Antonia Franceschi

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Antonia Franceschi, 2017

Antonia Franceschi (born March 30, 1960 in Grand Rapids , Michigan ) is an American ballet dancer , choreographer and actress . She gained fame through her participation in the feature film Fame - Der Weg zum Ruhm (1980).

biography

Training and breakthrough with "Fame"

Antonia Franceschi moved to New York with her newly divorced mother and brother when she was eight . Her mother stuttered, suffered from depression, and neglected her children; the family had financial difficulties. At the same time, Franceschi grew up in a problem district in Manhattan and, according to his own statements, joined local youth gangs to protect himself. She came into contact with alcohol, drugs and abuse at an early age before she began to become enthusiastic about dance , inspired by Margot Fonteyn ( “This was my savior” ). She received her dance training at the School of American Ballet , the ballet school of the New York City Ballet (NYCB), where she was taught three times a week by Margaret Craske. At the age of eleven she began to earn money through her theater work. From 1976 she took acting classes at the School of Performing Arts in her hometown.

As a 16-year-old Franceschi forged her birth certificate in order to be able to act as a background dancer in the film musical Grease (1977) at the side of Olivia Newton-John . She paid for the lessons at the ballet school with her engagements in films. In 1980 Franceschi earned international fame for Alan Parker's Fame - The Road to Fame . The musical film describes in five episodes (entrance exams and four semesters) the career of a group of students from the New York School of Performing Arts . Franceschi took on the role of the rich and snooty ballet student Hilary Van Doren who, together with Irene Cara, vies for the favor of the uneducated black dancer Leroy (played by Gene Anthony Ray ). According to Franceschi, the film crew had not previously been able to find a young ballet dancer who also mastered acting. For the audition, Franceschi played the weeping scene used in the film and got the part.

Fame , which shows the worries, needs and dreams of aspiring dancers, singers, actors and musicians, was very popular with audiences and received praise from critics. The film won two Oscars and a Golden Globe Award and was followed by works on a similar theme ( Flashdance , 1983; Footloose , 1984) and a television series of the same name (1982-1987). Franceschi no longer appeared as an actress after the initial success. For a three-week summer season on Broadway , she joined Natalia Makarova's company in 1980 and replaced the injured Makarova as a soloist for several performances (including Sinona No. 5 for Harpsichord and Violin ). In 1981 she was chosen by George Balanchine to become a member of the New York City Ballet ( "It was the most important moment in my life ..." ). She decided against a contract worth $ 500,000 for three Hollywood films. She was a member of the NYCB ballet troupe until 1992. During this time she worked with such well-known choreographers as Jerome Robbins ( interplay , 1983; Piano Pieces , 1985), Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux ( Shadows , 1985) and Lar Lubovitch ( The Red Shoes , 1993).

Moves to London and works as a choreographer

Antonia Franceschi's first marriage was a clarinet player whom she had met as a member of the ballet orchestra. In her second marriage she is married to an Englishman, whom she followed to London in 1995 . The relationship resulted in a son. She lives in Camden as a freelance dancer, choreographer and teacher. In London she appeared in choreographies by Javier de Frutos ( Night & Day , 1997) and began working as a choreographer herself in the late 1990s. In 1998 she staged the dancers of the New York City Ballet George Balanchine's Apollo and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux in London's Queen Elizabeth Hall . The British daily The Independent praised Franceschi for the choice of dancers, the program and their low budget. A year later she received a Time Out Award for her contribution to dance .

At the end of 2002 she directed and danced in the semi-autobiographical ballet Up From the Waste based on a script by Martin Sherman in the West End of London . Part of the jointly organized production with the National Theater , with rap and original music by Gary Yershon , was also a self-written monologue that described New York's gang culture. In 2003 she danced the duet Sophie by Cathy Marston with Karl Sullivan , based on the novel Sophie's Choice by William Styron . In 2009 she worked with the Ballet Black and the piece Kinderszenen and Pop8 were created . The latter choreography combined street and classical dance with film and music.

Performances (selection)

dancer

year piece production stage
1980 Paquita Makarova and Company Uris Theater (New York)
1980 Raymonda (Sinona No. 5 for Harpsichord and Violin) Makarova and Company Uris Theater (New York)
1981 Piano Pieces (Polka de Salon) New York City Ballet Tchaikovsky Festival (New York)
1982 Coppelia New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1983 Interplay New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1985 Piano pieces New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1985 Shadows New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1986 Prodigal Son New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1986 Shadows New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1987 Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux / Le Tombeau de Couperin New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1987 River Suite The Choreography Project new York
1988 Tombeau de Couperin New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1989 The Nutcracker New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1990 Cortege Hongrois (Pas de Quatre) New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1990 Prodigal Son New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1990 The Four Temperaments New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1990 Fearful Symmetries New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1990 Cortege Hongrois (Pas de Quatre) New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1991 Tombeau de Couperin New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1991 Allegro Brillante / Episodes New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1991 Tschaikovsky pas de deux New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1992 The Nutcracker New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1992 Tombeau de Couperin / Prague Symphony New York City Ballet New York State Theater
1993 D Train Manhattan Class Company & Fay Simpson Dance Theater Manhattan Class Company Theater
1993 The Red Shoes Martin Starger, MCA / Universal, James M. Nederlander Gershwin Theater, New York
1996 Dance umbrella Mark Baldwin Company Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
1997 Night & Day Mark Baldwin Company Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
1998 And like that O'Day Dances Joyce Theater, Chelsea
New York State Theater
1999 Dance umbrella Mark Baldwin Company Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
1999 Julius Tomb Mark Baldwin Company The Point, Dublin
Brunton Theater, Musselburgh
2002 Ago Mark Baldwin Company Black Eagles Theater Square, London
2002 Up From The Waste Antonia Franceschi Albany Theater, London
2003 Sophie Cathy Marston Linbury Studio Theater, London
2006 Up From The Waste Nancy Meckler Soho Theater, London
2009 Prelude Gateshead Old Town Hall

Choreographer

  • 1998: Apollo / Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London)
  • 1999: Allegro Brillante / Concerto 622 / Life Story (Royal Festival Hall, London)
  • 2002: Up From The Waste (Albany Theater, London)
  • 2006: Up From The Waste (Soho Theater, London)
  • 2007: Shift, Trip, Catch (Linbury Studio Theater, London; performed by Ballet Black )
  • 2009: Children's Scenes (Linbury Studio Theater, London; performed by Ballet Black )
  • 2009: Pop8 (Lion & Unicorn Theater, London; performed by Ballet Black )

Filmography

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d cf. Frater, Sarah: Dancing From The Streets . In: Evening Standard , December 3, 2002, p. 45
  2. ↑ a b c cf. Gilbert, Jenny: This Is It, This Is My Place ... . In: Independent on Sunday, December 1, 2002, p. 7
  3. ↑ a b c d e f cf. Winship, Lyndsay: Dance - The kid from 'Fame' . In: Time Out , July 2, 2009, p. 69
  4. ↑ cf. Wloszczyna, Susan: The 'Fame' gang: Antonia Franceschi at usatoday.com, September 29, 2009 (accessed June 3, 2010)
  5. ↑ a b cf. Parry, Jann: Interview with Antonia Franceschi: Fame works . In: The Observer , July 26, 199, p. 7
  6. ↑ cf. Taylor, Annie: The difference a day made: Antonia Franceschi . In: The Guardian , July 27, 1998, p. 17
  7. ↑ cf. Levene, Louise: Dance: City slickers . In: The Independent, August 3, 1998, p. 10
  8. ↑ cf. More shows you shouldn't miss at bbc.co.uk, October 11, 2006 (accessed June 4, 2010)
  9. ↑ cf. Mackrell, Judith: Dance: Pop8, London . In: The Guardian, July 25, 2009, p. 41
personal data
SURNAME Franceschi, Antonia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American ballet dancer, choreographer, and actress
DATE OF BIRTH March 30, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Grand Rapids , Michigan , United States