Suzanne Douvillier

Suzanne Théodore Vaillande Douvillier (born September 28, 1778 in Dole , † August 30, 1826 in New Orleans ) was a French - American ballerina , mime artist and choreographer . During her early career she was known as Madame Placide . She was the first ballerina to achieve prominence in the United States .

Early life

Suzanne Theodore Vaillande was born on September 28, 1778 in Dole, France . She is said to have been an illegitimate child. Her mother was a woman named Marie Reine Vailland [sic]. All that is known about Suzanne's early years is that she was trained in Paris ; probably at the Paris Opera . In 1790, while the French Revolution was in progress, she traveled to Santo Domingo , which was then part of the French West Indies . There she met Alexandre Placide , who was mainly a theater person and also practiced activities such as fencing and acrobatics and was a stage director . He became the greatest professional partner and influencer of her career.

Career

In 1791 the duo moved to America after the Haitian Revolution . Suzanne's debut was in John Street Theater on January 25, 1792 Manhattan , the stage work The Bird Catcher , generally considered the first in New York City listed Ballet is considered at all. She was announced as Madame Placide , although she was unmarried at the time. The duo continued to perform ballets and pantomimes there for a few months.

They moved to Philadelphia and Boston in 1792 , then to Newport in 1793 , where they were joined by Louis Douvillier. In 1794 they moved to Charleston . At that time, Suzanne was the most famous dancer in America. In 1796 she became the first female choreographer in the USA to choreograph the ballet Echo and Narcissus at the age of 18 .

In June 1796 the tension between Duvillier and Placide culminated in a duel for the favor of Suzanne. Placide won, but it was Douvillier who eventually married her and moved with her to New Orleans in 1799 . She then began to devote herself more to choreography than to dancing. In 1808 she became the first woman in America to appear as a man ( the opposite was already common practice, but this was considered daring at the time). 1813 she began screenshots to make, and is regarded as a female pioneer.

Next life

According to actor Noah Ludlow, her face was disfigured in her later years. Her last appearance was in the play Don Juan in 1818 , when she wore a mask. She died five years after her husband in New Orleans in 1826 at the age of 48. The couple is buried in Saint Louis Cemetery .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Edward T. James, Janet Wilson James. (1974). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary . Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Pages 513-514. ISBN 978-0-674-62734-5 .
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} "Suzanne Douvillier" . Encyclopaedia Britannica.
3. ↑ Noah Ludlow. 1880. Dramatic Life as I Found It . GI Jones and Company.