Ballet/Dance

Question 1

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Answer 1

1948- Latvian-American ballet dancer - Born in USSR - Performed with Kirov Ballet until 1974, when he defected to Canada - Joined NYC Ballet then American Ballet Theatre (in NYC) - Acted in film The Turning Point (1977), y Sex and the City

Question 2

Vaslav Nijinsky

Answer 2

1889-1950 Ukrainian-Polish ballet dancer - Famous for ability to dance “en pointe” (on tips of toes) y gravity-defying leaps - Joined Imperial Russian Ballet in 1907 - Choreographed many original works incl. Rite of Spring (1913) - Imprisoned during WWI then committed to mental asylum

Question 3

Rudolf Nureyev

Answer 3

1938-93 Russian-Tatar ballet dancer - Performed with Kirov Ballet in USSR - Defected to France in 1961, despite KGB efforts to stop him - Died of AIDS

Question 4

Alvin Ailey

Answer 4

1931-89 Afr-American dancer - Credited with popularizing modern dance - Known for his signature choreographic work Revelations (1960) - Awarded posthumous Pres Medal of Freedom in 2014

Question 5

(Philippina) “Pina” Bausch

Answer 5

1940-2009 German choreographer y dancer - Leading influence in modern dance from 1970s on - Created the “Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch” dance company, which still performs today

Question 6

Martha Graham

Answer 6

1894-1991 American dancer y choreographer - 1st dancer to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador, and receive Pres Medal of Freedom - Created the style now known as the Graham Technique

Question 7

Sergei “Serge” Diaghilev

Answer 7

1872-1929 Russian ballet impresario, art critic, y patron - Founded the influential Ballets Russes, which toured the world between 1909-29 - Mentored y worked with artists like Stravinsky, Debussy, Nijinsky, y Prokofiev

Question 8

Marius Petipa

Answer 8

1818-1910 French-Russian ballet dancer y choreographer - Considered to be the most influential in ballet history - Created the ballets The Pharaoh’s Daughter (1862); Don Quixote (1869); La Bayadère (1877); Le Talisman (1889); The Sleeping Beauty (1890) - Worked as master of the Imperial Ballet (precursor of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet) from 1871-1903

Question 9

Misty Copeland

Answer 9

1982- American dancer from CA - In 2015, she became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre - Wrote books Life in Motion (2014); Firebird (2014)

Question 10

Bob Fosse

Answer 10

1927-87 American dancer, choreography, y director from Chicago - Worked as choreographer on The Pajama Game (1954); Damn Yankees (1955); Pippin (1972); Cabaret (1972-film); Chicago (1975) - Won 8 Tony Awards for choreography, most ever; y won Best Director Oscar for Cabaret (1972)

Question 11

Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz)

Answer 11

1899-1987 American dancer, singer, y actor from NE - Widely regarded as one of the most influential dancers in the history of film y television musicals - Dancing partner y on-screen romantic interest of Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) - Starred in more than 10 Broadway y London musicals, y made 31 musical films