Coppélia (staging)Grand Pas Glazunov (staging) |
Frederic Franklin was born in
1914 in Liverpool, England, and
studied in London with
Nicholas Legat and Lydia
Kyasht, and in Paris with Lubov
Egorova. He began his career in
1931 with Josephine Baker at
the Casino de Paris. In
England, he appeared with
Wendy Toye and Anton Dolin
in cabaret, variety, concert
ballet, vaudeville, and theatre,
and danced with the Vic-Wells
(now The Royal) Ballet. In
1935, Franklin joined the
Markova-Dolin Ballet. From
1938-1952, he was premier
danseur with the Ballet Russe de
Monte Carlo where he
performed over 45 principal
roles, and was appointed Ballet
Master in 1944. With the Ballet
Russe de Monte Carlo, his
created roles included the Baron
in Gaite Parisienne, the
Baron in Night Shadow (La
Sonnambula), and the
Champion Roper in
Rodeo. With the
Slavenska Franklin Ballet, he
created the role of Stanley in
A Streetcar Named
Desire.
Together, Mr. Franklin and
Alexandra Danilova created one
of the legendary ballet
partnerships of the twentieth
century. Among the other
ballerinas he has partnered have
been Alicia Markova, Irina
Baronova, Agnes de Mille,
Ruthanna Boris, Yvette
Chauvire, Moira Shearer,
Rosella Hightower, Maria
Tallchief, Tamara Toumanova,
and Alicia Alonso. He has
worked with such
choreographers as Michel
Fokine, Leonide Massine,
Bronislava Nijinska, Frederic
Ashton, George Balanchine,
Agnes de Mille, Ruth Page, and
Valerie
Bettis.
Mr. Franklin was co-founder of
the Slavenska-Franklin Ballet, and
founding director of the National
Ballet in Washington, and has
staged works for companies
throughout the world. His
choreographic credits include
Etalage (1958) and
Homage Au Ballet
(1963) for the Washington
Ballet, and Tribute
(1962) for the Ballet Russe de
Monte Carlo. From 1989 to the
present, Mr. Franklin has served
as artistic advisor to the Dance
Theatre of Harlem, for which he
has staged many works including
that company's Creole
Giselle which won the
Laurence Olivier Award. Mr.
Franklin's credits span Broadway,
television, and
film.
Mr. Franklin's awards include
both the Capezio and
Dance Magazine Awards,
and the Laurence Olivier
Award for the Dance
Theatre of Harlem's Creole
Giselle. |
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