Maurice Oscar Louis Mouvet (March 18, 1889 – May 18, 1927) was an American dancer. Born in New York, he moved to London and Paris as a child. In Paris Mouvet began dancing in cabarets, cafés and restaurants. After learning to

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

he was offered a dancing role in Vienna where he learnt the Viennese waltz. Mouvet was also an early pioneer in dancing the

Argentine tango Argentine tango is a musical genre and accompanying social dance originating at the end of the 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires. It typically has a or rhythmic time signature, and two or three parts repeating in patterns such as AB ...

and the

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

. He met

Florence Walton Florence Walton (1890 in Wilmington, Delaware – January 7, 1981 in New York City, New York) was a vaudeville dancer and cabaret performer in the 1910s and 1920s. Early career Born in 1890 in Wilmington, Delaware, Walton made her debut in 1907 i ...

whilst dancing in theatre in New York and they married in 1911. They played a key role in popularising the tango and the

foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...

and danced for European royalty. The couple divorced in 1920. Mouvet suffered from tuberculosis and, after collapsing during a performance in 1922, was advised to move to the mountains to alleviate the condition. He continued to dance and married his new dance partner, Elanor Ambrose, in 1926. He died in Switzerland from tuberculosis.

Early life and career

Mouvet was born in Chelsea, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, on March 18, 1889, to a family of Belgian origin. The family moved to London when Mouvet was 9 and to Paris when he was 14. In Paris Mouvet found work as a car mechanic and chauffeur. His route to work took him past a restaurant and Mouvet persuaded the doorman to let him in to watch the dancing there. Mouvet began professional dance lessons at the age of 15, learning on the job at the

Nouveau Cirque Contemporary circus (also known as new circus, and ''nouveau cirque'' and ''cirque contemporain'' in French-speaking countries) is a genre of performing arts developed in the late 20th century in which a story or theme is conveyed through traditi ...

, having demonstrated a few cakewalk steps to its manager. During this time Mouvet also danced in cafés and restaurants across

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

. He learnt to waltz at the Bal Tabarin cabaret and was offered a job dancing at the Casino Theatre in Vienna, where he studied the Viennese waltz in his spare time. Mouvet afterwards performed in Budapest and Monte Carlo. Returning to Paris, he danced at the Café de Paris and was an early demonstrator of the

Apache dance Apache, or La Danse Apache, Bowery Waltz, Apache Turn, Apache Dance and Tough Dance is a highly dramatic dance associated in popular culture with Parisian street culture at the beginning of the 20th century. In fin de siècle Paris young members ...

. His popularity led him to dance before all of the major monarchs of Europe bar the Emperor of Germany. In 1910 he was offered a contract at the Café de Paris in New York where he danced the Viennese waltz and the

with partner Madelaide D'Arville. Despite fears of police raids for immorality he introduced the apache to his late night performances.

With Florence Walton

Mouvet and D'Arville joined the cast of the Broadway musical ''Over the River'' but D'Arville abandoned him mid-run and the show's producer

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

introduced him to new partner

. With just a half-hour's rehearsal the pair danced their first show. They afterwards became one of the most successful ballroom dance exhibition partnerships and they married in 1911. Mouvet and Walton played a key role in the popularisation of the tango and

. Three dance songs by three composers were named after Walton in 1912: the "Maurice Glide", "Maurice Tango" and "Maurice Rag". Mouvet did not achieve the fame he might have done with Walton as the couple were always billed as "Florence and Maurice Walton" rather than his real name. The couple claimed to have been the first Americans to entertain troops on the Western Front of the First World War. Mouvet and Walton divorced in 1920.

Later life

Mouvet later danced with Leonora Hughes, until her marriage in 1925, and with Barbara Bennett, sister of actress

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-paid ...

, but they parted after less than a year because of a disagreement over money. He wrote the song "The Talmadge Foxtrot" in 1922 for actress Constance Talmadge. Mouvet suffered from tuberculosis and in September 1922 he suffered a haemorrhage during a performance at the Casino in Deauville, France. He was told he might never dance again and advised to move to higher altitude to help his condition. Mouvet married dancing partner Elanor Ambrose in Paris in 1926. The continued to dance at St Moritz until Mouvet moved to the Swiss Alps for his health. He died from tuberculosis at the Hotel Savoy in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

, Switzerland on May 18, 1927.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1889 births 1927 deaths Dancers from New York (state) 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis American expatriates in the United Kingdom American expatriates in France Entertainers from Brooklyn