pherank Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Mary Ellen Moylan, ‘First Great Balanchine Dancer,’ Is Dead at 95 The celebrated choreographer created roles for her. The critics hailed her. Yet her death a year ago went largely unnoticed in the dance world. By Roslyn Sulcas April 13, 2021 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/arts/dance/mary-ellen-moylan-dead.html Link to comment
doug Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 I'm so sorry I didn't know she lived in Washington state, so near to where I live as well as lots of former Balanchine dancers. Link to comment
dirac Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 I missed this, pherank. Thank you very much for posting. I would hope that at some point New York City Ballet will make an announcement or an acknowledgment of some kind, even though she was never a City Ballet dancer. She deserves it. Moylan may well have been the last survivor from Balanchine's companies of the forties. I really enjoyed her contributions to "Six Balanchine Ballerinas." So sorry to hear she had dementia. RIP. However, it seems to me that Marie-Jeanne was really "the first," at least in this country. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 37 minutes ago, dirac said: I would hope that at some point New York City Ballet will make an announcement or an acknowledgment of some kind, even though she was never a City Ballet dancer. It has: https://www.facebook.com/112319735528/posts/10165584253940529/ Link to comment
pherank Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 58 minutes ago, dirac said: However, it seems to me that Marie-Jeanne was really "the first," at least in this country. That makes me wonder if there were ever any official listings of the dancers participating in American Ballet/ American Ballet Caravan and Ballet Society. Link to comment
Drew Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Thank you @pherankfor drawing attention to this. This video has footage of Mary Ellen Moylan dancing Sugar Plum Fairy and Sanguinic. It opens with Tallchief talking about her but also includes an interview with her. Likely others have seen this video--I'm quite sure I have--but this seemed an appropriate place to post again. I would have loved to see her dance! May she rest in peace- Link to comment
dirac Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 7 hours ago, volcanohunter said: It has: https://www.facebook.com/112319735528/posts/10165584253940529/ Thank you, volcanohunter. 7 hours ago, pherank said: That makes me wonder if there were ever any official listings of the dancers participating in American Ballet/ American Ballet Caravan and Ballet Society. Good question...... Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted November 21, 2021 Share Posted November 21, 2021 I never saw her dance live (not sure I was alive when she was still dancing) but I've always respected her place in Balanchine history and just LOVED the films, photos and accounts of her dancing that are available. What a towering career and an articulate artist she was! RIP Mary Ellen Moylan. Link to comment
BalanchineFan Posted November 21, 2021 Share Posted November 21, 2021 On 4/18/2021 at 5:28 PM, pherank said: That makes me wonder if there were ever any official listings of the dancers participating in American Ballet/ American Ballet Caravan and Ballet Society. You might try some of the books about Balanchine. I Remember Balanchine, an "oral biography" by Francis Mason, has interviews with 86 Balanchine dancers and associates going back to when he left Russia. It's not a complete listing of names, but can give you an idea of the principal dancers working with him during most periods of his career. Marie-Jeanne and Mary Ellen Moylan are both included. Link to comment
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