|
This is the fourth in a series of articles showcasing the wide variety
of notable gays and lesbians that have made contributions throughout
history. This time, we'll take a look at gays in the world of dance.
Dance--ballet in particular--is one of those stereotypical gay
occupations; despite that--or perhaps because of it--there are some
very big closets.
Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) was a gay Russian impresario. First
aspiring to be a composer (he was terrible) and then a painter (he had
neither vision nor aptitude), he finally found his true calling and
became an impresario in 1895. In 1909, despite a complete lack of dance
training, he created the Ballets Russes, which took Europe by storm in
the 1910s. Gay French poet and playwright Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) had
his first theatrical employment with the Ballets Russes, working with
gay French composer Erik Satie (see previous installment) on the 1917
ballet Parade. Diaghilev's first lover (1890-1905) was his cousin Dima
Filosofov; his second lover (1908-1912)--and principal dancer--was
Vaslav Nijinsky (see below); his third lover (1914-1921)--as well as
choreographer and principal dancer--was Leonide Massine (see below).
Although Diaghilev lost all three of these lovers to women, he kept on
trying. In his 50s, he had relationships with several young men--all
dancers or in the arts; among them were gay British dancer Anton Dolin
(see below) and gay Russian dancer Sergei Lifar (1905-?). A biography
of Diaghilev by Douglas Turnbaugh is forthcoming.
Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950) was a gay Russian ballet dancer. He started
in the Imperial Ballet, being "kept" by wealthy aristocrat Prince Pavel
Lvov. In 1908, Nijinsky met Sergei Diaghilev (see above) and began a
five-year professional and personal relationship. The 1912 Ballets
Russes production of L'apres-midi d'un faune (Afternoon of a Faun),
with music by gay French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918; see the
second installment in this series) and choreography by Nijinsky
features his most famous role, the faun...and his most sensuous
costume, by Leon Bakst. Nijinksy's career began to decline following
his marriage to Hungarian dancer Romola de Pulszky--Diaghilev refused
to have anything further to do with Nijinsky, who danced for the last
time in 1919. In 1980, British director Herbert Ross created Nijinsky,
a biographical film that focused on Nijinsky's "tempestuous
relationship" with Diaghilev, as well as Nijinsky's "disintegrating
sanity" as the love affair fell apart. Nijinsky's sister Bronislava was
also a dancer and choreographer.
Harry Otis (1890-?) was a gay dancer.
Ted Shawn (1891-1972), "the father of American dance," formed the
Denishawn dance academy with his wife Ruth St. Denis...and had a
fifteen-year relationship with American dancer Barton Mumaw. Shawn also
formed the first all-male dance company in the United States, Ted
Shawn's Male Dancers (the story of this group is told in a video, The
Men Who Danced).
Leonide Massine (1896-1979) was a gay Russian choreographer and dancer.
He was choreographer for Sergei Diaghilev (see above) at the Ballets
Russes from 1915-1921 and 1924-1928, as well as being Diaghilev's lover
from 1914-1921. He later came to the United States, and choreographed
for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (1932-1939) and the American Ballet
Theatre.
Sir Anton Dolin (1904-1983) was a gay British ballet dancer and
choreographer. He started his dancing career with Diaghilev's Ballets
Russes, taking the leading role in The Blue Train (the part was so
tailored for his superb athletic style that no one else ever danced the
part). He was "considered to be one of the finest partners of his time"
and "eventually danced leading roles in numerous classical ballets."
Dolin was also instrumental in forming several ballet companies. He
also wrote several books on dance, including his autobiography. Dolin
was knighted in 1981.
Sir Frederick Ashton (1904-1988) was a gay British dancer and
"England's greatest choreographer." His prolific career as a dancer and
choreographer began with Ballet Rambert and then Vic-Wells Ballet.
Ashton later directed the Royal Ballet during its greatest years. He
worked with such great dancers as Fonteyn, Nureyev (see below), and
Baryshnikov, and created over 80 works, including full-length ballets,
as well as shorter works for operas and films. Ashton collaborated with
gay composer Virgil Thomson (see previous installment) on lesbian
writer Gertrude Stein's avant-garde opera Four Saints in Three Acts.
His biography, Secret Muses by Julie Kavanagh, was published this year,
and "makes no bones about Ashton's homsexuality." In the book, Ashton's
"chum" Neil (Bunny) Rogers relates a 1930s hijink: "Spotting a minor
playwright performing fellation on a major playwright in a corner of a
typical theatrical party, Ashton quipped to Bunny Roger, 'Look! There's
K-- trying to suck some talent out of E--'." One review of the book
characterizes Ashton as "witty, snobbish, vain and petulant--but above
all...a talented figure who was a major player in the artistic life of
his day."
Jack Cole (1911-1974) was a gay American choreographer (A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum, Man of La Mancha). Cole lived with
John David Gray for over thirty years.
Jerome Robbins (1918-) is a gay American choreographer, concentrating
on Broadway dance productions.
Merce Cunningham (1919-) is a gay American avant-garde dancer and
choreographer. His longtime (55 years) lover and collaborator was
composer John Cage (see previous installment). In 1953, he formed the
Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and has choreographed over 150 works
for his company. In 1954 and 1959, he received Guggenheim Fellowships
for choreography. Cunningham was the recipient of Kennedy Center Honors
in 1985. He also received the National Medal of Arts in 1990.
Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) was a gay Russian-born British ballet
dancer. He was the most exciting (and controversial) member of the
Kirov ballet troupe, until his 1961 defection in Paris when he was 23
years old. Nureyev was to return to Moscow while the rest of the
company went on to London (he was told that his mother was ill);
smelling a trap (he was right--his homosexuality had been uncovered by
the KGB), he defected. Although promiscuous, Nureyev did have three
long-term relationships: the great Danish dancer Erik Bruhn (?-1986)
until the mid '60s (Bruhn later became artistic director of the
National Ballet of Canada); director Wallace Potts in the late '60s to
early '70s; and dancer Robert Tracy through the '80s. Nureyev tried to
move beyond the world of ballet, with mixed results; his attempt at
film acting was unsuccessful, but he did become known to a whole new
audience when he appeared with Muppet Miss Piggy--dancing "Swine Lake."
Previously, male ballet dancers' primary role was to "tote that swan,
lift that sylph;" Nureyev brought a new vibracy to the position,
frequently upstaging the female lead (in some cases by "...physically
moving upstage, turning his back to the audience, and flexing his
butt!"). The sometimes bad boy of ballet died of AIDS in 1993.
Tommy Tune (1939-) is a gay American dancer and choreographer. Yes,
that's his real name. Tune has been called "Broadway's six-foot-six
answer to Fred Astaire." He is the "only person in theatrical history
to win Tonys in four different categories (choreography, director, lead
actor, and featured actor) and to win the same Tony Award two years in
a row (choreography, 1990 and 1991)." Tune was inducted into the
Theatre Hall of Fame in 1991. His reminiscence, Footnotes: A Memoir,
has just been published.
Michael Bennett (1943-1987) was a gay American dancer, choreographer,
and director. Although he was a proficient ballet, folk, modern, and
tap dancer--and for several years was a continuously employed chorus
dancer--he is best known for his choreography. His credits include
Henry, Sweet Henry (it flopped, but Bennett got a Tony nomination);
Neil Simon's Promises, Promises (another Tony nomination); Andre Previn
and Alan Jay Lerner's Coco; Stephen Sondheim (see previous installment)
and George Furth's Company; Sondheim's Follies, which Bennett
co-directed (two Tonys, for direction and for choreography);
choreographer and "show doctor" for Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields'
SeeSaw (another Tony for choregraphy); director of Simon's play God's
Favorite. This led up to probably the climax of Bennett's career: his
concept for A Chorus Line, which ran for over twelve years and 5000
performances on Broadway, redefining musical theater, and garnering
nine Tonys (two for Bennett). After A Chorus Line, he worked on
Ballroom, Dreamgirls, My One and Only, and Sunday in the Park with
George. Bennett died of AIDS-related cancer in 1987.
Bill T. Jones (1952-) is a gay African-American dancer and
choreographer. He co-founded a dance company with gay dancer and
choreographer Arnie Zane (1948-1988).
Mark Morris (1956-) is a gay American dancer and world-renowned
choreographer. In 1976, he joined the Elliot Field Ballet; in 1980, he
started his own troupe, The Mark Morris Dance Group. For three years
(1988-1991), he was directory of Belgium's State Opera House. He has
received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a "genius" fellowship from the
MacArthur Foundation. Still viewed as a naughty enfant terrible at
times, he says, "My philosophy of dance? I make it up and you watch it.
End of philosophy." When asked how his work would be different if he
wasn't gay, he responds, " 'What if I were normal?' That's what it
really means. And I spit on that. I am normal. I'm a very successful
artist. I'm good, I do good work, and I'm gay. Get over it, Mary."
Morris moved from dancer to choreographer because he "got sick of
pretending to be in love with ballerinas." Morris has used music by gay
composers Stephen Foster and Lou Harrison (see previous installment for
both) in some of his work.
Robert LaFosse (1959-) is a gay American dancer and choregrapher. In
1977, he joined the American Ballet Theatre, becoming Principal Dancer
soon thereafter. He has been Principal Dancer with the New York City
Ballet since 1986. LaFosse has also performed on Broadway, including
Bob Fosse's Dancin' and Jerome Robbins' (see above) Broadway, for which
he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1987, LaFosse's
autobiography, Nothing to Hide, was published.
Rex Harrington (1962-) is a gay Canadian ballet and modern dancer. He
joined the National Ballet of Canada in 1983 and became a Principal
Dancer in 1988; he is currently the Ballet's principal male lead--their
"Prince of Princes." He is a "captivating dancer of stunning
physicality and strong technique." In a 1996 review of The Merry Widow,
Beverley Brommert wrote, "Harrington is one of those dancers who have
it all: Looks, panache, self-discipline, flair for comedy (impeccably
timed, of course) and above all, a feline elegance in his approach to
the balletic demands of the role." He was featured in the cover story
of the January, 1997, issue of ICON Magazine. Harrington's two
heroes/idols in the world of dance (both gay) are Rudolf Nureyev (see
above) and Erik Bruhn.
Amy Pivar (?-) is a lesbian dancer and choreographer. She currently has
her own modern dance company, Amy Pivar Dances.
Our Gay and Lesbian Heritage by Bruce Britton - Part 3
Our Gay and Lesbian Heritage by Bruce Britton - Part 5
|
