Felicia Sorel (September 28, 1903 – September 7, 1972) was a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator, based in New York City.

Early life and education

Sorel was raised in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, ...

; her father was a physician, and her mother taught music. She trained as a dancer with

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...

Vicente Escudero Vicente Escudero (27 October 1892 in Valladolid, Spain – 4 December 1980 in Barcelona) was a Spanish flamenco dancer. He was closely associated with the avant-garde of his time and brought modernist aesthetics to bear on his theory of dance. Es ...

, and

Mary Wigman Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann; 13 November 1886 – 18 September 1973) was a German dancer and choreographer, notable as the pioneer of expressionist dance, dance therapy, and movement training without pointe shoes. She is con ...

Career

Sorel was proficient in several genres of dance, including modern, black bottom, and

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

. She danced in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

shows including '' The Rose of Stamboul'' (1922),

Michio Itō was a Japanese dancer who developed his own choreography style in Europe and America. He was the son of Kimiye Iijima and architect Tamekichi Ito who was educated at the University of Washington; he was one of nine children, and the brother of D ...

's ''Pin Wheel'' (1922), ''

The Earl Carroll Vanities ''The Earl Carroll Vanities'' was a Broadway revue that Earl Carroll presented in the 1920s and early 1930s. Carroll and his show were sometimes controversial. Distinguishing qualities In 1923, the ''Vanities'' joined the ranks of New York� ...

'' (1925), ''After Such Pleasures'' (1934), and ''Saluta'' (1934). She later worked as a choreographer on Broadway, including ''Pins and Needles'' (1937), ''

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

'' (1939). ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'' (1940), ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' (1940), ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' (1940), ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC duri ...

'' (1941), ''The Pirate'' (1941 to 1943), ''

Run, Little Chillun ''Run, Little Chillun'' or ''Run Little Chillun'' is a folk opera written by Hall Johnson. According to James Vernon Hatch and Leo Hamalian, it is one of the most successful musical dramas of the Harlem Renaissance. It was the first Broadway show ...

'' (1943), ''My Dear Public'' (1943), ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...

'' (1946), '' King Henry VIII'' (1946 to 1947), and ''Louisiana Lady'' (1947). "Her gifts as a dancer have long been recognized," wrote ''The New York Times'' dance critic John Martin of her work on ''Everywhere I Roam'' (1939), adding that she showed additional promise as a choreographer, "designing dances for dramatic productions, and she has done it brilliantly and without compromise." Sorel taught at the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She also opened and ran a dance studio and a dance company with her first husband.

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

was one of their students. During the 1930s she worked in the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

. In 1943 she helped to create the Negro Dance Company, and gave a recital at the Labor Stage Theatre. In 1949, she launched Sorel Productions, "specializing in promotion, production and staging of fashion shows and industrial exhibits."

Personal life

Sorel's first husband was fellow dancer

Gluck Sandor Gluck Sandor (1899–1978), aka Senia Gluck-Sandor, was an American artist, dancer, director, producer, actor, mime and teacher. He made his stage debut in the Met Opera production of Le Coq d'Or in 1918, and continued to choreograph, dance, and ...

. She died in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

in 1972, from cancer, at the age of 66.

References

External links

* *
A 1926 photo of Felicia Sorel
and

Paul Ash Paul Robert Ash (February 11, 1891, Germany — July 13, 1958, Manhattan, New York) was a German orchestra leader, composer, vaudeville personality, and recording artist, who emigrated to the United States. He recorded several hit songs: "Rememb' ...

by George Rinhart, at Getty Images {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorel, Felicia 1903 births 1972 deaths American dancers Jewish dancers American choreographers