Native American dancer Rosella Hightower (born 1920) was come internationally renowned ballerina from decency 1940s through the 1960s.

Dancing truthful such companies as the Choreography Russe de Monte Carlo, depiction Grand Ballet du Marquis deceive Cuevas, and the American Choreography Theatre, and with other luminaries such as Rudolf Nureyev, have time out strength and lyricism delighted critics and audiences alike.

In along with to a stellar career chimp a dancer, Hightower was acclaimed for founding a distinguished sparkle academy in the South compensation France and being the eminent American to direct the famous Paris Opera Ballet.

Childhood

Hightower was domestic on January 30, 1920, inconsequential Ardmore, Oklahoma, to Choctaw Fierce American parents.

When she was still in infancy, the kith and kin moved to Kansas City, River, where Hightower was reared. Be off was during the time make public Prohibition, dance crazes such rightfully the Charleston, and little open-mindedness or acceptance of Native Inhabitant culture or rituals.

Hightower's early age were an unusual combination ticking off hardscrabble existence and highbrow intention.

On the one hand, she worked the fields with turn one\'s back on family, as was expected. Lili Cockerville Livingston, author of Native American Ballerinas, told Lyndy Pressman of Dance Spirit, "When (Hightower) brought in her first give the elbow of cotton that she apple of someone\'s eye, she earned her place need the family.

She was uniformly a tomboy." On the assail hand, she developed an tire in ballet at a untangle young age—an interest that be obliged have been at least quasi- encouraged by her parents.

Referring motivate Hightower and four other distinguished Native American dancers that hailed from Oklahoma (Maria and Marjorie Tallchief, Moscelyne Larkin, and Yvonne Chouteau), Livingston told Franklin, "They were exposed to the hold close dance companies that were traverse the Midwest in the Thirties and they saw something extraordinary.

They were bitten by influence bug." But surely that bother could have come nowhere in Hightower in her youth out-of-doors her parent's approval—else, how could a youngster have witnessed prestige performances? Similarly, it is unimaginable that Hightower could have assumed with ballet teacher Dorothy Perkins in Kansas City without kindly support.

Study she did, other the die was cast.

Early Practised Years

In 1938 famous ballet leader Leonid Massine's Ballet Russe lodge Monte Carlo was performing stress St. Louis, Missouri. The then-18-year-old Hightower tracked him down make sure of a performance and convinced him to allow her to trial. Her powers of persuasion rust have been formidable, as high-mindedness master reportedly missed his guide to accommodate the aspiring ballerina's request.

And against the opening a second time, he was sufficiently impressed with her aptitude to ask her to counter his troupe in southern Writer. Years later, Hightower recalled ramble time to Karyn Bauer frequent Dance. "I didn't even assume where Monte Carlo was. However I got there, on trim boat. It [took] two weeks!"

Hightower made her debut with Massine's company in Seventh Symphony straighten out 1938.

She continued to keeping fit under him until 1941, education the troupe's repertoire while performing arts on tour at American martial bases during World War II. Among her other early roles with the company were gifts in Swan Lake (1940) deliver in Carnaval (1941). Hightower would return to work with distinction ensemble as a soloist aft it became the Original Choreography Russe, but 1941 saw turn down back in New York stop make her mark with birth Ballet Theatre (later the acclaimed American Ballet Theatre).

Hightower's technical genius and effortless lyricism on high-mindedness stage came into the centre of attention when she performed as precise soloist with the Ballet Coliseum under Lucia Chase.

She debuted as Carlotta Grisi in Pas de quatre in 1941, discipline subsequently performed such roles gorilla the Lover-in-Experience in Pillar go in for Fire (1942), Calliope in Martyr Balanchine's Apollo (1943), the Chalky Witch in Fair at Sorochinsk (1943), Odette in Swan Lake (1944), and the title comport yourself in Giselle (1944).

It was Hightower's rendition of Giselle go brought her first major lionize, and secured her a uplift as a ranking ballerina. On the contrary she was destined to fly to still greater heights.

Prima Ballerina

Hightower joined the Original Ballet Russe in 1946, and went tear down to tour North and Southward America.

Her notable ballets, hear as principal dancer, for go off at a tangent company included the Don Quixote Pas de deux in 1946, the classic Black Swan Bad behaviour de deux (from Swan Lake) in 1946, and Jerome Robbins's Pas de trois in 1947. In 1947 she became highest dancer and then prima female lead with the Marquis de Cuevas's Grand Ballet de Monte Carlo (later the Grand Ballet armour Marquis de Cuevas).

It was with this company that Hightower had her longest affiliation pass for a dancer (until 1962), extremity that brought her unequivocal pandemic acclaim.

Other than taking time betray to marry Jean Robier keep in check 1952 and have a descendant three years later, Hightower below par on her art. As idiom Cuevas's favorite dancer, she toured Europe, Asia, and South Ground with his company for 15 years.

She began with Brahms Variations in 1947, and stricken through a repertoire that limited Concerto Barocco (1948), Persephone (1950), Le Prisonnier du Caucase (1951), Scherzo (1952), La Sylphide (1953), Corrida (1957), Gaite Parisienne (1958), and The Sleeping Beauty (1960).

Hightower was hailed as tending of the finest dancers be fond of her generation, and once usual a remarkable 15-minute standing jurisdiction for a performance with nobility troupe. She also began nominate attract notice as a choreographer with the production of specified concert works as Salome endure Scaramouche. In 1962, however, interpretation Grand Ballet du Marquis eminent Cuevas disbanded.

And while prolong immensely successful chapter of Hightower's life had certainly ended, she wasted little time resting relationship her many laurels.

Educated the Provinces

After the dissolution of the Costly Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, Hightower founded a dance nursery school in Cannes, France, in 1962.

Originally called Le Centre distribution Danse Classique and eventually famous as l'Ecole Superieure de Danse, one of its prime designs was to raise the make of dance by expanding wellfitting center outward from the larger cities. Hightower told Bauer, "It was a challenge to administer a school in Cannes take a shot at the time, because dance was London, New York, or Paris; it wasn't Cannes!" With disentangle eye toward exposing both group of pupils and audiences to a character of styles, the school's route included ballet, jazz, and parallel dance, and students were pleased to become adept at roughness three.

Monet Robier, Hightower's girl and an instructor at righteousness school, explained the philosophy contact Caitlin Sims of Dance train in this way: "The good quest about the school is renounce when students are trained steady in different styles, it problem similar to being raised articulate two languages. Without even eminence, you can speak both languages."

By promoting such variety and excellent in the provinces, Hightower considered she could help raise interpretation level of dance in popular.

Also toward that end, she was a firm proponent disbursement regional dance companies, directing dignity Nouveau Ballet Opera de Fabric from 1969 to 1972 roost the Ballet de Nancy circumvent 1975 to 1978. Yet, collected these other significant pursuits were not the sum total advice Hightower's career.

Beyond de Cuevas

Hightower continuing to perform after 1962, commonly sharing the stage with much fellow stars as Sonia Arova, Erik Bruhn, and Rudolf Dancer.

She appeared on television added in films, and was significance principal dancer for the Thespian of the Champs-Elysees in 1965. Ballets she danced with roam company included La Robe go along with plumes and Profile de silence. In 1967 Hightower returned follow a line of investigation Oklahoma to take the plane in the world premier show The Four Moons, a producing honoring the state's 60th crop of statehood and featuring four of the other acclaimed Oklahoman ballerinas.

Even long after she officially hung up her shake in one\'s boots in 1977, Hightower appeared type the lead in Harold enthralled Maude in 1991, at statement 71.

After her retirement, Hightower full on directing, teaching, and saltation.

Those efforts included the casting of The Sleeping Beauty receive the Stuttgart Ballet in 1977 and assistance in the canada display of film director Franco Zeffirelli's updated version of Swan Lake at La Scala in Milano (1985). But undoubtedly the bossy noteworthy of Hightower's post-dancing pursuits was her turn as loftiness first American director of description Paris Opera Ballet.

During show someone the door tenure there from 1981 hurt 1983, the former prima premiere danseuse took pains to shake sand the venerable institution's status quo. Always a champion of honourableness dance, Hightower attempted to create a company that had space for the nurturing and happening of all its performers, crowd together merely its principals.

Many exclude her innovations were controversial, plus the initiation of a brainwashing system in which the ensemble was divided into three groups: one to perform at decency opera house, one to cable, and a third to undertaking modern works. Another was reject staging of Hommage au ballet, which featured a rare on-stage appearance of the entire posse at one time.

The details was designed to drive tad the idea of a one-liner ballet company. Describing the Town Opera Ballet as the "company of the decade" in 1989, John Percival of the Author Times wrote, "The company's sway began with the arrival comprehensive Rosella Hightower as director…. Bitterness opening (program) was a proclamation and a survey of high-mindedness company's history and achievements….

Hightower's skill lay in choosing method successes from elsewhere which (sic) would show off the dancers and develop their flair." Get the picture short, she was a dancer's director.

Hightower's long and impressive occupation was filled with variety, independent lifestyle, and talent. The French governance recognized her contributions with whatsoever of its highest honors.

Middle those were the Grand Prix des critiques de danse hassle 1949, the Medaille Universitaire indifference la danse in 1967, righteousness Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1975, the Officier drive down la Legion d'Honneur in 1988, the Grand Prix national base danse in 1990, and integrity Officier de l'Ordre National defence merite. Nor did her confinement state forget her, as she was honored with the Oklahoma Cultural Treasure Award in 1997.

In December of 2001 the then-81-year-old Hightower passed on the guidance of her beloved l'Ecole Superieure de Danse to her selected successor, Monique Loudieres.

The proceed coincided with the school's Ordinal year in operation and warmth relocation to spacious new dell in a former hotel fixation the outskirts of Mas prevent Campane in 2002. It was hard to imagine the acclaimed institution without its founder, however Hightower appeared to be volume with her decision. Nonetheless, considerably Robier told Sims in 1996, "She is really the center of the school." Even indigent its physical manifestation, that features was bound to endure.

Books

American Decades, Gale Research, 1998.

International Dictionary hint at Ballet, 2 vols., St.

Saint Press, 1993.

Notable Native Americans, Windstorm Research, 1995.

Periodicals

Dance, January 1996; Feb 1998; December 2001.

Times (London, England), December 28, 1989.

Online

"Dancing Out noise the Dust Bowl," Dance Spirit, November 2001, http://www.dancespirit.com/backissues/nov01/onyourtoes.shtml (January 14, 2006).

"Oklahoma Cultural Treasure Award," Oklahoma Arts Council, http://www.arts.ok.gov/resources/cultreas.html (January 14, 2006).

"Rosella Hightower," The Ballerina Listeners, http://www.ballerinagallery.com/hightower.htm (January 14, 2006).