How tall was Tanaquil Le Clercq?

[Robert3750]

I've googled this topic like crazy, and can't find this information anywhere. All anyone says is that she was unusually tall. My curiosity was piqued after watching her perform Afternoon of a Faune. Help would be greatly appreciated.

[canbelto]

Judging from the pictures she wasn't that much taller than the NYCB dancers of her time. What she did have was unusual proportions: extremely long legs, short torso, and a small head. From this youtube video I'd guess that she's about 5'6" just judging from how tall she is from her being flat-footed in the beginning compared with Jacque d'Amboise?

[Robert3750]

That sounds like a reasonable estimate. From what I've read, most female dancers of her era were only 5'4 or less. Her "look" was indeed unusual for her era. I read elsewhere that she was taller than George Balanchine, which I found interesting.

[dirac]

That sounds like a reasonable estimate. From what I've read, most female dancers of her era were only 5'4 or less. Her "look" was indeed unusual for her era. I read elsewhere that she was taller than George Balanchine, which I found interesting.

Well, that wouldn't bother Balanchine any. Suzanne Farrell said in her book that he loved to partner her in rehearsal even though she was quite a bit taller than he when she was on pointe, and in fact the height differential helped their partnering. ("Look how we fit together," he'd say. Subtle.)

Le Clercq was always called coltish, as she noted herself, and she was indeed considered quite tall and angular for the time. By today's standards her outline is rather soft; she's more curvy than you would think from contemporary descriptions. Fashions in bodies, particularly women's bodies, tend to change over time. Pavlova was considered almost dangerously thin in her day, but she doesn't look so to us.

A digression: I remember reading that the late Nelson Mandela told a Western reporter that she was too thin, and in his young day they liked women with more meat on their bones. I suppose that was sexist of him but I'm sure he meant well, and it's a remark any dieting woman should appreciate.

[Robert3750]

That sounds like a reasonable estimate. From what I've read, most female dancers of her era were only 5'4 or less. Her "look" was indeed unusual for her era. I read elsewhere that she was taller than George Balanchine, which I found interesting.

Well, that wouldn't bother Balanchine any. Suzanne Farrell said in her book that he loved to partner her in rehearsal even though she was quite a bit taller than he when she was on pointe, and in fact the height differential helped their partnering. ("Look how we fit together," he'd say. Subtle.)

Le Clercq was always called coltish, as she noted herself, and she was indeed considered quite tall and angular for the time. By today's standards her outline is rather soft; she's more curvy than you would think from contemporary descriptions. Fashions in bodies, particularly women's bodies, tend to change over time. Pavlova was considered almost dangerously thin in her day, but she doesn't look so to us.

A digression: I remember reading that the late Nelson Mandela told a Western reporter that she was too thin, and in his young day they liked women with more meat on their bones. I suppose that was sexist of him but I'm sure he meant well, and it's a remark any dieting woman should appreciate.

I like that word "coltish", and what it connotes. It's interesting to me how the preferred female form has changed through the years and in different cultures. Paintings from the Renaissance period show women that are rather heavy by today's standards, but back then, such figures were a sign of being well fed, something that wasn't taken for granted the way it is today. One of Balanchine's other muses was Maria Tallchief. I've read she was a whopping 5'9, so I'd say you're right, Balanchine wasn't bothered by it. I saw film of her next to Le Clercq, and there didn't seem to be a huge difference. Maybe Le Clercq was 5'7?

[Amy Reusch]

Tallchief 5'9"? Maybe 5'9" en pointe? Could she have been so tall for her era and not have it constantly talked about? At 5'9" she would have been taller than Suzanne Farrell....

How tall was Frederic Franklin? Here is a photo of the two of them together... If she were 5'9" in her stocking feet, she would likely have been 6'1" on pointe, maybe more... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Tallchief#mediaviewer/File:Maria_Tallchief_in_Ballet_Russe_de_Monte_Carlo_ad.JPG

Here she is dancing with Royes Fernandez who told me he was 5'8" and considered quite tall for a dancer of his era at ABT. I think it was a measurement for her on pointe.

[Robert3750]

Tallchief 5'9"? Maybe 5'9" en pointe? Could she have been so tall for her era and not have it constantly talked about? At 5'9" she would have been taller than Suzanne Farrell....

How tall was Frederic Franklin? Here is a photo of the two of them together... If she were 5'9" in her stocking feet, she would likely have been 6'1" on pointe, maybe more... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Tallchief#mediaviewer/File:Maria_Tallchief_in_Ballet_Russe_de_Monte_Carlo_ad.JPG

Here she is dancing with Royes Fernandez who told me he was 5'8" and considered quite tall for a dancer of his era at ABT. I think it was a measurement for her on pointe.

I don't think it was an en pointe measurement. Here is the wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia....Maria_Tallchief

It simply says she was 5'9. She does look quite tall in the pictures in the article. Of course, one could say that Wikipedia is wrong, but would then have to cite another source showing something different. We seem to have digressed from my original question.

[volcanohunter]

Not to digress further, but I'm fairly sure Tallchief was not that tall. Take a look at the scene in Million Dollar Mermaid, where Tallchief stands opposite Esther Williams. Williams was 5'8½" tall, and she's clearly quite a bit taller than Tallchief.

[Robert3750]

Not to digress further, but I'm fairly sure Tallchief was not that tall. Take a look at the scene in Million Dollar Mermaid, where Tallchief stands opposite Esther Williams. Williams was 5'8½" tall, and she's clearly quite a bit taller than Tallchief.

I'm not married to the idea that Tallchief was 5'9. I simply used Wikipedia as a point of reference in trying to find out how tall Le Clercq was. It seems to be difficult to know these things for sure. Officially listed heights of celebrities often seem to be suspect.

[dirac]

That sounds like a reasonable estimate. From what I've read, most female dancers of her era were only 5'4 or less. Her "look" was indeed unusual for her era. I read elsewhere that she was taller than George Balanchine, which I found interesting.

Well, that wouldn't bother Balanchine any. Suzanne Farrell said in her book that he loved to partner her in rehearsal even though she was quite a bit taller than he when she was on pointe, and in fact the height differential helped their partnering. ("Look how we fit together," he'd say. Subtle.)

Le Clercq was always called coltish, as she noted herself, and she was indeed considered quite tall and angular for the time. By today's standards her outline is rather soft; she's more curvy than you would think from contemporary descriptions. Fashions in bodies, particularly women's bodies, tend to change over time. Pavlova was considered almost dangerously thin in her day, but she doesn't look so to us.

A digression: I remember reading that the late Nelson Mandela told a Western reporter that she was too thin, and in his young day they liked women with more meat on their bones. I suppose that was sexist of him but I'm sure he meant well, and it's a remark any dieting woman should appreciate.

I like that word "coltish", and what it connotes. It's interesting to me how the preferred female form has changed through the years and in different cultures. Paintings from the Renaissance period show women that are rather heavy by today's standards, but back then, such figures were a sign of being well fed, something that wasn't taken for granted the way it is today. One of Balanchine's other muses was Maria Tallchief. I've read she was a whopping 5'9, so I'd say you're right, Balanchine wasn't bothered by it. I saw film of her next to Le Clercq, and there didn't seem to be a huge difference. Maybe Le Clercq was 5'7?

My hunch is canbelto is on or near the target and 5'5 or 5'6 is about right for Le Clercq. A woman as tall as 5'9 would probably not even have been accepted to a company back then, even Balanchine's. (I've seen photos of Le Clercq and Tallchief on pointe standing next or near each other and Le Clercq is noticeably taller.)

such figures were a sign of being well fed, something that wasn't taken for granted the way it is today.

Right. In fact, today it's the reverse - thinness is one social indicator of class, the thinner the higher, and sometimes even a moral one - fat people are regularly and quite openly scolded for a lack of self-control and are routinely discriminated against in various ways.

Balanchine once said, "Tall is better because you see more."

[Robert3750]

such figures were a sign of being well fed, something that wasn't taken for granted the way it is today.

Right. In fact, today it's the reverse - thinness is one social indicator of class, the thinner the higher, and sometimes even a moral one - fat people are regularly and quite openly scolded for a lack of self-control and are routinely discriminated against in various ways.

Balanchine once said, "Tall is better because you see more."

Yes, the same goes for being tanned vs. not tanned. Back when most people worked on farms and spent all in day in the sun, being very pale was associated with being part of the upper class, since they didn't have to spend time outdoors. When most people started working in factories and offices out of the sun, being tanned became a sign that one had the leisure time to be outdoors.

[diane]

It is very intriguing how the "fashion" of height changes over time. When I was dancing I was almost one of the taller ones at about 5'4". Now my own daughters, taller than I am, are in the "middle range". (of course, it depends on the company - and probably country?)

Following a tangent ..... As to tan: when I was very young my family lived in Japan and at that time most Japanese - especially the women - avoided as much sun-exposure on their skin as possible, trying to be as pale as they could be. Most of the Japanese people back then (this was àll of 16 years after the end of WWII) were also quite small - at least compared to the big US-Americans of the day. But their (the Japanese) prepubescent children were often nearly as tall as or taller than the parents. My Dad said he thought it was due to the change in their nutrition.

I guess that now, too, as many people tend to be taller than the generation before, perhaps also due to nutrition, the "norms" have changed in ballet companies as well.

-d-

(edited to try to be clearer)

Edited February 1, 2015 by diane

[atm711]

The only 'tall' ballerina at that time was Diana Adams....no way was Tallchief 5'9"