was the first production at the
American Ballet Theatre on 11 January 1940. In 1937, Fokine joined
Wassily de Basil's offshoot of the Ballets Russes, which was eventually named the
Original Ballet Russe. Among the new works Fokine created during this period were
Cendrillon (1938) and
Paganini (1939). His choreography was featured with the company until 1941. Fokine staged more than eighty ballets in
Europe and the
United States. His best-known works were
Chopiniana,
Le Carnaval (1910), and ''
Le Pavillon d'Armide'' (1907). His pieces are still performed internationally. The
Mariinsky Ballet performed a retrospective of Fokine's work at
London's
Covent Garden in July 2011.
Death Fokine died in New York on 22 August 1942, aged 62. In tribute to his death, seventeen ballet companies around the world performed simultaneously. ==Teaching methods and style==