Adorée Via (Viola) Villany was the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

for a dancer and choreographer.

Biography

Ambiguity surrounds Villany's birthplace and name. She was reported at various times to be French (born in Rouen), Hungarian (“The Pearl of the Puszta”), or a German Jew (born in Danzig as Erna Reich). She appears to have spent most of her career in Germany, and last appears in the German press in 1927. The ''Grazer Volksblatt'' newspaper in 1911 states she began performing in the Berlin

Überbrettl Überbrettl ( ''super-cabaret'') was the first venue in Germany for literary cabaret, or Kabarett, founded 1901 in Berlin by Ernst von Wolzogen. The German Kabarett concept was imported from French venues like Le Chat Noir in Paris, from which it ...

cabaret (perhaps in 1902) as “

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name surviv ...

Duncan imitator.” Other sources state she came public notice in 1905, performing the Dance of the Seven Veils while simultaneously speaking the final monologue from Oscar Wilde's play ''Salome (play), Salome''. Her works explored mythical, historical and Oriental themes, as well as sometimes possessing abstract qualities. Villany also incorporated themes from paintings by contemporary artists such as

Franz Stuck Franz von Stuck (February 23, 1863 – August 30, 1928), born Franz Stuck, was a German painter, sculptor, printmaker, and architect. Stuck was best known for his paintings of ancient mythology, receiving substantial critical acclaim with '' The ...

and

Arnold Böcklin Arnold Böcklin (16 October 182716 January 1901) was a Swiss symbolist painter. Biography He was born in Basel. His father, Christian Frederick Böcklin (b. 1802), was descended from an old family of Schaffhausen, and engaged in the silk tra ...

. She designed her own costumes, which were often very revealing, and uncovered her body during her performances. Villany performed in Prague, Paris, Ghent, Berlin, Rotterdam, Vienna and Brussels and at spas such as Marienbad and

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

. She was prosecuted for appearing unclothed on stage in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

in 1911 but was acquitted; the jury found that her performance was in the "higher interests of art". In 1913, she was fined 200 francs by the Tribunal correctionnel in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for indecent exposure. Villany published a book on dance,
Tanz-Reform und Pseudo-Moral Kritischsatyrische Gedanken aus meinem Bühnen- u. Privatleben
'' in 1912 that expressed her aesthetic principles. She appeared in the 1906 German film '' Tanz der Salome'' by Otto Messter and the 1915 Danish film ' by Rino Lupo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villany, Adoree Year of death missing Dance writers 20th-century French dancers 20th-century German dancers 20th-century women writers Year of birth missing Silent film actresses