Maximilien Gardel (18 December 1741, in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

– 11 March 1787, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a French

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

and choreographer of German descent. He was the son of Claude Gardel, ballet master to King

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (; lt, Stanislovas Leščinskis; french: Stanislas Leszczynski; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at v ...

, and elder brother by 17 years of

Pierre Gardel Pierre-Gabriel Gardel (4 February 1758, in Nancy, France – 18 October 1840, in Paris) was a French ballet dancer, ballet master, violinist, and composer., 2007. He was the younger brother of Maximilien Gardel, seventeen years his senior. In 1795 ...

. Gardel débuted at the

Académie royale de Musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

in Paris in 1759 and five years later became a soloist. Sharing roles as principal dancer (''danseur noble'') with

Gaétan Vestris Gaetano Apolline Baldassarre Vestris (18 April 1729 – 1808), French ballet dancer, was born in Florence and made his debut at the opera in 1749. Life Born of an Italian theatrical family, he studied dance with Louis Dupré at the Royal Acad ...

, Gardel took steps to distinguish himself from his rival in 1772: in the reprise of Rameau's ''

Castor et Pollux ''Castor et Pollux'' (''Castor and Pollux'') is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 24 October 1737 by the Académie royale de musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris. The librettist was Pierre-Joseph-Justin Bernard ...

'', he danced with neither mask nor wig (then judged unimaginable) so as not to be confused with the other dancer. In 1773 Gardel, with

Jean Dauberval Jean Dauberval, a.k.a. Jean D’Auberval, (born Jean Bercher in Montpellier, 19 August 1742 – Tours, 14 February 1806), was a French dancer and ballet master. He is most noted for creating the ballet, ''La fille mal gardée'', one of the ...

, became Vestris' assistant as ballet master. In 1781, Gardel took over the position (succeeding

Noverre Noverre (May 2, 1998 – 2012) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Noverre was a bay horse bred by Darley Stud and raced by a sister operation, Godolphin Racing. He was sired by Rahy, out of the ...

). Upon Gardel's death in 1787, his brother Pierre succeeded him as ballet master.

Selected works

* 1777 : ''La Chercheuse d'esprit'' * 1777 : ''Ninette à la cour'' * 1778 : ''Phaon'' * 1779 : ''Mirza et Lindor'' * 1781 : ''La Fête de Mirza'' * 1783 : ''La Rosière'' * 1784 : ''L'Oracle'' * 1785 : ''Le Premier Navigateur'' * 1786 : ''Les Sauvages'' * 1786 : ''Le Pied de bœuf'' * 1786 : ''Le Déserteur'' * 1787 : ''Le Coq du village''

External links

His ballets and their productions on CESAR
1741 births 1787 deaths French ballet masters French male ballet dancers French choreographers Ballet choreographers People from Mannheim French people of German descent Paris Opera Ballet étoiles 18th-century French ballet dancers Paris Opera Ballet artistic directors {{ballet-bio-stub