Guido Lauri (23 November 1922 – 27 October 2019) was an Italian dancer, actor, choreographer, ballet master, company director. Born in Rome, he entered the ballet school of then Royal

Rome Opera House The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

at 6 years-old and in 1939, after a graduation with full marks, he joined the ballet company with the title of ''primo ballerino étoile''. A very handsome man, an eclectic artist, a ''danseur noble'' with hot-blooded temperament, he excelled in all the classics partnering famous ballerinas such as French

Yvette Chauviré Yvette Chauviré (; 22 April 1917 – 19 October 2016) was a French prima ballerina and actress. She is often described as France's greatest ballerina, and was the coach of prima ballerinas Sylvie Guillem and Marie-Claude Pietragalla. She was awa ...

Marina Svetlova Marina Svetlova (born Yvette von Hartmann; 3 May 1922 – 11 February 2009) was a French and American ballerina and ballet instructor. Biography Svetlova was born in Paris, France, with the name Yvette von Hartmann to Russian parents. She b ...

, Liane Daydée and Jacqueline Moreau, French/Russian

Ludmilla Tchérina Ludmilla Tchérina (born Monique Tchemerzine; ; 10 October 1924 – 21 March 2004) was a French prima ballerina and actress. Biography Tchérina was born Monique Tchemerzine, into Circassian aristocracy as the daughter of Kabardian Prince Ave ...

, Norwegian

Vera Zorina Vera Zorina (January 2, 1917 – April 9, 2003), born Eva Brigitta Hartwig, was a Norwegian ballerina, theatre and film actress, and choreographer. Today, she is chiefly remembered for her films choreographed by her then-husband George Bala ...

and Italian

Attilia Radice Attilia Radice (1914–1980) was an Italian ballerina at La Scala in Milan. She is remembered above all for the roles she created at the Rome Opera. Biography Radice studied ballet at the La Scala Theatre Ballet School under Enrico Cecchetti u ...

, often danced in neoclassical titles by Mikhail Fokin,

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Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (russian: Леони́д Фёдорович Мя́син), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the wo ...

and created numerous roles for choreographer Aurel Milloss. As a guest star, soon after the Second World War and during the 50s, he was very much in demand in Italy (

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan, Teatro Regio in Turin,

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in Venice, Teatro Comunale in Bologna,

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in Naples,

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in Palermo) and abroad ( Metropolitan Opera House in New York and

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in Buenos Aires as well as in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain). GUIDO LAURI danzatore

As a ballet master and choreographer, he directed the Rome Opera Ballet between 1965 and 1983 collaborating with

Anton Dolin (ballet dancer) Sir Anton Dolin (27 July 190425 November 1983) was an English ballet dancer and choreographer. Biography Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-Kay but was generally known as Patrick Kay or "Pat" to h ...

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ros ...

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 Russes, ...

Patricia Neary Patricia Neary (born October 27, 1942) is an American ballerina, choreographer and ballet director, who has been particularly active in Switzerland. She has also been an ambassador for the Balanchine Trust, bringing George Balanchine's ballets to ...

Pierre Lacotte Pierre Lacotte (born 4 April 1932) is a French ballet dancer and choreographer who specialised in the reconstruction of lost choreographies of romantic ballets. His mother was an affirmed musician and he manifested very early his interest for da ...

; as a member of jury, he was invited by close friend

Yuri Grigorovich Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (russian: Ю́рий Никола́евич Григоро́вич; born 2 January 1927 in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographer He worked for theatre with

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

, for television with

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...

, for cinema with

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and he was invited in Hollywood by

Margarete Wallmann Margarete Wallmann or Wallman (aka Margarethe Wallmann, Margherita Wallman or Margarita Wallmann) (22 June or July 1901 or 1904 – 2 May 1992) was a ballerina, choreographer, stage designer, and opera director. Life and career Born probably ...

. Some of most talented artists of the time such as

De Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( , ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the '' scuola metafisica'' art movement, which profoundly influ ...

, Guttuso,

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and prince Enrico D’Assia designed costumes and scene-painting for him. He was awarded the Berlin's ''

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'' in 1941, the Rome's ''Tiber's twins'' in 1964, the Florence's ''Michelangelo's David'' in 1978. In 1957 the ''Accademia Mondiale degli Artisti e Professionisti'' chaired by prince Ernesto Baranger awarded him an

Honorary Degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

, and in 1982 American ''Who's Who'' choose him as one of the greatest prides of the Italian ballet of the 20th century. He was married to Anna Maria Paganini, the ballet dancer for whom

Erik Bruhn Erik Belton Evers Bruhn (3 October 1928 – 1 April 1986) was a Danish danseur, choreographer, artistic director, actor, and author. Early life Erik Bruhn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the fourth child and first son of Ellen (née Evers), o ...

created the role of the Spirit of the Lake in his 1965 version of ''Swan Lake act2'': they had a daughter,

Tiziana Lauri Tiziana Lauri (born 25 December 1959) is a retired Italian ballet dancer. Early life and education Daughter of noted dancers Guido Lauri and Anna Maria Paganini, she followed in her parents's footsteps (although against their will) by trai ...

, an acclaimed ballerina herself. He also counted among his relatives a large number of dancers, athlete Eliseo Paganini and celebrated operatic bass

Giulio Neri Giulio Neri (21 May 1909, Torrita di Siena - 21 April 1958, Rome) was an Italian operatic bass (vocal range), bass, particularly associated with the Italian repertory. Neri studied first in Florence with Ferraresi, and completed his studies in Ro ...

.Tiziana Lauri, Rome Opera Ballet's talented ''première danseuse'' – DANCE MAGAZINE, April 1987.

References

Sources

*''Premio Guido Lauri per la danza''
Morfoedro
*''Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo'', founded by

Silvio D'Amico Silvio D'Amico (3 February 1887 in Rome – 1 April 1955 in Rome) was an Italian theatre critic, journalist, and theorist of Italian theater. Not a Fascist himself, D'Amico was the major theater critic during the ''ventennio'', the twenty years ...

– Le Maschere, Roma (p.1281). *''Enciclopedia dello spettacolo'', Garzanti (p.366). *''Cinquant'anni del Teatro dell'Opera 1928–1978'', Bestetti editore 1979. *Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Archivio Storico
*''Who's Who in the World'', Sixth Edition 1982–83 – Marquis

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

, Inc. U.S.A (p.630). *''Who's Who in Italy'', 1987 (p.710). *''Guido Lauri: "La danza per me è una preghiera, una missione… dobbiamo essere sacerdoti di questa passione!"'', intervie
Il Giornale della Danza
(February 2, 2011). *''Tiziana Lauri: "Noi tutti dobbiamo imparare a corporizzare lo spirito e a spiritualizzare il corpo"'', intervie

(September 23, 2011). *''Guido Lauri, la voce di un secolo di danza'', intervie
GB Opera Magazine
August 22, 2015). {{DEFAULTSORT:Lauri, Guido 1922 births 2019 deaths Dancers from Rome Italian male ballet dancers Ballet masters Ballet teachers