New Biographies Fill Gaps In Dance History

Specialist publisher Dance Books has announced two new biographies that will fill many of the gaps in European dance history between the two world wars.

Long over-shadowed by Serge Diaghilev’s much more famous Ballets Russes, Rolf de Maré’s (1888-1964) Ballets Suedois was a smaller but still significant troupe that was a hothouse of ideas during its brief existence from 1920 to 1925. As well as commissioning new ballets and working with leading painters, poets and composers including Cocteau, Léger, and Satie, De Mare also launched the career of the daring African-American dancer Josephine Baker at his own Theatre des Champs-Elysées.

With a fortune inherited from a wealthy Swedish family, De Maré was able to live the life of an art collector, ballet director and museum founder, although he lost significant sums on his ballet company (as did his better-known rival Diaghilev). His eventful career is tracked with glorious illustrations, including more than one thousand images which have been assembled by the Swedish author and museum director Erik Näslund.

The second Dance Books biography is of the Danish choreographer and director Harald Lander (1905-71). During his 19 years as artistic director (1932-51) of the Royal Danish Ballet he laid the foundations for the world-wide fame which the company gained in the second part of the century. However, he also attracted controversy when, in 1951, he was accused of the sexual harassment of female dancers. Many believe that the scandal partly inspired Flemming Flindt’s ballet The Lesson, where a predatory dance teacher molests his pretty young pupils.

Either way, it resulted in Lander leaving Denmark to work internationally, including an 11-year stint as maitre de ballet and choreographer at the Paris Opera Ballet. This biography by the Danish scholar Erik Aschengreen is the first to be published in English.

Both biographies are published by Dance Books in November. See www.dancebooks.co.uk for more