The Star of Romantic Ballet
Introduction
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| Marie Taglioni Portrait 1833 Photo Credit: Schubertiade Music and Arts https://www.schubertiademusic.com/products/2772-taglioni-marie-1804-1884-original-1833-portrait-lithograph |
Why is Marie Taglioni the greatest ballet dancer ever? To begin with, Marie had many commendable characteristics that made her stand out. Marie Taglioni overall had a very interesting story, demonstrating ups and downs. Despite Marie being born into the spotlight because of her father, Philippe Taglioni, she had to earn her way step by step and start dancing at a young age to become a star in the world of romantic ballet. The primary reason behind selecting Marie Taglioni was because she was deemed not fit for ballet by Professor Coulon. Coulen believed that Marie Taglioni did not have the physical attributes (Joel 27). It was known that Marie had a hunchback, a sort of scoliosis, for which she was often judged (Joel 27). Despite all of the adversities and setbacks that she went through, she ultimately ended up falling in love with ballet. Marie's story puts out the message that with hard work and determination, anything is possible regardless of the situation (Bettmann). Marie went against all odds, using the odds to propel her to become one of the most influential and decorated ballet dancers of all time. Marie Taglioni's story will be presented with biographical and career information, including interesting facts.
Biographical Information
This video covers Marie Taglioni's life.
Marie Taglioni was born on April 23, 1804, in Stockholm, Sweden, but spent her childhood in Vienna (Joel 24). Taglioni's early life was not similar to that of a normal child, as she had been born into the spotlight. Marie Taglioni was the daughter of Phillipe Taglioni, who had been a well-known and respected ballet choreographer/dancer (Joel 27). Marie Taglioni's grandmother was a well-known Swedish dancer named Christoff Karsten. While Marie's early academic education is unknown, it is documented that she began training in ballet from ages 4-5 (Snodgrass 296). Marie, at one point, had been labeled unfit for ballet by her professor, Coulon Pere (Raftis). Marie Taglioni became influenced by her father and mother, who showed her discipline early on (Bettmann). Marie’s father had been the one who enrolled her in Coulon's class despite not being interested until she started to realize that missing class was not correct (Joel 28). It was a logical decision that her father would want to mold her into a revolutionary star in the world of romantic ballet. The only two known teachers who trained with Marie Taglioni from 1811-1820 were her father and her father's professor, Coulon Pere (Raftis).
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| Father of Marie Taglioni, Phillipe Taglioni in a 1820 portrait Photo Credit: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Taglioni |
Career Highlights
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| Marie Taglioni in La Sylphide 1832 Photo Credit: http://marietaglioni.orchesis-portal.org/index.php/texts/detailed-biography |
Marie Taglioni's first dancing appearance and job was in 1822 (Bettman). The dance was called La Reception d'une jeune nymphe a la tour de Terpsichore (Raftis). There had not been reliable information regarding what ballet companies Taglioni had danced for other than for her father. However, Marie formally debuted in romantic ballet in January 1822 in Vienna. After hearing criticism regarding his daughter, Marie's father decided to convince Marie to make her debut (Bettmann). The two most notable choreographers that Marie had collaborated with were both Coulon Pere and Phillipe Taglioni. The role in which Marie Talglioni had been known for had been the sylph, a spirit, in the well-known dance La Sylphide (Snodgrass 298). Marie Taglioni is no longer dancing after an admirable career of 23 years. Taglioni had decided to walk away from dance in 1847 (Joel 26). However, Marie decided to unretire shortly after in 1851 due to financial struggles, which led her to file for bankruptcy, losing all her earnings (Raftis). After declaring bankruptcy, Marie decided to move to Paris with her mother. After retirement, Marie began working at Paris Opera Ballet as a dance inspector specializing in creating dance exams for students (Raftis).
Three interesting facts
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| This image showcases Marie's hunch-back. Photo Credit: The Dance Enthusiast https://www.dance-enthusiast.com/features/barefootnotes/view/Marie-Taglioni-The-Instant-Ballerina-2010-03-23 |
Through the research of Marie Taglioni, multiple interesting facts were revealed. One of the most interesting facts about Marie Taglioni is that she lost all of her money, which had been due to her father. It was known that Phillipe Taglioni had the tendency to misuse money (Raftis). However, other sources suggest that the real reason why Marie Taglioni had lost her money had been due to her husband's gambling debts (Snodgrass 299). Therefore, the actual reason why Taglioni lost her career fortune remains unclear. The second interesting fact regarding Taglioni is that many considered her to have created the concept of brisé volé (Joel 27). The concept of brisé volé consisted of jumps that would give the illusion of flight to the audience, which was achieved due to her extreme skills. Another skill that Marie was known for was the en pointe technique (Bettmann). In addition, the tutu complimented the impressive dance style, allowing her legs to be visible. The third and final interesting fact regarding Marie was that she had a hunch-back, making it difficult to maintain a straight form. During that period, in romantic ballet, a dancer's form was important. Coulon Pere, the former instructor, had questioned if the hunch-back would ever actually learn how to dance (Joel 27). Despite not fitting the physical requirements of the professor, Marie went on to become an icon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Marie Taglinoi's story was presented with biographical and career information, including interesting facts. Various reasons exist regarding Marie Taglioni and what made her influential in romantic ballet. Marie's story consisted of being born among stars from her father and grandmother. Phillipe Taglioni, the father of Marie, had been an important factor in Marie's obtaining success in the world of ballet. After hearing criticism regarding his daughter, Phillipe took her under his wing and led her to her debut. One of the most compelling components of Marie's story is that she received heavy criticism at an early age because of her physical attributes. However, under the guidance of her father, she improved over time. Ultimately, Marie and Phillipe Taglioni, the father and daughter duo, achieved massive success in La Sylphide. The legacy that was left regarding Marie Taglioni would be that she was the very first to use en pointe (Raftis). In modern ballet, en pointe is still used despite the decades that have passed, and Taglioni's impact remains. Other techniques and practices that Marie had introduced during that time included poses that required balance known as Arabesque (Raftis). Marie Taglioni will remain a figure in the world of ballet in general due to her technique still being implemented.
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| Marie Taglioni performing the en pointe technique Photo Credit: Rosy BVM https://rosybvm.com/2021/09/07/marie-taglioni-the-first-ballerina-en-pointe/ |
Works Cited
Bettmann, Robert. “Marie Taglioni: The Instant Ballerina.” The Dance Enthusiast, 2010, www.dance-enthusiast.com/features/barefootnotes/view/Marie-Taglioni-The-Instant-Ballerina-2010-03-23#google_vignette.
"Dance Magazine, Vol. 28, no. 4, April, 1954." , Edited by Lydia Joel. Dance Magazine. Alexander Street, https://search-alexanderstreet-com.csulb.idm.oclc.org/view/work/bibliographic_entity|bibliographic_details|4013768
Raftis, Alkis. “Marie Taglioni.” Detailed Biography - Marie Taglioni, 2024, marietaglioni.orchesis-portal.org/index.php/texts/detailed-biography#:~:text=Marie%20Taglioni%20started%20taking%20ballet,six%20hours%20of%20daily%20practice.
Snodgrass, Mary E. "Encyclopedia of World Ballet." Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015. Alexander Street, https://search-alexanderstreet-com.csulb.idm.oclc.org/view/work/bibliographic_entity|bibliographic_details|3910835.
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