Perrot, Jules

Perrot, Jules

▪ French dancer and choreographer
in full  Jules-Joseph Perrot 
born August 18, 1810, Lyon, France
died August 18, 1892, Paramé
 French virtuoso dancer and master choreographer who was celebrated internationally for creating some of the most enduring ballets of the Romantic period.

      Jules Perrot first drew attention to his talent in his native Lyon by imitating the antics of the comic dancer Charles Mazurier. This led to an engagement at the Gaîté Theatre in Paris in 1823. Moving to the larger, more prestigious Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre, he became a pupil of Auguste Vestris (Vestris family), who prepared him for his successful debut at the Paris Opéra in 1830. Within a year he was promoted to the top rank of premier sujet (“principal dancer”) and selected to partner Marie Taglioni (Taglioni, Marie) in Flore et Zéphire.

      After leaving the Opéra, which refused to offer him a salary commensurate with the earnings of top ballerinas, he was engaged in London in 1835, and in 1836 he moved to Naples, where his path crossed that of the young dancer Carlotta Grisi (Grisi, Carlotta). As her teacher, mentor, and suitor, he accompanied her to London in 1836, and then to Vienna, where he produced his first important ballet, Der Kobold (1838). He hoped to marry Grisi, but although a daughter was born as a result of their liaison, she was reluctant to enter into such a commitment.

      In 1841 Grisi was engaged at the Paris Opéra, but no offer was forthcoming for Perrot. He was, however, to be closely involved in her first Paris creation, Giselle. Most of the action was devised by him, but any hope he might have had that his contribution would be formally acknowledged was dashed because he was not officially on the payroll. As a result, the choreography was long credited solely to the Opéra's ballet master Jean Coralli (Coralli, Jean).

      The couple's paths then diverged; while Grisi embarked on a long career at the Opéra, Perrot began his seven-year association with London's opera house, Her Majesty's Theatre. He started in 1842 as assistant to the aging ballet master André Deshayes, but from 1843 he was in full charge. This was to be the most productive phase of his career. Working with nearly all the most celebrated ballerinas of the time, he produced 23 ballets of varying importance, including several lasting masterpieces, each skillfully crafted to highlight the particular qualities of its ballerina. For Fanny Elssler (Elssler, Fanny) he produced Le Délire d'un peintre (1843); for Fanny Cerrito (Cerrito, Fanny), Ondine (1843) and Lalla Rookh (1846); for Grisi, La Esmeralda (1844); and for Lucile Grahn (Grahn, Lucile), Eoline (1845) and Catarina (1846). He also staged an extraordinary series of multi-stellar divertissements. His sensational Pas de quatre (1845), which displayed the artistry of Taglioni, Cerrito, Grisi, and Grahn without any one of them feeling disadvantaged, was followed by other divertissements of the same type: Le Jugement de Pâris (1846), Les Éléments (1847), and Les Quatre Saisons (1848).

      In 1848 Perrot produced a major ballet, Faust, for Fanny Elssler at La Scala in Milan, in which he himself played Mephistopheles. The following year, after producing La Filleule des fées for Grisi at the Paris Opéra, he left for Russia, where he was engaged as principal ballet master of the Imperial Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg until 1860. There he produced expanded versions of Esmeralda and Catarina and a series of major new works, including The Naiad and the Fisherman (1851), The War of the Women (1852), and Gazelda (1853), all for Grisi, and Armida (1855) for Cerrito.

      Perrot retired after a disappointing season in Milan in 1864. In later years he gave classes at the Paris Opéra, where as a teacher he was immortalized by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas (Degas, Edgar) in paintings such as The Dance Class (1874).

Isabella Gordon
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Perrot, Jules — (1810 1892)    dancer, choreographer    Born in lyon, Jules Perrot studied under leading dancers and debuted at the opéra de Paris, accompanying the celebrated dancer Maria Taglioni (1830). There he demonstrated his exceptional talent, strength,… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Perrot, Jules (-Joseph) — born Aug. 18, 1810, Lyon, Fr. died Aug. 24, 1892, Paramé French dancer and choreographer. After studying with Auguste Vestris, he debuted at the Paris Opéra in 1830. He often partnered Marie Taglioni until 1835, when he left the company to tour… …   Universalium

  • Perrot, Jules (-Joseph) — (18 ago. 1810, Lyon, Francia–24 ago. 1892, Paramé). Bailarín y coreógrafo francés. Estudió con Auguste Vestris y debutó en la Ópera de París en 1830, donde a menudo bailó con Maria Taglioni. En 1835 dejó la compañía para realizar giras por Europa …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Jules Perrot — Jules Joseph Perrot (18 de agosto de 1810, Lyon 24 de agosto de 1892, Paramé) fue un coreógrafo y bailarín francés. Después de estudiar con Auguste Vestris, debutó en París el año de 1830. Participó junto a …   Wikipedia Español

  • PERROT (J.) — PERROT JULES (1810 1892) Chorégraphe et danseur français né à Lyon et mort à Paramé. Fils du chef machiniste du théâtre de Lyon, Jules Perrot est initié à la danse et à l’acrobatie dans cette ville, avant d’être, à Paris, l’élève favori d’Auguste …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Jules — /joohlz/; Fr. /zhyuul/, n. a male given name, French form of Julius. * * * (as used in expressions) Ayer Sir Alfred Jules Bordet Jules Jean Baptiste–Vincent Dubos René Jules Dumont d Urville Jules Sébastien César Feiffer Jules Ferry Jules… …   Universalium

  • Jules — (as used in expressions) Ayer, Sir A(lfred) J(ules) Bordet, Jules (Jean Baptiste Vincent) Dubos, René (Jules) Dumont d Urville, Jules (Sébastien César) Feiffer, Jules Ferry, Jules (François Camille) Feydeau, Georges (Léon Jules Marie) Goncourt,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Jules Perrot — (gravure de Lacauchie, c. 1840) Jules Joseph Perrot est un danseur et maître de ballet français né à Lyon le 18 août 1810 et mort à Paramé le 24 août 1892. Biographie I …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jules Perrot — Jules Joseph Perrot (18 August 1810 in Lyon, France ndash; 29 August 1892 in Paramé) was a dancer and choreographer who later became Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. He created some of the most famous ballets of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Jules-charles le bozec — (né en 1898 à Saint Mayeux, dans le département des Côtes d Armor mort en 1973 à Mellionnec, Côtes d Armor) était un sculpteur français de la première moitié du XXe siècle, dont l œuvre traduit un attachement aux traditions de sa Bretagne… …   Wikipédia en Français

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