Serge Lifar

(click to enlarge)
Lifar in Night, 1930 (credit: BBC Hulton Picture Library)

(born April 2, 1905, Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire — died Dec. 15, 1986, Lausanne, Switz.) Russian-born French dancer, choreographer, and ballet master. In 1923 he joined the Ballets Russes, where he became lead dancer in 1925 and created title roles in several of George Balanchine's ballets. He worked at the Paris Opéra Ballet as lead dancer and ballet master (1929 – 45, 1947 – 58), choreographing more than 50 works, including Prometheus (1929), Icarus (1935), Les Mirages (1947), and Les Noces fantastiques (1955). He rebuilt the company as a separate performing group, emphasizing the importance of male dancers. He retired as a dancer in 1956 but continued to choreograph for various European companies.

For more information on Serge Lifar, visit Britannica.com.

Lifar, Serge (b Kiev, 2 Apr. 1905, d Lausanne, 15 Dec. 1986). Russian-French dancer, choreographer, director, and writer, who was largely responsible for the re-birth of 20th-century French ballet. He studied with Nijinska in Kiev (1921-3) and made his debut with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1923 while continuing studies with N. Legat, Cecchetti, and Vladimirov. With his strikingly exotic looks, dramatic versatility, and ruthless dedication to the art form he emerged as the outstanding European male dancer of his generation, becoming soloist (1924) and premier danseur (1925). He created roles in many of Diaghilev's ballets including Nijinska's Les Fâcheux and Le Train bleu (both 1924), Massine's Zéphire et Flore (1935) and Ode (1928), and Balanchine's La Chatte (1927), Apollon musagète (1928), and Prodigal Son (1929). His first piece of choreography was a new version of Stravinsky's Renard (1929). After Diaghilev's death he was invited to Paris Opera, initially as premier danseur and as choreographer of Creatures of Prometheus (mus. Beethoven, 1929), but subsequently becoming étoile, choreographer, and director. On the strength of his personal prestige and irresistible enthusiasm he was able to revive the near moribund company, improving technical standards (particularly among the men) and reviving the classics such as Giselle, in which he himself danced a memorable Albrecht. He also choreographed many ballets—mostly with himself in the leading male role. These tended to be narrative, with the exception of the popular abstract ballet, Suite en blanc (mus. Lalo, 1943), and, though classically based, covered a wide range of material both comic and tragic. They include Bacchus et Ariane (mus. Roussel, 1931), Salade (mus. Milhaud) and Icare (mus. Szyfer), both 1935, David triomphant (mus. Rieti) and Alexander le grand (mus. Gaubert), both 1937, Sylvia (mus. Delibes), Le Chevalier et la damoiselle (mus. Gaubert), Istar (mus. d'Indy), and Bolero (mus. Ravel), all 1941. Between 1938 and 1939 he was guest artist with Denham's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. In 1944 he left Paris after accusations of collaboration with the Germans and formed Nouveau Ballet de Monte Carlo for which he choreographed several works including Aubade (mus. Bach), La Péri (mus. Dukas), and A Night on the Bare Mountain (mus. Mussorgsky), all 1946. In 1947 he returned to Paris Opera where he remained until 1958, as choreographer, dancer, and director, creating, among others, Le Chevalier errant (mus. Ibert) and Phèdre (mus. Auric), both 1950, Blanche-Neige (mus. Yvain, 1951), Fourberies (mus. Rossini, 1952), and Romeo and Juliet (mus. Prokofiev, 1955). He guested with other companies and from 1958 worked entirely freelance with Netherlands Ballet, London Festival Ballet, and Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, among others. Despite his prolific output, however, few of his works are regularly performed today. As well as creating ballets he founded the Paris Institut Chorégraphique in 1947 which became Université de la Danse in 1957, and he wrote over 25 books, including the controversial Traité de danse académique (Paris, 1949) and Traité de chorégraphie (Paris, 1952), defending the principles of classical dance; also Vestris, dieu de la danse (Paris, 1950) and his autobiography, Ma vie (1965, Eng. trans., New York, 1970).

See also category: Ballets by Serge Lifar

2004 Ukrainian Stamp

Serge Lifar (real name Ukrainian: Сергій Михайлович Лифар, Sergіi Mуhailovуch Lуfar) (2 April 1905, Kiev, Russian Empire - 15 December 1986, Lausanne, Switzerland) was French ballet dancer and choreographer of Ukrainian origin,^[1] famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century.

Serge Lifar and Tamara Karsavina performing Romeo and Juliet

In the summer of 1994 on the stage of the National Ukraine Opera the First International Ballet Contest was held named after Serge Lifar. The new contest happened to be unique. For the first time in Europe young ballet artists and balletmasters contended simultaneously. The Sixth Lifar International Ballet Competition was held in April, 2006.

References

1. ^ Serge Lifar - Britannica Online Encyclopedia

• Editors, Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon (2002). Who’s Who in Gay and Lesbian History from Antiquity to World War II. Routledge; London. ISBN 0-415-15983-0. 

External links

• Serge Lifar International Ballet Competitions and Festivals

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