Adeline Genée

Genée in her original ballet, Camargo, Sydney, 1912

Dame Adeline Genée DBE (6 January 1878 - 23 April 1970) was a Danish/British ballet dancer.

Early years

Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen was born in Århus, Denmark. Her uncle, Alexandre Genée, gave her dancing lessons from the age of three. When she was eight, Alexandre and his wife, the former Antonia Zimmerman, adopted her. As well as changing her last name to Genée, she changed her first name to Adeline in honour of the Italian opera star Adelina Patti. Genée's debut was with her uncle's touring company at the age of ten in Oslo (at that time called Christiania).

In 1895, she became the principal dancer at the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen. Subsequently, in 1896, she danced with the Berlin Court Opera Ballet and the Munich Opera Ballet. In 1897, she accepted a booking for six weeks in England. She gained such success that she stayed for ten years.

At the Empire

While dancing with the Ballet of the Empire Theatre in London, she was so admired for her classical style in Monte Christo that she was offered the position of Prima Ballerina at the same theatre. She performed in The Press, Les Papillons and the British premiere (1906) of Coppélia. The Edwardian period probably represents the lowest point in the history of English ballet. It consisted of short dances in variety programs. Genée did much to raise the status of ballet by reviving earlier productions and creating an audience for more elaborate works.

She was versatile enough to dance light musical hall roles and in more severe classical roles. Slender and elegant, she was often described as like "Dresden china". In one respect she was very backward-looking, preferring a style of costume that belonged to the 1830s.

From April 1905, Genée danced in 400 performances of the musical play, The Little Michus, at Daly's Theatre.

Around the world

In November 1907, Genée sailed to the USA to perform in The Soul Kiss at the New York Theatre. The producer, Florenz Ziegfeld, described her on the posters as "The World's Greatest Dancer." In the United States at that time, many people were entirely unfamiliar with ballet, so a ballet performance needed to be presented as part of a musical spectacular.

Genée as Swanilda in the Empire Theatre's production of Coppélia, London, 1900

In 1910, Genée married Frank S. N. Isitt and gradually reduced the frequency of her appearances. In 1911, Alexis Kosloff presented her with a silver trophy, inscribed "To the World's Greatest Dancer". For several years, Genée alternated between a season in London and one in New York. Diaghilev saw her dance and immediately offered her a contract, but she refused it. On 21 June 1913, she returned to her greatest role, as Swanilda in Coppélia, this time in Melbourne. On 6 August 1913, Genée danced in Sydney.

During her tours in America, Australia and New Zealand, she also danced her own ballets, created in collaboration with the composer Dora Bright and the designer C. Wilhelm. These ballets, which she also performed in London, included The Dryad, La Camargo and La danse.^[1]

In 1916, she went on a sixteen-week tour of Australia with J. C. Williamson's company. The Australian navy wildly cheered her dancing a hornpipe in a charity performance billed as "Navy Night". On returning to London, she gave her last major performance in April 1916 at the Coliseum in The Pretty Prentice. Thereafter, she appeared only in occasional charity performances and commemorations. In 1923, Genée was awarded the Order of "Ingenu et Arti" by the King of Denmark. Genée last performed at the Coliseum Theatre in London on March 4, 1933, when the theatre changed from a music hall into an opera house.

Genée became a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1950. She gave her name to the Genee Theatre in East Grinstead and the Genée studio in the Royal Academy of Dance, Battersea, London.

Royal Academy of Dance

Main article: Royal Academy of Dance

In 1920, Genée collaborated with Philip Richardson of the Dancing Time magazine, with the aim of improving the standard of dance and the teaching of dance in the United Kingdom. This led Richardson to organise a meeting of eminent dance professionals at the former Trocadero Restaurant in Piccadilly, with Genée as one of the special guests representing what were, at the time, recognised as the leading methods of Classical Ballet training.

• Phyllis Bedells - English Method
• Lucia Cormani - Italian Method
• Edouard Espinosa - French Method
• Adeline Genée - Bournonville Method, Denmark
• Tamara Karsavina - Imperial Method, Russia

This meeting ultimately led to the formation of the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing of Great Britain, which was officially founded in December 1920. The Association grew in size and influence, with Queen Mary consenting to become its Patron. A Royal Charter was eventually granted by King George V in 1935, with the Association becoming the Royal Academy of Dancing. In 1953, Genée instituted the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award. She was President of the Academy until her retirement in 1954, when she was succeeded by Dame Margot Fonteyn.

Today, the Association is known as the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), with Dame Antoinette Sibley as President. It has grown to become one of the largest and most influential dance teaching and examination boards in the World. The RAD now has over 13,000 members, and operates in 79 countries Worldwide. There are currently over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the Academy and each year, the examination syllabus is taught to more than a quarter of a million students worldwide.

Genée International Ballet Competition

Main article: Genée International Ballet Competition

In 1931, the Association established the Adeline Genée Gold Medal Awards, as a scholarship scheme for aspiring young dancers. Initially, medals were only awarded to female dancers, but awards for men were later introduced in 1939. Today, the Royal Academy of Dance continue to offer the awards, however they have become known as the Genée International Ballet Competition, which is recognised as one of the most presitigous dance competitions in the world. The Genée competition now attracts candidates from around the world, with recent finals being held overseas in Australia, Canada, Greece, Hong Kong and Singapore.

References

1. ^ Pritchard, Jane (2004). "Genée (married name Isitt), Dame Adeline". In Matthew, H.C.G.; Harrison, Brian. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 21. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 741–744. ISBN 0-19-861371-7. 

External links

• Biography
• Genée International Ballet Competition website
• Adeline Genee; PeriodPaper.com c.1910

Persondata
Name	Genée, Adeline
Alternative names
Short description	Ballerina
Date of birth	6 January 1878
Place of birth	Århus, Denmark
Date of death	23 April 1970
Place of death