4.8.5. Who was Didelot?
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This article is from the Ballet and Modern Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
4.8.5. Who was Didelot?
Charles Louis Didelot (1767-1836), the Swedish-born son of a French
dancer, had studied under the best teachers of his time, including Noverre.
He spent 25 years dancing in Paris, London, Stockholm, Bordeaux, Lyon. He
came to Russia first in 1801 and stayed there 10 years. He returned in
1816 and spent the rest of his life there. He revolutionized Russian
ballet. When he arrived, the company was dominated by foreign soloists;
when he left, it had a complete ensemble comprising mostly native Russians.
He reformed teaching as well, making classes longer, more numerous, more
intensive. He was an exacting teacher who earned loyalty from students.
His most famous student was probably the short-lived, brilliant Maria
Danilova (1793-1810). Van Praagh and Brinson say, "His teaching laid the
basis of Russian classical ballet." In his history, Lincoln Kirstein says
simply that all of Russian ballet can be divided into two eras: before
Didelot and after Didelot.
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