Marie Rambert
Encyclopedia
Dame Marie Rambert DBE (20 February 188812 June 1982) was a Polish-Jewish dancer and dance pedagogue who exerted a great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher.
, Congress Poland
, Russian Empire
, she was originally named Cyvia Rambam. Her father and his siblings had to later change their last names for specific political reasons. Her father changed his to Ramberg, one of his brothers went to Rambert, and the last changed his name to Warszawski. Cyvia changed her name to Myriam Ramberg, and finally left it as Marie Rambert. In later years Marie was known to friends and dancers as Mim. She met her husband Ashley Dukes
, a soldier on leave, at a dinner party in 1917. In Rambert's autobiography she says "after four days of personal meetings, and seven months of correspondence we were married on March 3, 1918." This was done partly as a joke so that Dukes could get 4 weeks of extended leave instead of 2 days. Their marriage lasted 41 years, until he died in 1959, leaving behind Marie and their two girls Angela and Helena, whom they called Lulu.
when she attended one of Duncan's performances, and was ‘profoundly moved by the beauty of Duncan’s dance.’ After becoming active in political riots, and the tragic day of May Day, Rambert’s parents urged her at one point to move to Paris
and take up medicine while safely living with her aunt and uncle who were also doctors. She attended a party where she danced a mazurka and danced it with such liveliness that there was applause afterwards; this was her first performance, whether she thought it or not. She met Raymond Duncan
, brother of Isadora, at this same party, who congratulated her on a wonderful performance, and again she was back into her passion for dance. She studied with Madame Rat from the Paris Opera, and later studied with Émile Jaques-Dalcroze
, at Dalcroze College who introduced her to eurhythmics
. One day at the Dalcroze College, Sergei Diaghilev
, watched a class and then asked her to come back to Berlin and study with him in the Ballets Russes
. There Rambert aided them with figuring out Igor Stravinsky
’s The Rite of Spring
with Vaslav Nijinsky
. She hesitantly accepted and collaborated with the Ballets Russes led by Diaghilev, 1912-13. In Ballet Russes she was in the corps de ballet for ballet performances such as Swan Lake, Giselle, and Scheherazade. After a tour with Nijinsky and Ballet Russes, Marie’s contract was not continued and she decided it was time for a new chapter. In 1914 she moved to the United Kingdom
, and studied under Enrico Cecchetti
.
to be a part of her company and gave them a chance to grow. From Marie Rambert Dancers the company changed to Ballet Rambert and is now called Rambert Dance Company
, a modern dance company. It was the first ballet company in Britain . Ballet Rambert really kicked off its company performance with Frederick Ashton’s A Tragedy of Fashion in 1926. Ashley, Marie's husband renovated a building and made it into Mercury Theatre
, where the majority of Ballet Rambert’s performance occurred. It was said that ‘Notting Hill Gate, where the Mercury Theatre stood, was on the slopes of Olympus’. Ballet Rambert has performed such ballets as Coppelia, as well as Balanchine's Night Shadow. Marie Rambert was adamant about finding new and upcoming choreographers. Some of her students and later her colleagues included Frederick Ashton
, Antony Tudor
, and Agnes de Mille
, to name a few. In 1965 Rambert, with the help of ‘Norman Morrice, her newest discovery, completely reorganized the company to stress modern dance’ The repertoire of the company eventually came back to more contemporary ballets, but still has a vast list of pieces that the company has performed throughout the years. She cooperated in Millicent Hodson to restore Nijinsky
's choreography of The Rite of Spring in 1979. The restoration of choreography was completed in 1987.
Marie Rambert is known for helping to create and keep the ballet community strong in Britain. ‘The creation of Ballet in Britain is one of the grandest achievements in the artistic annals of our century. It is owed absolutely to the idealism which fired Marie Rambert and Ninette de Valois
’ who was the founder of what became The Royal Ballet.
Early years and background
Born to a Russian mother and a Jewish-Polish father in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, she was originally named Cyvia Rambam. Her father and his siblings had to later change their last names for specific political reasons. Her father changed his to Ramberg, one of his brothers went to Rambert, and the last changed his name to Warszawski. Cyvia changed her name to Myriam Ramberg, and finally left it as Marie Rambert. In later years Marie was known to friends and dancers as Mim. She met her husband Ashley Dukes
Ashley Dukes
Ashley Dukes was an English playwright, critic, and theatre manager.In 1933, he founded the Mercury Theatre of London and wrote plays that appeared in the London West End and on Broadway...
, a soldier on leave, at a dinner party in 1917. In Rambert's autobiography she says "after four days of personal meetings, and seven months of correspondence we were married on March 3, 1918." This was done partly as a joke so that Dukes could get 4 weeks of extended leave instead of 2 days. Their marriage lasted 41 years, until he died in 1959, leaving behind Marie and their two girls Angela and Helena, whom they called Lulu.
Training
Rambert began her dance training in her schooling early on. Subjects like foreign languages and history seemed to come easy; however she was a restless child and ended up getting bad marks because of her endless movements during class. At one point in her early training her dance instructor stated that ‘In her, was the true spirit of dance.’ She was not impressed with the structure and performance of ballet, and was not drawn into dance as a passion until she became enthralled by Isadora DuncanIsadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
when she attended one of Duncan's performances, and was ‘profoundly moved by the beauty of Duncan’s dance.’ After becoming active in political riots, and the tragic day of May Day, Rambert’s parents urged her at one point to move to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and take up medicine while safely living with her aunt and uncle who were also doctors. She attended a party where she danced a mazurka and danced it with such liveliness that there was applause afterwards; this was her first performance, whether she thought it or not. She met Raymond Duncan
Raymond Duncan
Raymond Duncan was an American dancer, artist, poet, craftsman, and philosopher, and brother of dancer Isadora Duncan.-Biography:...
, brother of Isadora, at this same party, who congratulated her on a wonderful performance, and again she was back into her passion for dance. She studied with Madame Rat from the Paris Opera, and later studied with Émile Jaques-Dalcroze
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze
Émile Jaques-Dalcroze , was a Swiss composer, musician and music educator who developed eurhythmics, a method of learning and experiencing music through movement...
, at Dalcroze College who introduced her to eurhythmics
Eurhythmics
Dalcroze Eurhythmics, also known as the Dalcroze Method or simply Eurhythmics, is one of several developmental approaches including the Kodaly Method, Orff Schulwerk, Simply Music and Suzuki Method used to teach music education to students. Eurhythmics was developed in the early 20th century by...
. One day at the Dalcroze College, Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev , usually referred to outside of Russia as Serge, was a Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes, from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise.-Early life and career:...
, watched a class and then asked her to come back to Berlin and study with him in the Ballets Russes
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...
. There Rambert aided them with figuring out Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
’s The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
with Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
. She hesitantly accepted and collaborated with the Ballets Russes led by Diaghilev, 1912-13. In Ballet Russes she was in the corps de ballet for ballet performances such as Swan Lake, Giselle, and Scheherazade. After a tour with Nijinsky and Ballet Russes, Marie’s contract was not continued and she decided it was time for a new chapter. In 1914 she moved to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and studied under Enrico Cecchetti
Enrico Cecchetti
Enrico Cecchetti was an Italian ballet dancer, mime, and founder of the Cecchetti method. The son of two dancers from Civitanova Marche, he was born in the costuming room of the Teatro Tordinona in Rome. After an illustrious career as a dancer in Europe, he went to dance for the Imperial Ballet in...
.
Formation of Company and Members
After studying with Cecchetti, she went back to study with Madame Rat at the Paris Opera, and took her studies quite seriously. She began teaching more ballet classes in 1919 and later founded her own ballet school in Bedford Gardens. In 1926 she created her own company, originally named Ballet Club. It has been through many name changes, much like Rambert herself. The company began performing at night revues in London. The first informal show was performed in Riverside Nights at the Lyric Theatre, and continued with the nightly revues for a while. She began finding new and promising dancers and choreographers in numerous places, such as Frederick AshtonFrederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
to be a part of her company and gave them a chance to grow. From Marie Rambert Dancers the company changed to Ballet Rambert and is now called Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company, is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it would exert a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingdom, and today, as a contemporary dance company, it continues to be one of the...
, a modern dance company. It was the first ballet company in Britain . Ballet Rambert really kicked off its company performance with Frederick Ashton’s A Tragedy of Fashion in 1926. Ashley, Marie's husband renovated a building and made it into Mercury Theatre
Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate
The Mercury Theatre was a small theatre in Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill Gate, London, notable for the productions of poetic dramas between 1933 and 1956, and as the home of the Ballet Rambert until 1987.- History :...
, where the majority of Ballet Rambert’s performance occurred. It was said that ‘Notting Hill Gate, where the Mercury Theatre stood, was on the slopes of Olympus’. Ballet Rambert has performed such ballets as Coppelia, as well as Balanchine's Night Shadow. Marie Rambert was adamant about finding new and upcoming choreographers. Some of her students and later her colleagues included Frederick Ashton
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE was a leading international dancer and choreographer. He is most noted as the founder choreographer of The Royal Ballet in London, but also worked as a director and choreographer of opera, film and theatre revues.-Early life:Ashton was born at...
, Antony Tudor
Antony Tudor
Antony Tudor was an English ballet choreographer, teacher and dancer.-Biography:Tudor, born William Cook, discovered dance accidentally. He began dancing professionally with Marie Rambert in 1928, becoming general assistant for her Ballet Club the next year...
, and Agnes de Mille
Agnes de Mille
Agnes George de Mille was an American dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMille and her uncle Cecil B. DeMille were both Hollywood directors...
, to name a few. In 1965 Rambert, with the help of ‘Norman Morrice, her newest discovery, completely reorganized the company to stress modern dance’ The repertoire of the company eventually came back to more contemporary ballets, but still has a vast list of pieces that the company has performed throughout the years. She cooperated in Millicent Hodson to restore Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
's choreography of The Rite of Spring in 1979. The restoration of choreography was completed in 1987.
Marie Rambert is known for helping to create and keep the ballet community strong in Britain. ‘The creation of Ballet in Britain is one of the grandest achievements in the artistic annals of our century. It is owed absolutely to the idealism which fired Marie Rambert and Ninette de Valois
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois, OM, CH, DBE, FRAD, FISTD was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet...
’ who was the founder of what became The Royal Ballet.
Honours
- 1957, Chevalier of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- 1962, Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 1979, Gold Medal of the Order of Merit (Poland)
- Queen Elizabeth II Coronation AwardQueen Elizabeth II Coronation AwardThe Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award is an honour presented annually by the Royal Academy of Dance, to people who have made a significant contribution to the ballet and dance industry. The award was instituted by Dame Adeline Genee in 1953, to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and her...
, presented by the Royal Academy of DanceRoyal Academy of DanceThe Royal Academy of Dance is an international dance education and training organization, and examination board that specialises in the teaching and technique of Ballet. The RAD was established in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain, and received its...