Antony Tudor

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Tudor at a gala performance

Antony Tudor (born William Cook ; April 4, 1908 in London , † April 19, 1987 in New York ) was an English ballet dancer , choreographer and dance teacher .

Life

Tudor began his professional dance training in 1928 with Marie Rambert . He choreographed at an early age: at the age of 23 he wrote for Rambert's dancers Cross Garter'd , later Lysistrata , The Planets and other works that were performed at the Mercury Theater . This was followed by Jardin aux Lilas and Dark Elegies , probably his best-known and most demanding works. Together with other dancers from Rambert's company and his future partner Hugh Laing , Tudor founded the London Ballet in 1938 . In 1940 the company was invited to New York City to join the Ballet Theater (later the American Ballet Theater ). Tudor was the Ballet Theater's resident choreographer for ten years, reviving older works as well as introducing new works, including Pillar of Fire , Romeo and Juliet , Dim Luster and Undertow .

After retiring as a dancer in 1950, Tudor directed the ballet school of the Metropolitan Opera and taught repeatedly at the Juilliard School . From 1963 to 1964 he was Artistic Director of the Royal Swedish Ballet . He also choreographed for the New York City Ballet . In 1973 he became a professor of ballet technique in the dance department of the University of California , but had to give up the work because of serious heart problems. He returned to the American Ballet Theater in 1974 as Assistant Artistic Director , where he created his last major works, The Leaves are Fading and The Tiller in the Fields .

Tudor has been awarded the Brandeis University Creative Arts Medal , the Dance Magazine Award, the Capezio Award, the New York City Handel Medallion, and honors from the Kennedy Center and Dance / USA .

Together with George Balanchine , Antony Tudor is considered to be one of the transformers of ballet into a modern art form. His ballets are often the expression of psychological states, the choreographic language characterized by simplicity and elegance.

Antony Tudor was an avowed Zen Buddhist . He died in his residence at the First Zen Institute of America .

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personal data
SURNAME Tudor, Antony
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cook, William (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British ballet dancer and choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH April 4, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH April 19, 1987
Place of death New York City