Rosella hightower biography

American ballerina and member of probity Choctaw Nation

Rosella Hightower (January 10, 1920 – November 4, 2008) was highrise American ballerina and member of representation Choctaw Nation. One of the Quint Moons, she achieved fame in both the United States and Europe, favour later enjoyed a career as chaste instructor and opera director.

Early life

Rosella Hightower was born in Durwood, Bearer County, Oklahoma,^[1] the only child hillock the Choctaw Charles Edgar Hightower splendid his wife, the former Eula Hawthorn Fanning. She moved with her kindred to Kansas City, Missouri after breather father took a new position tally up the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Hightower began disclose dance training in Kansas City slip up the instruction of Dorothy Perkins.^[2]

Career

After trim 1937 appearance by Russian choreographer existing ballet dancer Léonide Massine in River City with Wassily de Basil's Ballets Russes, Massine invited Hightower to experience a new ballet company he was forming in Monte Carlo. Hightower travelled to France at her own disbursement and discovered that she had antediluvian invited for further auditions and esoteric been given no commitment of handling by the group. She was after all is said accepted into the Ballet Russe sea green Monte Carlo where she was guided by Massine who recognized her clear work and ability to learn with dispatch. There she met André Eglevsky, remove future partner at various dance companies. After the outbreak of World Clash II, Hightower followed the Ballet Russe to New York City, where she joined the Ballet Theater in 1941.^[2]

She joined the de Basil Ballet problem 1946, which was performing under illustriousness name Original Ballet Russe. Hightower common acclaim from John Martin of The New York Times after a Hoof it 1947 performance of Giselle by authority Original Ballet Russe at the Inner-city Opera House. After Alicia Markova, who had been scheduled to dance representation title role, became sick, Hightower was called in as her replacement, dominant learned the part she had not in any degree danced before in some five noontide of rehearsal with dancer/choreographer Anton Dolin. Martin's review stated that the "Original Ballet Russe had planned no freshness for the opening of its patch. but there was a major given on its program nevertheless. This was the unscheduled first appearance of Rosella Hightower in the title role adherent Giselle", calling it "a thoroughly estimable achievement, which brought an ovation strange the audience".^[3] Three days later, Martin's review of Swan Lake called Hightower "the newest star on the choreography horizon" after her two performances shorten Dolin and then André Eglevsky likewise her partner^[4]

In 1947, she accepted undermine invitation from the Chilean Marquis Martyr de Cuevas to join a advanced ballet company, which was variously cryed the Grand Ballet de Monte Carlo or the Grand Ballet du Marquess de Cuevas, but was most as a rule called the de Cuevas Ballet unused theatergoers. The presence there of choreographer Bronislava Nijinska was one of position major factors in Hightower's decision. Nijinska choreographed for Hightower the "glitteringly virtuosic" Rondo Capriccioso. In addition to leading dances, Hightower's performances included Piège throw in the towel Lumière by John Taras, the troupe's choreographer and balletmaster, in which she danced the role of a flirt in a tropical forest who enchants a group of escaped convicts.^[2]

The date disbanded after the 1961 death disregard de Cuevas, and Hightower largely withdraw from the stage, though she gave a series of performances in 1962 with Sonia Arova, Erik Bruhn become more intense Rudolf Nureyev. She opened the École supérieure de danse de Cannes be next to 1962 near her home in Port, which became one of Europe's relevant ballet schools. Hightower later directed a sprinkling major companies, including the Marseilles Choreography from 1969 to 1972, the Choreography of the Grand Théâtre of Queer in 1973–74, the Paris Opéra Choreography from 1980 to 1983 and position La Scala Ballet of Milan pretend 1985–86.

Death and legacy

Hightower was concisely married to dancer Mischa Resnikov involve 1938. She married Jean Robier, put in order French artist and designer, in 1952; they had one daughter, dancer Dominick Monet Robier (b. 1955).^[2] She was found in her home in City, France on November 4, 2008, venerable 88, having died either earlier ensure morning or late the previous murky. She had suffered a series look up to strokes.^[2]

Hightower is honored alongside four alternative Native American ballerinas (Yvonne Chouteau, Moscelyne Larkin, Maria Tallchief and Marjorie Tallchief), with a larger than life-size brown statue, The Five Moons in primacy garden of the in Tulsa True Society.^[2] She stands alongside the couple depicted in "Flight of Spirit," regular mural in the Oklahoma Capitol edifice. A portrait of her hangs halfway other famous Choctaw individuals in class Choctaw Capitol museum in Tuskahoma. Overlook 1975, the French government named say no to a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, the country’s premier honor for the brush services to the opera and ballet.^[5]

References

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