Edouard Espinosa (1871–1950) was a British ballet dancer and teacher.
He was also the co-founder of the
Royal Academy of Dancing
"Health and happiness"
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation = 1920
, extinction =
, type = NGO
, status = Registered charity
, purpose = Examination board – dance education and training
, headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3R ...
and established the
British Ballet Organization
bbodance, formerly the British Ballet Organization (BBO), is a dance examination board based in London, England.
Overview
Formerly known as the British Ballet Organization, bbodance was founded in England in 1930 by Edouard Espinosa and his ...
.
Personal life
Espinosa was born in Moscow in 1872 to Spanish Jewish parents
Léon Espinosa
Léon Espinosa (1825–1904) was a Dutch-Spanish ballet dancer. He became the first in a long line of dancers and dance teachers, making the name Espinosa "recognised worldwide as one of the most important influences in the development of dance and ...
and Mathilda Oberst.
He had two brothers (Marius and Leo) and three sisters (Judith,
Ray, and Lea), all of whom became dancers and teachers.
In 1874, the Espinosas moved to London, then to Paris in 1888.
Shortly after, Edouard resided in a boarding school while his parents toured in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
.
Due to an injury, Léon stopped dancing, allowing his children to pick up the art.
He married
Eve Louise Kelland
Eve Louise Kelland (1889-1943) was an actress and singer.
Eve Kelland started her theatrical career as an actress and singer. She became organiser and administrator of the British Ballet Organization founded in England in 1930, and in 1928 she ...
,
and had two children
Edward Kelland-Espinosa
Edward Kelland-Espinosa (1906–1991) was the son of Edouard Espinosa, founder of the British Ballet Organization (BBO), and his wife, Eve Louise Kelland.
Personal life
Kelland-Espinosa was born in London in 1906 to parents Edouard Espinosa and ...
and
Yvette Espinosa
Yvette Espinosa (1911–1992) was an English ballerina. She was born in England, the daughter of Eve Louise Kelland
Eve Louise Kelland (1889-1943) was an actress and singer.
Eve Kelland started her theatrical career as an actress and sing ...
.
Career
Before dance
After Espinosa's father's injury stopped him from dancing, the Espinosa children became the family's financial support. Beginning at age twelve, Edouard picked up odd jobs "selling embroidery supplies, toys and Bohemian crystal, before becoming a sales representative for dental wares. Being briefly apprenticed to a local dentist, he even managed to botch his one and only tooth extraction ... before belatedly beginning his ballet training at the age of eighteen."
Dancer
Beginning at age 18, Espinosa trained in ballet under his father,
Léon Espinosa
Léon Espinosa (1825–1904) was a Dutch-Spanish ballet dancer. He became the first in a long line of dancers and dance teachers, making the name Espinosa "recognised worldwide as one of the most important influences in the development of dance and ...
.
Although Espinosa had background in ballroom dancing, he was not a great ballet dancer. According to his father, "He
adterrible feet, but wonderful knees."
Through hard work, Espinosa slowly improved until he was able to perform as a soloist.
In 1889, Espinosa debuted at the Old London Aquarium.
The performance went so poorly the manager warned that if had not been an Espinosa, he would have been finished with the company.
From 1891-1896, he danced with the
Lyceum Theatre under the guidance of
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
, then danced under
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...
in New York for a season in 1893.
Between 1896 and 1939, Espinosa was "
Maître de Ballet for the
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
,
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
,
Empire Theatre, and
Alhambra Theatre.
During this time, he danced numerous shows, including ''
Chu Chin Chow
''Chu Chin Chow'' is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based (with minor embellishments) on the story of '' Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves''. Gänzl, Kurt"''Chu Chin Chow'' Musical Tal ...
'' (1916), ''
The Maid of the Mountains
''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham and ...
'' (1917), and ''The Last Waltz'' (1922).
In addition to performing, Espinosa worked with his father,
Léon Espinosa
Léon Espinosa (1825–1904) was a Dutch-Spanish ballet dancer. He became the first in a long line of dancers and dance teachers, making the name Espinosa "recognised worldwide as one of the most important influences in the development of dance and ...
, producing and choreographing for
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
,
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
and plays throughout
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and abroad. He was particularly adept at teaching and analysing steps.
Espinosa codified the steps his father taught, and this code became the basis for the first structured syllabus of its kind to be devised internationally.
Dance teacher
While Espinosa was a great dancer, his greatest influence on ballet was as a teacher.
In 1896, he opened his first ballet school, and in 1908, he established the British Normal School of Dancing, "the first to hold examinations and issue certificates."
During this time, Espinosa became friends with
Phillip J. S. Richardson,
who wrote for and eventually purchased ''
Dancing Times
''Dancing Times'' is a dancing magazine based in the UK, the oldest dance magazine to be still published. The magazine helped found the Royal Academy of Dance, the Camargo Society, and the British Dance Council
The British Dance Council was f ...
.'' The two fretted over the number of unqualified ballet teachers and considered ways to alleviate this issue.
Royal Academy of Dance
In 1920, Espinosa and Richardson had ongoing meetings with other ballet greats, including
Phyllis Bedells
Phyllis Bedells (9 August 1893 – 2 May 1985) was a British ballerina and dance teacher.
Early life
Ethel Phyllis Bedells was born in Knowle, Bristol. Her father was a clerk for the Bristol Gas Company; both parents were musical. Her fat ...
,
Lucia Cormani
Lucia Cormani was a 19th and early 20th-century Italian ballet dancer and one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Dance.
Lucia's life is not well documented, in part because she never danced in the most famous female roles. She was probably bo ...
,
Adeline Genée,
Tamara Karsavina
Tamara Platonovna Karsavina (russian: Тамара Платоновна Карсавина; 10 March 1885 – 26 May 1978) was a Russian prima ballerina, renowned for her beauty, who was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and lat ...
,
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russ ...
, and
Anton Dolin to discuss the state of ballet and aimed to establish an “association which would make it its duty to see that all teachers taught correctly.”
Eventually, the group founded the Association of Operatic Dancing, later known as the
Royal Academy of Dance
"Health and happiness"
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation = 1920
, extinction =
, type = NGO
, status = Registered charity
, purpose = Examination board – dance education and training
, headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...
(RAD).
Three months after the founding of RAD, the school held the first ballet examinations.
During this time, Espinosa wrote ''The Elementary Technique of Operatic Dancing'', originally called the ''Syllabus of Elementary Technique'', which was published in 1928.
British Ballet Organization
In 1929, Espinosa broke away from the RAD and established the
British Ballet Organization
bbodance, formerly the British Ballet Organization (BBO), is a dance examination board based in London, England.
Overview
Formerly known as the British Ballet Organization, bbodance was founded in England in 1930 by Edouard Espinosa and his ...
(BBO) with his wife a year later.
By the time Espinosa left the Association of Operative Dancing, many of his students had become prominent teachers in various parts of the British Isles, and they formed the BBO's nucleus. Over the years, the organization expanded, offering a syllabus and examinations in dance. It extended its influence to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, as well as all over the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
.
Espinosa taught many who would go on to have successful careers, including Dame
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russ ...
, who in turn taught
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 ...
, the founder of the
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...
.
After his death, his son, Eduard Kelly Espinosa, and daughter, Ivette, took over control of the BBO.
The Espinosa Family Home
Woolborough House in London (39
Lonsdale Road) was the Espinosa family home from 1913.
On the formation of the
British Ballet Organization
bbodance, formerly the British Ballet Organization (BBO), is a dance examination board based in London, England.
Overview
Formerly known as the British Ballet Organization, bbodance was founded in England in 1930 by Edouard Espinosa and his ...
(BBO), it became the organization's headquarters.
In 1932, a studio was built alongside the house which has continued to host classes and BBO examinations and provides rehearsal space for many leading dance companies and professional artists. In 2015, the BBO moved to Battersea Reach.
Many famous students studied with Espinosa at Woolborough House, including
Phyllis Bedells
Phyllis Bedells (9 August 1893 – 2 May 1985) was a British ballerina and dance teacher.
Early life
Ethel Phyllis Bedells was born in Knowle, Bristol. Her father was a clerk for the Bristol Gas Company; both parents were musical. Her fat ...
and
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russ ...
.
Bibliography
*
*
See also
*
Royal Academy of Dance
"Health and happiness"
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation = 1920
, extinction =
, type = NGO
, status = Registered charity
, purpose = Examination board – dance education and training
, headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...
References
External links
* http://bbo.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinosa, Edouard
1871 births
1950 deaths
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
British male ballet dancers
British choreographers
Ballet masters
19th-century British ballet dancers
20th-century British ballet dancers