confused..........

[Poppiedancer]

Was Marie Taglioni (sp?) the first ballerina to dance on pointe? But then who was Carlotta Grisi(sp?)???????????????? I am so confused, I have just finished 2 contradicting books. Please help!

Love, Em

[Mel Johnson]

Taglioni was the first dancer to dance en pointe in an extensive manner. Other dancers had gone up to full pointe before her, but they appear to have used it like punctuation, with a sous-sus here, and an echappé there. Some were also apparently aided either by a partner, or even wires. Grisi came on the scene slightly later - she was younger than Taglioni. By the time she made her debut, pointe was already a well-established part of the ballerina's armamentarium!

[Poppiedancer]

I think I get it now. Thanks, these books were so mindboggling. Also both the books mentioned baby ballerinas. Who are they??? Or is it a general term?

Thanks,

Em

[Estelle]

I'm not sure if it's what your book is talking about, but in general the words "baby ballerinas" refer to three female dancers, Irina Baronova, Tatiana Riabouchinska and Tamara Toumanova, all of them born around 1916-1919, and who started their careers very early with the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in the early 1930s (Toumanova was only 13 when she created her first big roles). They created several ballets by Leonide Massine, George Balanchine, Bronislava Nijinska, Michel Fokine, David Lichine... I think that one of them (Baronova or Riabouchinska) is still alive, but am not sure. Among them Toumanova had the longest and richest career, dancing with several companies, creating important works such as Balanchine's "Palais de Cristal" in 1947 with the Paris Opera Ballet (which is basically the same as "Symphony in C"), and also appearing in several movies.

[Poppiedancer]

Thank you!

Yes, I think thats what it was refering to. They kept saying about Baronova(sp?) and the other 2. Thanks!