Antony Tudor (born William Cook; 4 April 1908 – 19 April 1987) was an English ballet
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
, teacher and dancer. He founded the
London Ballet London Ballet was a short lived British ballet company founded by the British choreographer and former Ballet Rambert dancer Antony Tudor in 1938, along with Rambert members Hugh Laing, Andrée Howard, Agnes de Mille, Peggy van Praagh, Maude Lloyd a ...
, and later the Philadelphia Ballet Guild in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania, U.S., in the mid-1950s.
Early life and education
Tudor was born William Cook in
East London, and grew up in the
Finsbury
Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London.
The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn ...
area.
He discovered dance accidentally. Tudor's first exposure to professional ballet was in his late teens when he first saw
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...
's
Ballet Russes. He witnessed the dancer
Serge Lifar
Serge Lifar ( ua, Сергій Михайлович Лифар, ''Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar'') ( 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian ballet dancer and choreographer, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. No ...
of the Diaghilev Ballet in
Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
's ''
Apollon Musagète
''Apollo'' (originally ''Apollon musagète'' and variously known as ''Apollo musagetes'', ''Apolo Musageta'', and ''Apollo, Leader of the Muses'') is a neoclassical ballet in two '' tableaux'' composed between 1927 and 1928 by Igor Stravinsky ...
'' in 1928. Later, the Ballet Russes would introduce him to
Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...
, who further inspired his journey into the world of dance. Tudor reached out to
Cyril W. Beaumont
Cyril W. Beaumont OBE (1 November 1891 – 24 May 1976) was a British dance historian, critic, technical theorist, translator, bookseller, and publisher. Author of more than forty books on ballet, he is considered one of the most important danc ...
, the owner of a ballet book shop in the
Charing Cross Road
Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street) and then becomes Tottenham Court Road. It leads from the north in the direction of ...
district in London, to seek advice regarding training and was instructed to study with
Marie Rambert
Dame Marie Rambert, Mrs Dukes DBE (20 February 188812 June 1982) was a Polish-born English dancer and pedagogue who exerted great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher.
Early years and background
Born to a liberal Lithuan ...
, a former Diaghilev Ballet dancer who taught the
Cecchetti method
The Cecchetti method is variously defined as a style of ballet and as a ballet training method devised by the Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti (1850–1928). The training method seeks to develop essential skills in dancers as well as streng ...
.
Career
He began dancing professionally with Marie Rambert in 1928, becoming general assistant for her
Ballet Club
Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...
the next year. A precocious choreographer, at age twenty-three he created for her dancers ''Cross Garter'd'', then ''Lysistrata'', ''The Planets'' and other works at the little
Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate
The Mercury Theatre was a small theatre on Ladbroke Road, Notting Hill Gate, London, notable for the productions of poetic dramas between 1933 and 1956, and as the home of the Ballet Rambert until 1987.
History (founding)
The Mercury Theatr ...
, and his two most revolutionary, ''
Jardin aux lilas
''Jardin aux lilas'' (''Lilac Garden'') is a ballet in one act choreographed by Antony Tudor to a composition by Ernest Chausson entitled ''Poème (Chausson), Poème'', Op. 25. With scenery and costumes designed by Hugo Stevenson, it was first pre ...
'' (''Lilac Garden'') and ''Dark Elegies'', before the age of thirty, himself dancing the main roles.
In 1938, he founded the
London Ballet London Ballet was a short lived British ballet company founded by the British choreographer and former Ballet Rambert dancer Antony Tudor in 1938, along with Rambert members Hugh Laing, Andrée Howard, Agnes de Mille, Peggy van Praagh, Maude Lloyd a ...
with Rambert members, including his future life partner
Hugh Laing
Hugh Laing (6 June 191110 May 1988) was one of the most significant dramatic ballet dancers of the 20th-century. He danced with Marie Rambert's Ballet Club and New York City Ballet. He was the partner of choreographer Antony Tudor.
Biography
...
,
Andrée Howard
Andrée Howard (3 October 1910 – 18 April 1968), originally Andrea, was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. She created over 30 ballets, of which almost nothing remains.
Early life
Andrée Howard was born in London on 3 October 1910. ...
,
Agnes de Mille
Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer.
Early years
Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...
,
Peggy van Praagh
Dame Margaret van Praagh (1 September 1910 – 15 January 1990) was a British ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, repetiteur, producer, advocate and director, who spent much of her later career in Australia.
Early life
Peggy van Praagh ...
,
Maude Lloyd
Maude may refer to:
Places
*Maude, New South Wales, a village on the lower Murrumbidgee River in Australia
*Maude, South Australia, a locality in South Australia
*Maude, Victoria, a town in Australia
*Cape Maude, a high ice-covered cape forming ...
and
Walter Gore
Walter Gore (8 October 1910 – 16 April 1979) was a British ballet dancer, company director and choreographer.
Early life
Walter Gore was born in Waterside, East Ayrshire Scotland in 1910 into a theatrical family. From 1924, he studied a ...
. With the onset of World War II, in 1940 he was invited with them to New York, joining Richard Pleasant's and
Lucia Chase
Lucia Hosmer Chase (24 March 1897 – 9 January 1986) was an American dancer, actress, ballet director and also the co-founder of the American Ballet Theatre.
Life and career
Chase was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, the daughter of Elizabeth ...
's reorganized Ballet Theater. Chase's company was later to become the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
, with which Tudor was closely associated for the rest of his life.
He was a resident choreographer with Ballet Theater for ten years, restaging some of his earlier works but also creating new works, his great ''
Pillar of Fire'' (1942), ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Dim Lustre'' and ''Undertow'', on that company by the end of the war. Retiring from dancing in 1950, he headed the faculty of the
Metropolitan Opera Ballet School, taught at the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
recurrently from 1950 onwards. He mentored dancers of color and offered weekly classes at the Philadelphia Ballet Guild, which he established in the mid-1950s.
[ Among others, he taught ]Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...
, who went on to found the predecessor to the NAISDA Dance College
The NAISDA Dance College (usually referred to as simply NAISDA) is a performing arts training college based in Kariong, New South Wales for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander ...
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
students of contemporary dance in Australia.
He was artistic director for the Royal Swedish Ballet
The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this fi ...
from 1963 to 1964. He choreographed three works for the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
.
From 1973 Tudor continued his teaching career as professor of ballet technique at the Department of Dance, University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
(work curtailed by a serious heart condition), while rejoining American Ballet Theatre in 1974 as associate artistic director, creating ''The Leaves Are Fading'' and ''Tiller in the Fields'', his last major work, in 1978. With Laing, he continued seasonal residence in Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...
.
Muses for whom specific ballets where created include Maude Lloyd, Hugh Laing and Nora Kaye
Nora Kaye-Ross (January 17, 1920 – February 28, 1987) was an American prima-ballerina known for her ability to perform dramatic roles. Called the ''Duse of Dance'' after the acclaimed actress Eleonora Duse, she also worked in films as a chore ...
. While specific ballets were not created for them, Diana Adams
Diana Adams (March 29, 1926 – January 10, 1993) was a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet from 1950 to 1963 and favorite of George Balanchine, later becoming a teacher at — and dean of — the School of American Ballet.
Adams was bor ...
and Sallie Wilson Sallie Wilson (April 18, 1932, Fort Worth, Texas – April 27, 2008) was a ballerina who appeared with New York City Ballet where she danced opposite Martha Graham in the premiere of Graham and George Balanchine's collaboration at NYCB, ''Episodes ( ...
can also be considered as muses of Tudor.
As a teacher, Tudor was known for focusing on physical and psychological details to strip away the ego allowing the dancer to be pushed outside their comfort zone and extend their potential. In an interview with Dick Cavett, Tudor said, "You’ve got to get rid of the personal mannerisms to get to the character in the ballet and dancers don't want to let go. Breaking down a person isn't hard. But you cannot break them down unless you are willing to pick up the ashes right away and turn them into the Phoenix. That's the tough thing. You're terribly tempted to lay them flat and walk on them."
Recognition
Tudor was awarded a creative arts medal by Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, ...
, the ''Dance Magazine
''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including ''Pointe' ...
'' and Capezio
Capezio is the trade name of Capezio Ballet Makers Inc., an American manufacturer of dance shoes, apparel and accessories.
History
In 1887, Salvatore Capezio, an Italian cobbler emigrated to the United States, opened a shoe repair shop near the ...
awards, New York City's Handel Medallion
The Handel Medallion is an American award presented by the City of New York. It is the city's highest award given to individuals for their contribution to the city's intellectual and cultural life.
Establishment
The award was first issued in 19 ...
, and both Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
and Dance/USA National Honors.
Tudor was inducted into the Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance
The National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, in the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, New York, was established in 1986. It contains photographs, videos, artifacts, costumes, and biographies. The museum is located in the former Washi ...
in 1988.
Death and legacy
A disciplined Zen Buddhist
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
, Tudor died on Easter Sunday
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...
in his residence at the First Zen Institute of America
The First Zen Institute of America is a Rinzai institution for Laity, laypeople established by Sokei-an in New York, New York in 1930 as the Buddhist Society of America (changing its name after World War II). The emphasis on lay practice has its ...
, aged 79.
Tudor is generally accepted as one of the great originals of modern dance forms. Along with George Balanchine, he is seen as a principal transformer of ballet into a modern art, but of a genius that uses, rather than proceeds from, ballet forms. His work is usually considered as modern "psychological" expression, but – like their creator – of austerity, elegance and nobility, remarkably primarily using only classical forms. Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...
said, "We do Tudor's ballets because we must. Tudor's work is our conscience."
Thirty of Tudor's dances have been documented in Labanotation
Labanotation (the grammatically correct form "Labannotation" or "Laban notation" is uncommon) is a system for analyzing and recording human movement. The inventor was Rudolf von Laban (1879-1958), a central figure in European modern dance, who ...
by the Dance Notation Bureau The Dance Notation Bureau (DNB) is a non-profit organization founded to preserve choreographic works through notating dance scores in Labanotation and collaborating with dance companies to stage reconstructions of those works.
Based in New York C ...
. The scores' introductory material contains history of the dances, cast lists, stylistic notes, background on Tudor, and information needed to stage the works (costumes, sets, lighting, music).
Trust
The Antony Tudor Ballet Trust was established to continue staging Tudor's works. His will appointed Sally Brayley Bliss as the sole trustee of his ballets upon his will submission to the Surrogate's Court of the State of New York in 1987.
The trust includes the following répétiteurs: Diana Byer, John Gardner, Airi Hymninen, James Jordan, Donald Mahler, Amanda McKerrow, Christopher Newton
Christopher Newton (11 June 1936 – 20 December 2021) was a Canadian director and actor, who served as artistic director of the Shaw Festival from 1980 to 2002.
Early life and education
Newton was born in Deal, Kent, England and educated at ...
, Kirk Peterson, David Richardson, Willy Shives, Lance Westwood, Celia Franca
Celia Franca (25 June 1921 – 19 February 2007) was a co-founder of The National Ballet of Canada (1951) and its artistic director for 24 years.
Early life
Franca was born Celia Franks in London, England, the daughter of an East End tailo ...
(in memoriam) and Sallie Wilson Sallie Wilson (April 18, 1932, Fort Worth, Texas – April 27, 2008) was a ballerina who appeared with New York City Ballet where she danced opposite Martha Graham in the premiere of Graham and George Balanchine's collaboration at NYCB, ''Episodes ( ...
(in memoriam). Tara McBride is the administrator for the trust.
Major works
(*Ballets available for production)
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*''Zen Notes'' obituary issue, 34:5 (May 1987), includes "Tudor Dies" by Mary Farkas; "Notes on Tudor" by Clara Gibson Maxwell and Suzanne Ames.
*Clara Gibson Maxwell, "Dancing Tudor's ''Cereus''," ''Zen Notes'', 28:10 (October 1981): 6
*Entry of Antony Tudor's Dances on th
Dance Notation Bureau's On-line Theatrical Dances Catalog
*
Archival film of Antony Tudor's Gala Performance in 1959 at Jacob's Pillow
Archive film of Antony Tudor's Jardin aux Lilas in 1953 at Jacob's Pillow
Hugh Laing and Antony Tudor papers, 1911-1988
Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library.
Archival footage of Johan Renvall and Madeleine Onne performing in Antony Tudor's ''Little Improvisations'' in 1983 at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tudor, Antony
1908 births
1987 deaths
Ballet choreographers
English choreographers
English male ballet dancers
British expatriates in the United States
Kennedy Center honorees
LGBT dancers
LGBT entertainers from England
Dancers from London
University of California, Irvine faculty
Choreographers of American Ballet Theatre
Rambert Dance Company dancers