Lidija Franklin (née Kocers; May 17, 1917 – December 5, 2019) was an American dancer and teacher of Latvian descent, originally from the

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

area. In the United States, she was known primarily for her association with

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 ...

Performances

Franklin (née Kocers) performed with the Jooss Ballet until the early 1940s, then relocated to the USA and began working in musical theater. She was the female principal dancer in ''

Bloomer Girl ''Bloomer Girl'' is a 1944 Broadway musical with music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and a book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy, based on an unpublished play by writer Daniel Lewis James and his wife Lilith.Suskin, 89 The plot concerns ...

'' (1944) and Maggie Anderson in the original ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a ...

'' (1947). (Franklin also played Maggie in the 1957 revival.) As a concert dancer, Franklin toured as a principal with the

Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre The Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre toured the United States from 1953 to 1954 under the aegis of producer Sol Hurok. The company offered an overview of Agnes de Mille's choreography to that date, with the addition of Anna Sokolow's "Short Lecture & D ...

and made occasional guest appearances with 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 ...

. She also worked with the modern dance choreographer

Pauline Koner Pauline Koner (June 26, 1912 – February 8, 2001) was an American dancer and choreographer. She was best known for her stage shows at the Roxy Theater. Early life and education Koner was born in 1912 in New York City to Russian Jewish im ...

Later life

She turned 100 in May 2017 and died in December 2019 at the age of 102.Falleció la maestra de la danza Lidija Franklin
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References

External links

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Biographical sketch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Lidija 1917 births 2019 deaths American ballerinas American centenarians American musical theatre actresses American people of Latvian descent Women centenarians Soviet emigrants to the United States 21st-century American women 20th-century American ballet dancers