Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé

Marie Sallé

Portrait of Maria Salle Dancer and choreographer of the 18th century by I.Deshkova
Year	1730s

Overview

Marie Sallé whom was born 1707 and died July 27, 1756, in Paris, France), was French dancer and choreographer. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Salle performed expressive, dramatic dances during a period when displays of technical virtuosity were more popular. She was the first woman to choreograph the ballets in which she performed in. She integrated music, costumes, and dance styles with the themes of her ballets, a form that was not officially used in ballet until the ballet reformation in the late 18th-century.

Background

Bio

Marie Sallé was born 1707 in France and was a daughter of a tumbler.

She was taught dance a very early and made her debut in 1718 at the St. Laurent's Fair in an opera-comique by Lesaye titled La Princesse Carisme.

//get another reference She toured in fairs for years and in 1721 appeared for the first time in the Opera in Paris in Les Fetes Venitiennes. She became a student of Francoise Prevost at the Academie Royale, but the jealousy of the older danseuse kept her from advancing rapidly. In 1725 John Rich took her to London where she first appeared in Love's Last Shift in entreacte divertissement with her brother. She danced with her brother through- out her career. Later she danced in Caracteres de la Danse.

She stayed in London for two years and returned to Paris where she danced at the Opera. She danced a solo entree, but for the next few months was in the corps de ballet. In about a year however she was recognized as a dancer of great talent. The rivalry with Camargo which became a feature of both dancers' careers began at this time. During the next few years she alternated her time between London and Paris. She was a noted intellect and associated with the men of letters of her time.

She was a reformer in dance. In London in 1734 she appeared in her own production of "Pygmalion". She discarded the cumbersome dress of the day and danced in a muslin costume, her hair down and unornamented. This was in line with her belief that dance should be natural and expressive.

A review of her endeavor read: "For nearly two months Pygmalion has been given without any sign of failing interest...You can imagine, Sir, what the different stages of such an action can become when mimed and danced with the refined and delicate grace of Mlle. Sallé. She has dared to appear in this entree without pannier, skirt or bodice and with her hair down; she did not wear a single ornament on her head. Apart from her corset and petticoat she wore only a simple dress of muslin draped about her in the manner of a Greek statue." // Salle retired in 1740 and died in 1756. Her reforms in ballet dance were eventually were adopted by other future performers. According to an article about her; "as a dancer she was loved for her naturalness, grace and lack of affectation. As a women she was known for her intelligence and virtue."

Performances

England

Pygmalion

Summary

This performance was shown on the 14th February 1734 with Marie Sallé as Galatea and choreographer. The music was by Jean-Joseph Mouret. The ballet plot was about Pygmalion, king of Cyprus, who carved a statue of his ideal woman and fell in love with her. Aphrodite then brought the sculpture to life and Pygmalion married her. The name Galatea was the name given to the statue for this interpretation and other performances This performance was put on when the Royal Opera House was called Convert Gardens before the second fire. According to an article on Marie, she danced in a muslin costume with her hair down and un-ornamented which emphasized her belief that dance should be natural.

Reviews

At the time, ballet dancers would dress in extravagant costumes with corsets. This did not give freedom for much movement. It was unheard of what Marie Sallé did in this performance. According to a review from her endeavor "For nearly two months Pygmalion has been given without any sign of failing interest...You can imagine, Sir, what the different stages of such an action can become when mimed and danced with the refined and delicate grace of Mlle. Sallé. She has dared to appear in this entree without pannier, skirt or bodice and with her hair down; she did not wear a single ornament on her head. Apart from her corset and petticoat she wore only a simple dress of muslin draped about her in the manner of a Greek statue."

Marie was complemented in many reviews for her success & genius in her decision & performance. She even got to perform for the royalty of the day. One review from ..., about her performance said that, "Sallé had talents to open a thousand purses". Apparently she could bring a lot of people to a theater and the theater made money. Overall, this perfromance was a breakthrough in ballet history with costumes and style.

External Links

Marie Salle Bio
Bio Marie Salle Britannica Encyclopedia

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